One of question I constantly hear from designers concerns how much work they should put in their portfolio. In truth there is not a right answer to this, but there are some general rules and guidelines. One of the things I have to rant about is Designers, Teachers and Art Directors who insist you should only put in 10 pieces of work in your portfolio. To be blunt, that is a load of crap.
The Truth About the 10 Piece Rule
The reasoning behind the 10 piece rule is based on the logic that whoever is looking at your portfolio is pressed for time and doesn’t have the patience to go through all you work or that they may get bored if they have to go through too many. They also say you should be able to sell yourself in 10 pieces if the work is good enough.
It took me actually thinking about it while I was in college to realize this was coming from teachers and HR people, not salesman or job seekers or recruiters and certainly not from clients. A good salesperson knows that you “show as many products as it takes to close the sale”.
You’re there to get hired and sell yourself, not save their time.
If someone has set aside a half hour or an hour for you to do an interview, its up t you make the most of that time and to position yourself for success. You don’t do that by trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. This about giving them the ability to make an informed decision and demonstrate your value. Within reason, use as many pieces as it takes, if the work is impressive they aren’t going to get bored. Do you realize how much time people spend looking at images on Deviant Art, Behance and Tumblr?
Always be respectful of someone’s time, but understand that this is an opportunity and treat it as such, go big or go home.
If you want to work at an advertising agency…
When I was in my interview to work at a New York Ad Agency (where yes I got the job), I fell into the trap of showing a minimal amount of work. I only had 15 pages in my portfolio, mostly commission digital art pieces and typography posters. A lot of my clients were small local companies and I didn’t feel confident showing that work so I didn’t include it, which was smart. The head of the agencies response the volume of work was “your work is good but this portfolio feels a bit thin…”
I think my heart stopped at that moment. The things I did right were I put in only what I personal felt was my best work, and I put in personal work that I was passionate about and really showed off what I was capable of and my unique visual style. I got the job because I presented well, spoke intelligently and had a diversity of skills (web, print, video and copy writing) and I understood salesmanship.
When it was my turn to interview new designers I really got an appreciate for what it was like to be on the other side of the table. So many of them had thin portfolios just like I did, particularly the one’s who went to the top design schools in the country. Freelancers did a bit better and their portfolios made a bit more sense.
Understand Who You Are Pitching To
Understand that an Advertising Agency is there to deliver whatever the client needs, so your portfolio needs diversity. You need to present strong layout and print productions skills, some digital illustration/vector artwork, logo designs, photo retouching and editing and a strong overall sense of design and creativity. You’re going to be working on campaigns that range across every type of media for clients usually across multiple industries. Ask yourself honestly if 10-15 pieces of work is going to tell them that you can handle it?
Portfolios for Clients and Small Businesses
If you are presenting to a client or small business, they are likely going to look at everything you put in front of them because they are spending their own money. They want to make an informed decision and if they are interested they will take the time.
Don’t overwhelm them with a 60 page portfolio, but show them relevant work. If you don’t know what they are going to need from you, then you have to show them a little bit of everything. If they don’t see it in your portfolio they are going to assume you can’t do it.
Businesses today usually need branding kits, print marketing collateral, online banner ads, websites, social media and landing pages for their online ads. You need to show them a variety of quality work. If you’re going to work as an In-House Designer at a company, it is possible you will be interviewed by an HR Manager who won’t want to look at everything in your portfolio, but that isn’t an excuse to make it thin. Section your portfolio if you are applying for a job as an In-Designer so that they can understand you are capable of doing whatever they need and show at least a few solid pieces from each section.
Why it’s important to show off some of your personal work.
If you’re a new designer or a student you may not have a lot of client work in your portfolio. I’d rather see your personal work than a lot of student work i your portfolio. Student work stands out and its obvious in a portfolio and is very readily dismissed. Part of the reason for it is that it doesn’t reflect the conditions of the real world. So why is personal work any better? Because personal work will have your approach and style without the guidance of someone else directly influencing the process. This tells us a lot more about you, and reveals your style and decision making. You’re also going to care about this work more and show your personality when you speak about it.
Many designers overlook how important personal style and personality are to the person hiring them, those things are going to be a big part of how well you can work with someone each and everyday.
Dark Valkyrie Diana Photoshop Digital Art by Roberto Blake
Final Thoughts on Portfolios
Show the work you want to get and show the work that is going to sell you as the solution these people need. Don’t be afraid to take some chances and risk, nothing ventured nothing gained. Show your best work and be prepared to talk about it and make sure that if something is in your portfolio there is a reason beyond “I really like this piece”. Make sure each pieces is demonstrating your value, your style or how you solve a problem.
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