Putting together a creative portfolio

Giving you the chance to demonstrate your talent to potential employers, learn more about how to create an impressive creative portfolio

What is a creative portfolio?

A creative portfolio is a unique collection of your most impressive work, a visual showcase of your talent that can help you to stand out in the competitive creative industries. When applying for jobs and courses it serves as a personal marketing tool that:

• demonstrates your creative ability and experience
• illustrates your creative style, technical skills and thought processes through sketches, mood boards, digital drawings, final projects etc
• showcases what you’re passionate about.

During the application process you'll often be asked to provide a portfolio along with your CV/application form or at the interview stage.

Are there different types of creative portfolio?

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 showreel of animations, videos, audio files, digital drawings
• 3D work such as costumes, fabric designs, props 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.

Who uses a creative portfolio?

'Portfolios are most commonly requested for roles that require a visual or creative output,' explains Elli Whitefoot, assistant careers, employability and enterprise manager, Abigail Boyes, employability and enterprise advisor and Dr Sylvia Jen, careers and enterprise information technologist at Leeds Arts University.

'As creative roles are found in all industries, creative portfolios are requested across all sectors, although are most frequently required for creative careers. You may also need a creative portfolio when applying to further study, such as a Master of Arts (MA),' they add.

As an example portfolios are often used for careers in the following areas:

• animation
• advertising
• architecture
• broadcast media
• fashion design
• fine art
• graphic design
• illustration
• interior design
• photography
• video game design
• visual effects
• web design
• web development
• writing and editing.

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.

'Consider your creative portfolio a job application in visual form,' say the Leeds Arts team.

When jobs are competitive and the number of applicants far outweighs the number of roles available, a CV and cover letter alone will rarely go far enough in demonstrating your creativity. 'A portfolio evidences your creative skills and ability, and shows you have the right experience for the role. It also gives you a chance to showcase your process, style - or a variety of styles - as well as your adaptability as a creative,' add the Leeds Arts team.

A portfolio is also a great way to show off your professional approach and soft skills such as organisation, time management and attention to detail. It also tells the story of your growth as a creative, demonstrating your capacity to learn and develop.

Remember, first impressions are vital and a carefully curated, eye-catching portfolio will keep the attention of the viewer and leave them feeling excited about your creative potential.

How do I create a portfolio?

Make an impact

'Like a CV or application, your creative portfolio should be concise and impactful. 16-20 images across 3-4 projects should be sufficient,' says the Leeds Arts team. 'It is your chance to showcase your best work so take your time and carefully consider what you want to include.'

Employers and course admission tutors are often time poor and just like with CVs/application forms 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.

Tailor your portfolio

Read the job advert carefully and be willing to adjust your portfolio to match accordingly. An employer might ask you to show work from specific projects, or from 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.

The team at Leeds Arts says you should consider the feel/brand of the organisation you're applying to and who their clients or audience are.

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.

'If you feel like you're missing content, bear in mind that not all work included needs to be professional. Create your own briefs, enter competitions, or rework existing briefs, to increase your knowledge and experience in areas that particularly interest you,' say the Leeds Arts team.

Be selective

As creative portfolios only contain 16-20 pieces of work 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 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 show your versatility. 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.

Tell a story

It's important that a creative portfolio says something about you, so as well as demonstrating your skills and abilities it should tell the story of your creative journey so far. Keep this in mind when organising your portfolio. Make sure it follows a logical flow that accurately demonstrates your development. It should go without saying but all the work in your portfolio should be your own. If you include work from a group project be clear about what your contribution was.

Where can I create a portfolio?

If you want to display your creative work online look to platforms such as:

• Behance
• Canva
• Carbonmade
• Dribble
• Fabrik
• Squarespace
• Webflow
• Wordpress

How do you submit a creative portfolio?

This may differ and the Leeds Arts team stress the importance of following the employers instructions.

In most cases you'll be asked to submit your portfolio digitally by sharing a link. How you present your portfolio is up to you. You could:

• convert it into a Canva, Google Slides or PowerPoint presentation
• provide a PDF
• link to a blog, YouTube channel or website
• send audio or video files.

It's essential that employers are able access files and links so check your sharing settings before submission.

'Some industries, such as fashion, textiles and surface pattern, still use physical portfolios, although this may come later in the application process (e.g. at interview stage),' explain the Leeds Arts team. 

'Ensure your portfolios (digital and physical) work together to tell one story.'

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 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 (every three to six months) 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.