The Perfect Portfolio

Here at Create & Develop Resourcing HQ we work closely with Designers of all levels and assess their portfolio's daily... Here are some basic tips on how to get your portfolio interview ready!

Keep display clean and well presented. If you have a manual portfolio, ensure design work is kept pristine in good quality plastic wallets within a ring bound portfolio so it's easy to flip through your work and talk it through. Alternatively you can present your work digitally on your Macbook or Laptop in pdf format for example. Don't take your portfolio on a memory stick to an interview as you may not be able to show it this way - most co's won't allow it.
Chronological order is key - start with your present projects and work backwards... keep it current and only include uni final collections if you're just starting out.
Show evidence of trend research for each project / collection - mood boards, colour palettes, fabric stories, sketch books etc.
Design ideas should be CAD'd up and remember to include technical flats as well as final illustrations to show styling. It's fine to show hand illustrations and sketch books to back this up, but potential employers will want to assess your Photoshop and Illustrator ability too.
Be relevant - tailor make your portfolio to the company and role you're interviewing for. If you're missing certain product, do a mini project prior to your meeting - that's sure to impress the interviewer!
Be prepared - do a practice run and talk through your portfolio. Where did your inspiration come from? How did this translate into finished product? What impact did your design's have on the co you worked for, were they best sellers? What are your achievements?