Build a portfolio that explains your work

A portfolio is a selected collection of work that helps someone understand what you do and how you approach it. It might contain illustrations, writing, photographs, design projects, research, or examples from a skilled trade. Its purpose is not to record everything you have made, but to give a clear, credible picture of your abilities.

Begin with the person who will review it. A potential client may want to see relevant experience and understand what you can deliver. An employer may be more interested in your decisions, your contribution to a team, and how you handled constraints. The same project can serve either audience, but the explanation may need to change.

Choose work you can discuss in detail. A few well-explained examples usually tell a reader more than a long collection of images without context. For each project, describe the task, your role, the important decisions, and what happened after the work was completed.

Presentation should make the work easy to examine. Use readable text, useful captions, and images that show meaningful details. Label collaborative work accurately, and make a clear distinction between commissioned projects, personal experiments, and practice exercises.

A portfolio also needs occasional maintenance. Remove examples that no longer represent the work you want to do, correct outdated descriptions, and check that your contact information is current. This site offers straightforward advice on those decisions, from making a first selection to revising an established collection.

How to choose projects for your first portfolio

Before choosing projects, write down what you want your portfolio to help you obtain. That might be an entry-level role, a particular kind of commission, or admission to a course. Use that goal to guide your selection: an impressive project is not automatically a relevant one.

Gather your available work in one place and review it without worrying about presentation yet. For each piece, note the skill it demonstrates, your level of responsibility, and whether you have permission to share it. Set aside anything you cannot explain clearly or present without disclosing private information.