The Art of the Portfolio

As a creative person, one of the things I think I have most often struggled with is how I put my work together. I would have over the course of my design career, reimagined presenting the same piece of work over and over in the pursuit of self improvement in storytelling. And believe me I’ve had my share of physical printed portfolios, powerpoint presentations, pdfs, online portfolio websites and eventually my own website.

Now that I’m a bit older (and perhaps wiser but one can never be too sure) — I’ve put together what I think I would tell to the 20 year old Pavithra, who was graduating or who was starting her career.

You have to learn to sell yourself
Despite everything you have been told and all the imposter syndrome you suffer, I will break it to you — You have to sell yourself for the next big thing for you. Yes, you can be immensely talented, but if you cannot sell yourself, you will be left behind. Just because you advocate yourself or your work does not make you delusional or narcissist. Pro Tip: You are and always will be your biggest champion, so please go right ahead.

How you curate your work is how people will remember you
There is so much content (loosely used) out there honestly, eventually it is going to soon give us all a brain fog. Curating what you show, how you show and where you show is perhaps a skill one can hope to quickly learn. Work does not have to align chronologically. Keep the strongest pieces upfront. And credit everybody who worked with you if it is a team work. Pro Tip: The kind of work you curate is the kind of work you will get to do more of or hired for

The presentation of your work is as important as the work itself
Just because you have created something that you will add to your portfolio doesn’t mean the work ends there. The finishing touches of the project — how it is presented, how it flows in a sequence, what story does it tell, what roles did you play within it are all equally important. Putting it together is the actual cherry on the cake! Pro Tip: Show the process of the work, but keep it succinct so that it doesn’t take over the end output.

How you talk about yourself, says a lot about you
Most of us as creatives find writing about a piece of work objectively easier over a period of time. But when it comes to writing a bio, most of us have an innate struggle. Invariably we leave this to the very end, whereas it is the thing that should be done at the very beginning. How you describe yourself, your interests, your body of work makes or breaks how you will be perceived. Pro Tip: Do not write about your interests if they are not essentially relevant to the portfolio or work you are building. And try not to use the word — expert.

Design should not trump functionality
Over-enthusiasm leads many of us here. The design of your portfolio should celebrate all the pieces of the work, not be in conflict with the work itself. Think of your portfolio like an art gallery. If the gallery had murals celebrating itself in the background of all the artists work, how would you receive it? Pro Tip: Use portfolio websites that already exist if you’re unsure about how to put it together. Somebody out there has done half the work for you. So say a mental thanks to these people for existing and benefit from it.

Some additional pointers if you are applying for a job –

• Don’t over design your CV. Information design is not about infographics and cool layouts
• Take the effort to write a cover letter or draft an email of intent not a ‘To whomsoever this may concern’ email. Do not use a template provided by your college or university. You will not stand out of the crowd with a template that everybody uses.
• Definitely do not BCC it or mark everyone you’re applying to in one email thread
• If you have already shared your website and are called in for an interview or a work review, take the effort to make a presentation either further expanding the work or more work. Presenting your website at an interview or work review is the best way to not get a job
• If you didn’t hear back the first time you applied and there is an open
  position available again, apply again with an updated portfolio. Persistence can sometimes pay off.