Do tailor your portfolio to the specific application or the type of work that you want to do. You may want to put together more than one portfolio if you’re applying for different positions.
Do you want to tell a story, showing the links between the different angles you have explored? Do you prefer the simplicity of chronological or reverse chronological order? Think about the work that you’ve done and see if there are any particular connections that you want to highlight. Remember that whatever you come up with, it should be clear to a viewer what you’re trying to communicate. If you’re really unsure about this, just stick with something simple, like presenting your most recent work at the front to capture the viewer and then dedicating the rest of the portfolio to showing how you got there. Note that for professional portfolios, you should arrange your work with the most recent pieces first and put older material in the back.
Don’t just think about what your storyline is: assess how each part fits into that story. Play around with different arrangements and think about how each arrangement affects how your works will be perceived. You may create a diagram or an outline to illustrate why you organized your pieces in a certain way. Show or explain your idea to someone who has worked with you throughout your creative development. Ideally, that person should be a mentor, such as a teacher or someone close to you, who has some experience with building portfolios and can provide feedback on how effective your ideas will be.
Note that you usually can’t include actual pieces that you’ve made, like a corset or a pair of a shoes. Instead, have professional-looking photos taken of those pieces and include the photographs in your portfolio as exhibits of your work.
Do include casual side projects if you’re not making a targeted professional portfolio. These unofficial works show the diversity and range of your talents. Plus they offer some insight into your interests. If you have a large volume of work, try to select primarily from your most recent explorations. Include some of your older work to show your development, but emphasize where you’re at right now, especially if you’re making your portfolio for professional advancement.
Make sure that these works incorporate a range of different types of styles or approaches to fabric and materials. You shouldn’t include more than two pieces from one style or approach. For example, maybe you have two pieces that showcase your ability to work with leather. You should also include one to two pieces that show off your ability to work with a different material, like silk or jersey. This will illustrate that you are able to work with several different materials and in several different styles.
Ask yourself questions like, does a chronological order make sense? Do you have clusters of works that you should group together by subject or by medium? If you discover that something doesn’t fit well with your arrangement, don’t include it. See if you have a different piece works better with the other parts of the section. You want everything in your portfolio to fit well together.
Presentation cases are like zip binders, in that they generally include sheet protectors and are best for smaller works. They are literally meant to “present” your work, so they’re probably your best option if you’re just starting out.
If you have larger pieces, like paintings, you may want to invest in a portfolio, which is larger and intended more for transporting works than for presenting them. Rather than presenting your works in a ring binder-style setting, you’ll probably end up with loose sheets and works stacked together securely inside.
You should use high-quality, acid free paper. Use high-quality glue with a brush that you can apply to the edges of the collage pieces and attach to the paper. Try to avoid rippling of the collage pieces when you adhere them to the paper by using one finger to gently smooth out each piece. Keep your work area tidy so there are no glue trails or sloppy edges on the collage pieces. You want the collage pieces to look professional and clean.
Use a computer to print your labels if you have poor handwriting.
