by Artwell Nwaila (@artwelln) I’ve received hundreds of portfolios in my life and I come across the same five mistakes all the time. Once again, I will share a few tips on how to up your chances to getting your dream job.
1. It’s not about the brands
Avoid filling your portfolio with work from the biggest brands you’ve worked on; fill it with the best work you’ve done. Having worked for big brands will not get you the job — cool work will.
More than often, big brands don’t have the guts to allow you to do awesome work, anyway.
2. Try be online
Gone are the days when you walk into an interview with a huge portfolio bag. Besides being as trendy as Walkmans and fanny bags these days, they’re also very inconvenient. Believe it or not, after 10 interviews with piles of left-behind prints, the interviewer is justifiably liable to kill someone.
Online portfolios are easy to share, view anywhere and update quickly. Check out WordPress and Tumblr for free portfolio templates.
3. If it’s pdf, keep it simple
If you can’t do an online portfolio, create a pfd portfolio that has less than 12 pages. On each page, avoid having more than two artworks — the less the clutter, the better. Also, only post your best few artworks; there’s no need to show the evolution of your skill.
There is also nothing more suicide-inducing than a huge pdf that clogs up your inbox on a super-busy day.
4. Think like a gallery
Gallery walls are white for a reason; everything looks more crisp and pronounced on white. Keep your portfolio as white as possible in order to make your work pop.
Avoid decorations that lead the eyes to the wrong place. If you feel the need to place your artwork on a leopard skin, consider which is louder: the unimportant background or your artwork?
The layout of your pdf also plays a huge role in how your work shines. Keep all images the same height, with equal spacing in-between.
5. Be honest
I’ve busted a handful of creatives who’ve claimed design work that wasn’t theirs. The industry is small, and we all know each other’s work. Don’t assume that no-one will notice and, even if no-one does, you’ll go to hell.
Jokes aside, word is going around that desperate creatives are taking work from the internet and claiming it as their own. This is killing our industry as the liars are damaging client-agency relationships by delivering shoddy work.
Artwell Nwaila (@artwelln) is a creative director in the wonderful world of TV, as well as founder and publisher of the award-winning SA Creatives (@thesacreatives), a network intended to help creatives move their professional lives forward through showcases, news and a freelancer directory. His monthly column on MarkLives, “Creation”, is a humorous take on life in the creative world, seasoned with experience-based practical advice.
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Awesome read