Putting together a creative portfolio

A creative portfolio is a visual representation of your talent. It gives you a chance to demonstrate what you're capable of to potential employers and could make all the difference when trying to secure a job in the competitive creative industries

What is a portfolio?

A portfolio is a collection of your most impressive work. It's used to help sell your skills and experience when applying for creative jobs. During the application process you'll often be asked to provide your portfolio along with your CV or at the interview stage. As well as helping employers to decide whether you have the right skills for the role, a portfolio also enables them to judge whether your style matches the organisation.

Creative portfolios come in many shapes and sizes, which you choose usually depends on the type of job you're looking for. It could be a:

music playlist
website
a physical collection of written work, drawings, paintings, sketches and photographs
a video showreel
3D work such as costumes, fabric designs or scale models.

While it's good to be creative with the format, remember that a portfolio is there to draw attention to the quality of the work included, not to distract from it by being showy or over-complicated.

Why do I need a creative portfolio?

When it comes to careers in the creative industries, your portfolio is often just as important as your CV and performance at interview. When jobs are competitive and the number of applicants far outweighs the number of roles available, first impressions are vital. A carefully curated, eye-catching portfolio that shows off your talent and capabilities will keep the attention of the viewer and leave them feeling excited about your creative potential.

Portfolios are most commonly used in creative fields where audio or visual impact is important, such as:

How do I create a portfolio?

When you put together your portfolio keep in mind that you need it to have an instant impact. Employers are often time poor and just like with CVs they'll quickly look through submitted portfolios and make two piles - those they'll look at again, and those they won't. You need to make sure that yours ends up in the first pile.

To achieve this read the job advert carefully. Just like a CV, you should be willing to adjust your portfolio to match each job you apply for. An employer might ask you to show work from specific projects, or for a range of examples. You might want to make particular pieces of work more or less prominent depending on what the employer is looking for. This doesn't stop you from keeping a 'standard' version of your portfolio online, linked from your social media accounts, so that employers can find you at any time.

When putting together your creative portfolio be selective. They usually contain 15-20 pieces of work so you won't be able to include everything you've ever done. While it's important to show your best work, remember that portfolios can also include preparatory and incomplete work like sketches, moodboards and storyboards. Pieces such as these show your inspiration, thought process, methods and techniques and give an employer a valuable insight into how you work.

Select pieces of work that show the full spectrum of your skills in your field, especially if the use of specific digital tools or industry-standard software is required in the job. The examples you choose should come from a variety of experiences. For instance, work you've completed at university, in a relevant placement or internship, in a part-time job, freelance projects, and even work you've undertaken in your free time.

As well as demonstrating your skills and abilities a creative portfolio should tell the story of your creative journey so keep this in mind when putting it together. It should go without saying that all the work in your portfolio should be your own.

You can get advice from ScreenSkills on building your portfolio for the screen industries (covering roles across TV, film, animation, visual effects and video gaming).

How do I make my professional portfolio stand out?

Prioritise quality over quantity. It's more important to provide a small selection of great work than a large collection of mediocre work. Be critical of the work you've produced and only include that which shows off your talent to the best of its ability.
Get a second opinion before the interview. Ask someone you don't know very well to look at your portfolio and get their first impressions. It's useful to know how the work you've put together makes you look to a total stranger.
Check everything works as it should. If your portfolio contains digital elements, check that these work prior to submitting or presenting your portfolio. Host sites such as YouTube can be unpredictable. If you're using one to display your work, check what the site looks like when it's first opened as a link. Your work might appear on a page with unrelated content, which could change the impression you give.
Don't rely solely on a web-based portfolio. If your portfolio exists on a website - whether it's a gallery of photographs or a YouTube channel - always have physical or digital back-up copies, just in case there are any technical issues with internet connections or broken links when you show your work to an employer.
Keep your portfolio up to date. Your portfolio should reflect who you are as an artist in the present day. Submitting an art portfolio that doesn't reflect the role you're applying for, or hasn't been updated in a long time, looks unprofessional. Regularly updating your portfolio shows that you constantly develop your skills, take pride in your work and are committed to working in the industry.

Find out more

Discover how to get a creative job.
Learn more about creative CVs.
Read our 5 tips for getting media work experience.