Perfect portfolios

Your future is in your own hands. In no other sphere of professional life is this truer than in the creative industries. Your future is, quite literally, in your own hands every time you pick up your design portfolio, step outside your own little bubble and venture into a design studio, ad agency, or any other creative company looking for work - whether it be full-time employment, in-house freelance work or a one-off commission or project. There's no nice way of saying it, no sugar-coated version that's easy to digest: as a creative professional, you will live or die by your portfolio!

Given that the route that has led up to this point is generally one of full-time schooling from the age of five, a couple of years of A-levels at college, followed by an art school foundation course and a further three years studying design at university, you'd think that most graduate designers were more than prepared to put a portfolio together. Think again. Many young designers are woefully ill-equipped for the rigours of professional portfolio presentation. It's almost as if this aspect of design education is bolted on as an afterthought. The fact that most employers look to the portfolio before the qualifications indicates the importance that should be placed on this crucial aspect of professional practice. A good degree indicates how well a designer was doing at the point of graduation, whereas a good portfolio can indicate so much more!

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq. 

TOPICS