The season of internships is back and this is the exact time when thousands of freshly baked portfolios will be spammed to the already filled servers of poor architecture studios. I, another poor fresh graduate am sharing some thoughts on the portfolios. I am not an expert in this nor is my folio the best in the world. These are some thoughts which I believe can be helpful. You can take cues from them or choose a completely different path!
1. The shelf life of a portfolio is about a minute.
Good offices receive thousands of portfolios for internships, they(mostly junior staff) quickly skim through the folio and shortlists. So make sure you have more graphics and less text. Because each page will get almost 2-5 seconds.
2. Design according to the monitor screen.
Your folio will always be viewed on a computer screen unless you send a printed copy. So, make it in the ratios favorable and comfortable to screen viewing. This will allow the viewer a seamless view of each page and save him/her from zooming in and out.
3. Composition matters.
The Composition of a page creates a huge impact. Take cues from photography, study about grids and compose your pages well.
4. Create a sequence of visual impacts.
If you have many projects to show, put your best three projects in beginning, middle and end of the portfolio. Other projects can be filled in between. This will balance it out.
5. Choose a binding thread.
A binding thread is something which will make your portfolio one. It can be something which connects each page with the portfolio as a whole. People use color schemes as a binding thread, some people use graphics while some use text. An example of using text as a binding thread would be adding a quote before every project.
6.Give resting spaces for eyes.The aim of the portfolio is not to fill everything that you have in that single helpless page. Give spaces for the reader to think. One good render/visual of the project covering some part of the page can be powerful.
7. Be original.
Take cues and ideas from others but be honest with your work. It will help you in your life.
8. End page is as important as the cover page.
Cover page creates the first impact of the portfolio, no doubt. But the end page should be given an equal importance as it is the last impression of you.
9. Put a resume in the portfolio and also separately.
Many firms print your resume (because it's only text) and us it for reference. Adding a simple resume (without much graphics) in a pdf along with your graphical portfolio will be a good courtesy from your side.
10. Your portfolio is you!
Put what you like. Make new projects, put the ideas that you always wanted to do. There are no hard rules. You make your own style.
People can also add more insights in the comments!
1. The shelf life of a portfolio is about a minute.
Good offices receive thousands of portfolios for internships, they(mostly junior staff) quickly skim through the folio and shortlists. So make sure you have more graphics and less text. Because each page will get almost 2-5 seconds.
2. Design according to the monitor screen.
Your folio will always be viewed on a computer screen unless you send a printed copy. So, make it in the ratios favorable and comfortable to screen viewing. This will allow the viewer a seamless view of each page and save him/her from zooming in and out.
3. Composition matters.
The Composition of a page creates a huge impact. Take cues from photography, study about grids and compose your pages well.
4. Create a sequence of visual impacts.
If you have many projects to show, put your best three projects in beginning, middle and end of the portfolio. Other projects can be filled in between. This will balance it out.
5. Choose a binding thread.
A binding thread is something which will make your portfolio one. It can be something which connects each page with the portfolio as a whole. People use color schemes as a binding thread, some people use graphics while some use text. An example of using text as a binding thread would be adding a quote before every project.
6.Give resting spaces for eyes.The aim of the portfolio is not to fill everything that you have in that single helpless page. Give spaces for the reader to think. One good render/visual of the project covering some part of the page can be powerful.
7. Be original.
Take cues and ideas from others but be honest with your work. It will help you in your life.
8. End page is as important as the cover page.
Cover page creates the first impact of the portfolio, no doubt. But the end page should be given an equal importance as it is the last impression of you.
9. Put a resume in the portfolio and also separately.
Many firms print your resume (because it's only text) and us it for reference. Adding a simple resume (without much graphics) in a pdf along with your graphical portfolio will be a good courtesy from your side.
10. Your portfolio is you!
Put what you like. Make new projects, put the ideas that you always wanted to do. There are no hard rules. You make your own style.
People can also add more insights in the comments!
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