when it comes to your physical portfolio,you have options.

22: 442 Portfolio ReviewCutler-Lake

(This paper model is no longer an option if you want to land the job.)

“The physical form of the portfolio is completely up to you. It should, however, not be too precious or complicated.” —designer Steff Geissbuhler

Having something tactile can make a last-ing impression instead of a interview where you both huddle around your laptop.—web comment

When I interview potential hires I do want to see work during the interview. I will already have researched the potential but want to talk about their work still. Yes, we can always pull up their online portfolio, but if they bring something it shows they put in extra effort and thought ahead of time (a little more than others).—web comment

itoya profolios are useful and inexpensive, but might be considered by some to be too casual for your “official” portfolio. I do, however, think it is a great idea to have a reduced-size version of your portfolio kept in something like this, perhaps at tabloid or letter size. Place printouts directly in the sleeves, as the presentation board might be too thick depending on the number of pages filled.

* some people refer to the portfolio as a “book”

random advice from those in the field

I read a large number of articles online while researching this topic. Interestingly, I found that the comments section often had the most useful advice. Here is some of it interspersed with info from the articles themselves.

“I’ve also found that folks tend to only visit specific projects on my online folio, while they will flip through an entire physical booklet.”

“When interviewing these candidates, to me it is always delightful to see the pride and care that goes into these books.* Candidates definitely ought to have an online portfolio too, but the printed books definitely get my attention and speak to the attention to detail and thoroughness of the candidate’s preparation.”

“I brought a printed portfolio to the interview for my current job. It felt nice to pass stuff around while talking. Plus, you never know when a connection might go down, or your battery might die.”

“Remember that the people looking at your portfolio will be much less familiar with your work than you. Just because something looks good doesn’t mean your clients will know what they are looking at or how it came to be. Include these details in your portfolio so that your client has some insight into your process get a better idea of what to expect from you.”

“This printed portfolio uses a layout with stitched inserts that first presents the story behind each work, then invites the audience to look inside and see the work for themselves. This sort of picture book quality allows the audience to become invested as they follow the story of how the work came to be, in a format that is easy-to-follow and not excessively wordy.”

“Remember how your teachers in school always told you to “show your work?” Knowing how something was made and learning about the process that the artist undertook can help the audience to become more personally invested in it. It’s not just about the end result but also the work that went into it.”

presenting your portfolio by Steff Geissbuhler

My own first timeSo there I was, standing in the large lobby of the Marketing and Promotion Department of J.R.Geigy (now Novartis) Pharmaceutical Corporation in Basel, Switzerland, awaiting the arrival of Max Schmid, the head of the then-fa-mous design department. The receptionist asked me to wait for Mr. Schmid who would come down by elevator to pick me up.

I was very nervous, clutching the handles of my homemade, oversized portfolio-made out of large DIN 01 boards and glued canvas spine, corners and handles, containing all my original drawings, posters, photographs, booklets and other school work. It was my first personal interview after receiving my diploma from the Basel School of Design.

The elevator doors opened, Max Schmid came towards me and I started to walk towards him when suddenly the bottom of my portfolio came unglued and everything fell to the ground, sailing slowly-for what seemed forev-er-in all directions along the polished surface. My large drawings and boards took off across the floor like curling stones, going and going. I turned bright red and bent down to gather everything in a hurry. But Max stopped me. He suggested that we should just walk through the work and discuss the pieces where they had landed. Letting the chips fall where they may, or the Swiss equivalent to that.

As other people arrived in the lobby, some commented on my work, while Max and I walked through my accidental exhibit. Max had turned my most embarrassing moment into a humorous and interesting display, making it clear with his spontaneous reaction that it was the work and me he was interested in, not just the packaging. As a bonus I also got the job.

I had to start somewhere, just like you. This experience also serves as an introduction to what I’m looking for in a portfolio.

get your book through the doorPreparationSend a letter and a well-designed résumé in advance. Your résumé is a simple typographic design problem, displaying vital information

about who you are, where you’ve been and what you’ve done in an organized and struc-tured fashion. Follow up with a phone call and make an appointment. Call the day before to confirm that you still have an interview or a drop off, who to see and when.

Brush up on the firm’s work. It helps to know something about the studio and what they do and have done before you can expect them to be interested in your work.

What is a portfolio?A portable proof of your design education and a document of your work. A display of exercises, talent, thinking and solutions to visual communication problems. The physical form of the portfolio is completely up to you. It should, however, not be too precious or complicated. Nor should it require delivery by freight elevator. It is a communication tool, not a self-centered reflection of your personality.

DesignA portfolio is a design problem. It contains an assortment of given visual and verbal material. As with all publications, what you put next to one element either plays up that individual piece or fights it for attention. An interesting layout of spreads and pages, color, form and/or thematic relationships, dramatic scale chang-es, humor, elements of surprise, details and whole pieces, sequencing and rhythm, are all tools to entertain the eye. It is a show piece in the best sense, and I haven’t even talked about the individual work itself.

OrganizationA well-structured portfolio has a beginning, a middle and an end. It should be a well-de-signed book that shows off your work in the best possible light. Samples should be clean and removable. The sequence doesn’t have to be chronological, but I wouldn’t put early school work at the end. Don’t forget that the final image leaves a more lasting impression than the first.

SketchesShow your sketches separately. This will assist those of us who think of your sketching pro-cess as one of the most important and telling parts of your presentation.

LabelsIt helps to label your work with very short descriptions, in case you have to drop off your portfolio and don’t have a chance to narrate in person. Keep in mind that a first portfolio review gives me only a first impression of you and your work. If I’m interested, you will be called back and you and your work will be scrutinized in more detail.

Please forgive me for not reading your books, thesis project, poetry or research papers. I’m getting an overall impression and can usually

judge from what I’m looking at. If it doesn’t communicate visually, you probably chose the wrong profession.

CDs and websitesYour digital portfolio should be designed just like the regular portfolio with the same attributes described above. It should be easy to open, navigate and review. I have quite a collection of portfolio CDs which are now coasters, because they couldn’t be opened. Whatever you do, don’t make us work at it. Make it easy to get to your information.

Don’t think for a minute that I pay more atten-tion to your email than to a letter or phone call. It is much easier to ignore or delete your email than it is to print it out and keep it on record.

Present in personI personally prefer, whenever possible, to see you in person, because it’s not the work I’m buying—it’s you I’m interested in. I want to hear and see you present your work. Your intelligence, enthusiasm, energy and passion are more important to me than your whole portfolio. Besides, I’m always as little suspi-cious of the involvement and influence in your work by faculty and fellow students.

If I’m criticizing your work, it is always meant to be constructive. It also shows me whether you can take criticism. This is an important factor in evaluating your potential to learn. Actually, my criticism is often directed at the faculty who taught you.

Dress presentably. Speak up and narrate your work. Don’t just sit there and wait for questions or comments. Be self critical. It is one of the most useful traits to be able to evaluate your own work in as an objective way as humanly possible. Tell me what you think is good and what is not so good. I want to know whether you know the difference.

Most of all I want to see and hear that you love and live this profession with a passion.

about the author: Steff Geissbuhler Owner geissbühler:design Inc. Steff Geissbuhler is among America’s most celebrated designers of integrated brand and corporate identity programs. His work for a broad spectrum of international and national clients includes identity systems for NBC, Merck, Time Warner Cable, Telemundo, Voice of America, Toledo Museum of Art, National Parks of New York Harbor, Crane & Co., Calamos Investments, Conrad Hotels and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. He is past president of AIGA’s New York chapter and is presently a board member. Steff Geissbuhler received his diploma in graphic design from the School of Art and Design, Basel, Switzerland.

This article can be found on AIGA’s website.

page 63 census of Portfolio Etiquette, topic no. 3

census of Portfolio Etiquette / topic no. 3

Portfolio BasicsPreference of portfolio structure according to…

box with loose samples

book with bound pages

bag with assorted items

no preference other

* web site / pdf / laptop / box with mounted boards / book or binder with sleeves / files on usb drive

* web site / pdf / original objects preferred

A sampling of “other” responses

A sampling of elaborate responses

should be comfortable to carry / not too big (20 × 30 in.), not too small (5 × 7 in.) / you’d need a good reason to go larger than 11 × 17 in. / large images good, huge portfolio bad

need to be able to read the copy and see details / too big is cumbersome, too small is silly / show project at actual size

Does size—big or small—matter?

lesson This is a matter of measurements that must be applied by you: big, but not too big; small, but not excessively so. Also applicable: the unspoken rule that the younger the designer, the bigger the portfolio, and the more experienced the designer, the smaller the portfolio.

lesson a) Above all, keep things organized. A book seems to be the most common way to do so. b) Your portfolio should not feel like opening the overhead bin after the plane has landed.

intervieweekey

yes

interviewer

no

interviewee 19% 58% 5% 18%*–

interviewer 11% 34% 0% 40% 15%*

70%

30%51% 49%