How to make the best impression with your Folio of work
We have the tea when it comes to your folio of work. It can be hard to know what work to showcase when applying for a role but as someone who regularly reviews portfolios – I have a long list of do’s (and do-nots!) when it comes to making the best impression with your body of work.
If the file is too large to send – it’s too big! Ideally we are looking for something that can be saved as a PDF without compromising the quality of the images and doesn’t need to be sent through Wetransfer. Think about your intended receiver and making it as easy as possible for them to access your work.
Embrace the online folio! I get it – you are a seasoned designer and don’t have a lot of time up your sleeve but, I assure you we are not looking at as much of your work as you think. A folio is great to get a real flavour of your design process and your handwriting – get the best work online and then keep adding to it when you can. These can be password protected to ensure your privacy.
Keep it short and sweet – Show the design process you used and include technical drawings, sketches, mood-boards rather than just the finished product. This allows us to see your process rather than guessing that the finished article was all yours (less than 10 pages is more than fine.)
Think about your reader – If you need to zoom in on the font, its too small. Using your folio as your CV is great but ensure that hyperlinks and content can be copied so that we can grab your email or phone number from the document.
Tailor your work to be relevant to the brand you are applying for.
Take time to restructure your folio – after 2-3 years in industry your graduate collection more than likely lacks commerciality, and is less relevant than the design work you have completed more recently.
Take time to make sure those first pages really grab the attention of the receiver.
Designers who are 10 years in, we don’t need to see your whole careers work. There are constant developments in technology and trends so showcasing product from more than 5 years ago can make your folio appear dated.
Graduates – If your graduate collection lacks relevance then you might like to think about putting together some work for your dream brands – a pre-emptive design project of sorts. Although we can’t guarantee that it will always result in a job – it is never time wasted and showcases your proactivity and confidence – qualities we all know and love!
We are currently recruiting for design roles of all levels - so please get in touch with Team TM for more info.