In this episode of Design Office Hours, I’m answering one of the most common questions I get from students and young designers:

What are the DOs and DON’Ts of a strong design portfolio?

I’ve seen a lot of portfolios—and I’ve hired a lot of designers—so I’m breaking down the key things I look for and the pitfalls I see all too often.

Here’s what I cover in this episode:

• Why explaining your process is more important than just showing the end result
• How to highlight your decision-making, your reasoning, and what you learned
• The importance of clarity—don’t make people guess what your project is about
• Why your portfolio shouldn’t be a glossy render show
• How to communicate more with less using visuals and infographics
• Tips for using your portfolio real estate wisely, both in PDFs and on websites

This is the second episode in a mini-series on portfolios, and I’ll be sharing more in upcoming episodes. If you’re building or refining your portfolio right now, I hope this gives you some practical insight (and a bit of tough love too).

Got questions for a future episode? Send them to me at [email protected]

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