How to make an impressive portfolio for design entrance exam

NEW DELHI: Building a strong portfolio is the gateway to the world to express your work, skills and experience. Portfolios are the prism through which the examination panel evaluates the potential of a student in the field of designing. An impressive portfolio can propel you an opportunity to gain admission in your dream design institutes.

An impressive portfolio is the backbone of every design aspirant. Therefore, creating an outstanding design portfolio is an important exercise for a student in building their career in design. Most of the design schools ask students to showcase their design portfolio at the time of interview for admission. Careers360 brings here some of the tips to make an impressive design portfolio.

Include your most unique and creative work

Identify your best work and include it in your portfolio. Remember that the objective of making a portfolio is to display your creative designing and problem solving skills. Avoid adding work that can give a negative impression to the exam panel. Spare time to choose your work which can highlight your design ability. Your portfolio should not only reflect the work you've done, but also the things you want to do in the future.

Focus on quality

Remember that portfolio presentations are not about the quantity of the work you have done, but rather about displaying your creativity and innovative thinking. Humans have a short attention span, so adding unnecessary stuff can ruin your effort. Portfolio should be simple, clean and splendid.

Work on your presentation

It is advisable to label your work in the portfolio. Add a brief introduction of your project. But make sure the introduction is informative, crisp and to the point. Avoid using lengthy sentences while presenting your work.

Organize your portfolio in eye-catching manner

It is imperative to organize your portfolio in an eye-catching manner but not overwhelming. Organize your portfolio using categories like education, awards and certificates, work experience, special skills, workshop and conference, work sample and many more. Create a layout and design, however, don’t get overly decorative. Each page must have a title and concise caption.

What should I include in the design portfolio?

The following items must be included in your portfolio.

• Table of content - List the contents of your portfolio with page number

• Career objective and goal - Give a brief description of career objectives and where you want to see yourself in the future

• Resume - Add information about your educational qualifications, work experience and achievements.

• Work sample - Highlight your most unique and creative work like best project, presentation, brochures etc.

• Testimonials and Letters of Recommendations (If any) - Include any kudos you received for your work from professor, client or customer.

• Awards and honor - Any award, certificate, honors, scholarship you received.

• Workshop and conference - Mention the name of the design workshop, seminars and conference which you attended.

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