HOW TO ASSEMBLE A STRONG DESIGN PORTFOLIO

Academics, students on what makes a winning portfolio and how to build one. If you're serious about studying design, start at school.

- Variddhi Gupta

A good portfolio increases a design aspirant’s chances of getting into their dream college, internship, or job. As much as it is important for a portfolio to reflect an aspirant’s creativity and passion towards their chosen field of design, it is also essential to be careful about the nuances of compiling a portfolio, for it to have the best impact on the evaluators.

Aspirants should keep their portfolios crisp and appealing, and tailor them according to the immediate purpose they are to be used for, said experts.

These are the elements a portfolio should cover.

Display of passion

Experts agreed that a good portfolio reflects an aspirant’s passion for their chosen field of design or that which they wish to get into.

“A good portfolio is one that lets your work speak before you do. It is an extension of who you are as an individual and makes you stand out to the evaluators,” said Asmita Madaan, stationery designer and graduate of Indian Institute of Crafts and Design, Jaipur.

Usha Iyer, academic head, creative collaborations and online programme, International Skill Development Corporation (ISDC), agreed. “Through their portfolios, I expect students to display genuine interest in their chosen field. For instance, someone passionate about music would download all possible tracks of a favourite artist,” she said. Iyer earlier taught at Indian Institute of Design (IIAD), New Delhi.