It's strange to think about your portfolio as being the culmination of your college career, but that's what it is. It represents all the hard work, dedication, and growth you have gone through and will soon open the door to the next stage of your life, your professional career.
Choosing the correct portfolio is the first important step. It has to properly showcase the work, which resides within. Think of your portfolio as a frame; the frame should be clean and unobtrusive, letting the work within do the talking. Ring bound sheets are a must; they allow you to move your projects around without having to deconstruct your entire portfolio. Choosing a small portfolio is a bad idea; this tends to make a very weak visual statement. Personally, I'm a big fan of the large, basic black portfolio 20 x 26 with ring bound sheets, acetate protected & black matte paper within.
If there are pockets inside your portfolio, they should contain large, sealed envelope - inside of which you should keep copies of your resume and any other leave-behind materials. Do yourself a favor, adhere the envelope to the inside of your portfolio. You'll get the portfolio all organized before your interview, and then carry the portfolio on your bike, across town on the "L", or in the backseat of your car and when you open in front of your audience, all the papers will spill out onto the table leaving a first impression of disorganization. Not a good way to start an interview.
Speaking of organization, the order in which your pieces are presented is quite important. Start out with a good strong statement, but not your strongest statement. Pick the four best samples you have; these are the pieces around which you will build your entire portfolio. Rank your pieces from most favorite to least favorite, with most favorite being #1 and least being #4 (note: if you do NOT have four pieces around which you can build your presentation, then you are going through this process way too early).
A good portfolio has a conversational flow, through which you will guide your audience. The path of the conversation is directed by the pieces themselves, so all the pieces must relate to their predecessors and successors in a logical manner. Start your portfolio with a piece that is a general, overall display of your talents (use #2 or #3): good layout, typography, imagery, all the basics. The next piece (#4) should also be a good general display, but have one item in it with which you are exceptionally pleased. For instance, typography. Take the opportunity to discuss the importance of typography briefly, and let that piece be a lead-in to your next pieces, which have a heavy textual basis. This flow can be used for any visual art form: photography, retouching, page design, the list is endless. The point here is that the portfolio has a flow and methodology, and you are the one who directs the navigation.
Somewhere between the halfway and 3/4 point thru your portfolio, you should arrive at your third anchor piece - #1. Here is your time to really shine. Discuss this piece in great detail, what you hoped to accomplish with this one, the outstanding grade you received or the freelance project you sold. Point out specific facts about parts of the project of which you are especially proud, and explain why. You should brag; but use humility at the same time. Remember, you are most likely speaking with a seasoned professional, someone who has been doing this for a long time. No matter how good you think you are, if you come across as too brash or headstrong, you will be labeled cocky. That's designer-speak for not hiring material.
The last piece in your portfolio should be your #2 or #3 piece; whichever you did not use as your opener. This is the piece where you should reinforce your skills on a particular aspect of design, and over which you will linger for a few moments while making the end of interview small talk. During this final chat, try to re-direct the conversation back to a point you brought up in your #1 piece and take the opportunity to turn pages back to this piece in your portfolio. This is the final point you make with the interviewer, leaving your best work as their lasting impression. The last two pieces they will remember will be your best two, at which point your work will speak for itself.
Gregg Tomlinson is the owner and principal creative at Fathead, a bybrid design and advertising agency. He's also a frequently guest portfolio review for the Portfolio Center.
