Portfolio Perfect: How to Create a Winning Web Design Portfolio

by Caitlin Sanford
Web Design School Review Columnist

The Web design portfolio—a collection of a pages and graphics—is one of the most important aspects of an aspiring webdesigner’s resume. A well-assembled profile can be your ticket to a top design career, while a sloppy portfolio can mean disaster.When building your portfolio, remember to be selective and to invest in presentation.

Portfolio Basics

Your profile should showcase your best Web design work in an organized way. You should include about 10 to 15 Web pages. Don’t be tempted to include everything you’ve designed in your career. Fine tune your best design work and opt for quality over quantity.

Projects should be current, no more than three or four years old. Diversity is good, but be wary of including too much showy flash. Remember, potential clients look for accessibility.

Presentation

You can choose between a portfolio displayed online, on a DVD or CD, or in print. Which is best? If you’re set on a career in Web design, the bad news is that it’s best to prepare all three.

Some employers prefer online portfolios that are always a click away. Other employers prefer a DVD they can take with them. It is also wise to take color printed pictures of your designs to interviews. Printed pictures should be laminated or displayed on solid backing.

Starting in Web Design School

Web design school is a great place to start building your portfolio. In career training programs, teachers and classmates can review your work. It is always a good idea to have someone critique your designs. Design school can connect you with a network of knowledgeable critics. Web design school assignments can double as the portfolio pieces that will help you net that first design job.

About author

Caitlin Sanford is a consultant and freelance writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University.

Source(s)

“Presenting your work,” Webpage Design for Designers

Posted at 10:53 AM on August 14, 2007

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