Portfolio tips for creative graduates

A three-step process for a standout student book

You’ve handed it all in, dodged your many library late fees, and are ready to get your teeth into a meaty, live brief.

The post-graduation buzz can leave you feeling like you want the world and you want it now – but take a second to gather your thoughts.

Do you know what kind of place you want to work? Do you know what you want your role to be? And do you know where you left that family heirloom you borrowed off your lecturer for your degree show!?

It’s all well and good having your best pieces of work together in one place, but you should be thinking more strategically.

Follow our 3 Steps to a Standout Graduate Portfolio and see how a clear, concise strategy could be the difference between dream job and if-I-have-to-go-back-there-tomorrow-I’ll-scream job.

Step 1. Do your research

What is the agency looking for? What do they do? What’s their philosophy? Would you want to work there? Why might it be a good fit for both you and them?

If you’re responding to an ad, your portfolio is the answer to your first brief. Make sure you nail it. You wouldn’t believe how many people answer job ads with completely irrelevant work… Copywriter wanted? Here are some photos I’ve taken and some sculptures I’ve made. Digital designer needed? Here are some pop-up banners I once wrote copy for. Small agencies tend to hire when they’re busy, so they have a little less time to unpick the potential in a garbled CV or portfolio. Do some research and nail the brief and you’re already in the top 25% of applicants.

If you’re sending your book cold with no ad then it’s even more important to make it relevant. Without the pressure of their looming recruitment needs, there’s no real impetus for a creative director to look at your work in detail. Unless it grabs the reader by the scruff of the neck and convinces them that it’s relevant. If you’re sending the exact same portfolio to 20 agencies there’s a very, very good chance it’s not gonna hit the mark for any of them. You can’t please everyone. Focus on the agencies that matter to you, and tailor your approach to each one.

If you’ve read the ad and done your desk research and it’s just not clear what the agency is looking for, phone up and ask. A three-minute conversation with whoever answers the phone will give you more insight than 99% of the competition have. The advantage here is you’ll get straight to the juicy bit of their philosophy rather than having to wade through the bullshit and dog photos on their ‘about us’ page.

Step 2. Position yourself

So now you know what the agency believes in – do you believe in it too? Can you see a place for yourself in their world? If not, bin them and go back to step 1. If yes, the fun bit starts because now it’s all about you.

What do you love doing? What matters to you? What does ‘good’ mean to you? What do people always tell you you’re good at? What do you want to do more of? Be sharp and specific…

Maybe you’re The Untangler – a person who loves the madness of the mess, and finding the gems within it. Or are you the restlessly creative type? Always chasing new challenges, learning new skills, never afraid to try. Maybe you just pride yourself on your craft. Or on never having the same idea twice? Whatever it is, find what you’re good at, then find an interesting way to say it. I know you’ll want to cover off every aspect but trust me there’s nothing less compelling than ‘a team player who also works well individually using my own initiative, I enjoy ideas and craft in equal measure and I’m equally happy dealing with clients as I am filling in timesheets’. Only one word comes to a creative director’s mind when they read these ones…liar.

If you can be totally true to yourself then it’ll also be super-easy for you to present your book. Presentations always go better when you believe in the work. Make sure the work you choose sparks some sort of feeling in you – something you love to talk about.

Step 3. Be ruthless

Now that you’ve positioned yourself, defining what matters to you, make sure everything in your portfolio tallies up with that ethos. All killer no filler. Remember you’re not being graded anymore, there are no rules. Be very deliberate about everything you put in your portfolio – every project, every image, every word has to earn its place and pull its weight. Remember: people won’t read every word unless you make them.

The most important thing you can have in your portfolio is confidence. Shave it down until you’re confident in every single part of it. Never leave something in and apologise for it. Make it better or make it disappear.

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It all sounds easy but it never is. Focus and confidence take time to build. And no good creative is ever happy with their portfolio a year after they put it together. But you can’t do any more than your best. You’ll get knocked back but don’t worry about it.

Nobody ever knows your work the way you do. We all judge things based on the trajectory of our own careers and the people we’ve worked with along the way. Take our advice with a pinch of salt. Maybe you’re doing something completely different. Good on you. Go carve the career you really want.