Top 5 Portfolio Mistakes

Top 5 Portfolio MistakesGenerally, before you can break into the creative field, you'll need to create a "book" or portfolio to showcase your work. It sounds simple enough, but making a professional portfolio can be more complicated than it looks because there are many types of portfolios that serve various purposes.

Whether you're focused on advertising and copywriting or painting and photography, you'll want to customize your portfolio to highlight your particular creative strengths. And remember, whatever you do, make sure to avoid these five common portfolio mistakes!

1. Contextualize Your Work

Just because you know every piece of your work backwards and forwards, doesn't mean a busy creative director is going to have any idea what he or she is looking at. Being aware of what you intended when you created it, and how well it performed, doesn't mean the person reviewing it will know anything about it.

For this reason, it is very important to add context to your portfolio. If you include samples from a web campaign, make sure to list how many impressions it garnered, or how much money it generated. This simple act of contextualization will make it easier for the reviewer to see your work as a solution to a larger creative puzzle.

2. Avoidd  Tipos in You're Portofolio

It sounds obvious, but you'd be amazed at how many typos make it into a "finished" portfolio. Your computer's spell check is a good first step for eliminating typos, but spell check should never be your last and only safeguard against mistakes.

After triple-checking your spelling and grammar, go ahead and show your portfolio to at least three other people who are skilled at copyediting. While this process may take longer, having a finished portfolio that is truly finished will be worth the extra effort.

3. Provide Contact Information

You've worked really hard putting together a beautiful portfolio highlighting your work, now make sure that you can get credit for all that work. The last thing you want a person thinking when he or she looks at your book is, "wow, what a beautiful and compelling portfolio…I wish I knew who to contact to congratulate about this".

List your email address, phone number and address prominently so that a prospective contact can get in touch with you easily.

4. Include Relevant Examples

If you are sending samples of your work to a company that sells clothing, you should probably make sure at least one of your samples focuses on clothing and retail. If you are submitting designs to an online marketing agency, go ahead and include some banner advertisements.

It sounds obvious, but including work that is targeted to the audience is an often-overlooked part of building your portfolio. You might even have to make a couple of different versions of your digital portfolio to accomplish this level of specificity.

That's okay. Take the time to do it. It can really pay off in the end.

5. Focus on the Details

Every single aspect of your portfolio is going to be weighed and judged in either a positive or negative light. Take control of this situation by focusing on every last detail. First, spend some time finding a professional looking format with which to present your work. Shop around for portfolio cases that fit well with your style and help to communicate your "brand."

Once you've settled on a great "frame" for your work you can turn your attention to the aesthetics. Are your images grainy or sharp? Are your samples cropped nicely within the pages of the book? Look at each element and make sure it fits nicely with the elements surrounding it. Try different arrangements until you find a good narrative flow for your work.

Finally, for digital portfolios, make sure to check all the URLs to confirm that the links work and that nothing redirects to an old or unformatted page.

Related articles: Submit an Impressive Portfolio and How to Prepare Your Portfolio