6 of the most inspiring portfolios

If your design portfolio needs a bit of work, take a look at these brilliant examples to help you showcase your work in the best possible way.

01. Lance Wyman

For graphic designer and illustrator Rejane Dal Bello, Lance Wyman's portfolio is the pick of the bunch. "Lancy Wyman definitely impresses me," she says. "I'm a long-time admirer of his work and have studied his website a lot, going 'down the spiral' with it. What impresses me is that, although he has a remarkably strong visual point of view and style, it doesn't overshadow the content he needs to represent, and it's always surprising and clear without being simplistic and boring. There's a lot of depth. He isn't bigger than the project, and this tells you a lot about the man behind the work. Long live Lance Wyman.

02. Dan Heath

Director and designer at Hashtag House Laura Hudson is drawn to the talents of Dan Heath. "Just after I graduated, I came across surface designer Dan Heath's work and was instantly drawn to his use of natural and reclaimed materials," she says. "I took a lot of inspiration from the way he uses his illustrative designs to tell a narrative. His designs are full of bold, geometric, architectural shapes that illustrate the history of the piece, yet his techniques and style are very modern and I like this juxtaposition between old and new."

03. Giant Ant

"I think the most inspirational portfolio of work I've seen was by Vancouver-based studio Giant Ant," says designer and animator Conor Whelan. "Every piece is so different but so beautifully designed and animated/shot, and I think their passion for what they do is so clear in everything they produce. Their stuff shows that to love your job isn't some crazy, impossible dream – it's totally attainable."

04. Kyle T Webster

Artist Kate England champions the work of Kyle T Webster. "As an artist, you're often advised to create a strong portfolio in a consistent signature style so that art directors easily see how you would approach an assignment," she says. "Maybe you've even heard yourself offer that advice? As time goes by, I think it's likely that your style evolves: you want to try new ideas and media; you reinvent, mash things up, adapt and explore. After all, innovation is part of the creative mind. Kyle T Webster dares to break the taboo of style consistency. His inspiring portfolio reflects work created in a variety of different styles and media."

05. Nendo

Senior designer at Rose, Maja Hakenstad says: "Nendo have our entire studio swooning every time they post a new piece of work. Their greatest attributes are their deceptively simple ideas, and clean and clear executions. Their work sits in that wonderful Japanese middle ground of minimalism and ingenious detail, and is never pared back for the sake of it; every form feels infinitely considered."

06. Liane Plant

"A recent portfolio find for me is the work of Liane Plant," says lead designer at ILOVEDUST Ollie Munden. "She's a fairly new kid on the block and hits you hard in the eyeballs with a blend of hard black linework and vibrant 80s-style colour palettes. Lots of old- school skateboard culture references come through in floods, which takes me right back to my teenage years as a skater kid. As well as that, notes of rock'n'roll and metal are skilfully woven into the work in abundance. Definitely one to keep an eye on."

This article originally appeared in Computer Arts issue 251.