What four common portfolio mistakes have you made?  Here are the four common portfolio mistakes that we at DBI see the most often.  You might be surprised with the last one.

Ah, the portfolio.  Dreaded, loved, maligned.  Whatever your feelings about the portfolio, it is a critical and important part of the life of a designer.

Four Common Portfolio Mistakes:

Context and Storytelling:

While showcasing designs is important, many forget to provide the context behind the work. Explaining the brief, target audience, and the problem you were solving adds depth to your portfolio. Without this context, viewers might not fully appreciate the decisions you made during the design process.  Adding a small block of verbiage is critical to helping those viewing your work understand your part better.  This is critical because those viewing your work of evaluating your taste level, fit with the firm’s atheistic, and design potential.

This can be achieved by a simple information box on the page.  The information needs to be simple and to the point to avoid four common portfolio mistakes.

• Project type
• Project size
• Your role on the project
• Client
• Year

Regular Updates/Primary Portfolio:

Designers often create a portfolio and then forget to update it regularly. As your skills evolve and you complete new projects, it’s important to refresh your portfolio to reflect your current abilities and style. An outdated portfolio can give the impression that you’re not active in your field.

It is also important to tailor your portfolio for the job you are interested in.  Crafting a story about your design-forward projects might be right for a hospitality job whereas you might want to highlight more technical skills for a healthcare position.

I coach designers to have a primary portfolio.  A primary portfolio houses all of your work. It is not meant to be shared.  It is a storehouse of all the work you have done, sketches you completed, and so on.  The idea is that you can pull bits and pieces for it as needed.  The primary portfolio does not need to be pretty or functional, it is just a place to store your work that is easy to add to.

Mobile and Accessibility Considerations:

Many designers forget to optimize their portfolios for mobile viewing and accessibility. With more people browsing on mobile devices, a portfolio that isn’t responsive can be frustrating to navigate. Additionally, ensuring your portfolio is accessible to people with disabilities is crucial for inclusivity.

Have your portofolio assessable at any time, I call it a traveling portfolio and made a video about it time ago (Have Portfolio Will Travel),

This can happen in many ways and as fast as technology changes, there are many more to come.  The lesson here is to take the extra time to ensure you, and others can gain access to your work as needed, however the manifest itself today and tomorrow.

Personal Projects and Passions:

Sometimes, designers focus only on client work and forget to include personal projects or passion projects. Don’t do this, avoid the four common portfolio mistakes. These projects can be just as valuable in showcasing your creativity, initiative, and what you’re truly passionate about. They also offer a more personal touch, helping you stand out.  At the end of the day, you are being hired, not your portfolio or your work.  By sharing your passions and design influences you give an employer insight into you as a person, and team member, and a colleague.  Of course, keep it professional, but you do have licensed to be creative here.  Lean into it.

I would encourage that each portfolio to start with the designer’s passions and allow the project work to confirm those passions. The goal of the portfolio is not the work but how the work expresses the designer’s skills, passions, and potential.

Four Common Portfolio Mistakes

Reach out to us to fix them.

DBI has worked supporting architecture and interior design talent for 20+ years.  We understand what make a portfolio successful and how to avoid the four common portfolio mistakes.  If you are a new graduate or searching for a global design leadership role, we can help you create a portfolio that gets noticed.

The portfolio is a critical tool for any designer.  Putting one together, and keeping it updated, can be a challenge.  DBI can help.  We have coached thousands of designs on their resume and portfolio.  If you would like help with your portfolio, reach out to [email protected] and talk to one of our global recruiters.