Print Portfolios and Written Content

Print Portfolios:
When it comes to print portfolios, students should buy a box that fits the material that's going inside as well as fitting the style. The portfolio usually has a theme and by coordinating the container, it shows that you put a lot of thought into your presentation. Obviously details in design matter!

Creating Written Content:
So you ask, "What do I write, and why?" People want to know about your career or education, what you contributed to a particular project, and how you construct and work with different visual problems. This can give your viewer a sense of who you are as a designer and a person. It shows your thinking and your personality when it comes to working on projects.

According to the author of "Designing a Digital Portfolio" you write to: "identify your work, introduce yourself, explain your ideas and process, and speak directly to your audience."

Identifying your work can be done through a caption that explains who your client was and a short title for the piece. Don't go into detail about your design ideas. Captions aren't the place for it.

Introducing yourself is next on the list. Personal information needs to be included in your presentation. You should include something about yourself. Some examples are your resume, a bio, or a cover letter. For your resume, you should keep it both visually and verbally clean. Don't put an objective paragraph in there, and check for any errors. Remember to use your name in the file name! The book mentions, www.cefarratti.com, that has a an easily accessible resume, but no bio, which is fine. A bio is a short paragraph or two that describes your experience and skills. It should be as short as you can make it but make sure you're writing about the important aspects. Cover letters should be written in advance and then revised as needed when the time comes. It should have a standard greeting, a short piece about who you are and why you're sending your work, and a thank you for their interest in you.

Your creative thinking is important also. Therefore, you need some form of explaination to your thinking process, the project requirements, and design problems and solutions. This can be a very valuable part of your portfolio. It helps define you as a person. It should have a short statement that is well-written but full of important content.