Crafting Exceptional Portfolios by

Defining Your Unique Brand

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 00:52:58 UTC

As professionals, it's essential to establish a unique brand identity that resonates with your audience. This can be achieved through a consistent color scheme, a memorable logo, and a unified aesthetic that is reflective of your values and mission. Read about more tips here!

Curating Your Best Work

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 00:52:59 UTC

Include a selection of your work in a way that showcases your skills and achievements. Prioritize quality over quantity, and ensure that the chosen pieces align with your career objectives.

In the following examples, reflect on how these authors show their work. What works well and less well? Why do you think so?

Context and Storytelling

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 00:53:00 UTC

Each piece of work in your portfolio should be accompanied by a narrative that provides context and highlights the challenges you overcame. This adds depth to your work and showcases your problem-solving abilities. Look at the following examples to understand how storytelling can be integrated into your portfolio.

Cohesive Layout and Design

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 00:53:01 UTC

The overall presentation (layout, design, grammar, navigation,etc) of your portfolio is crucial for making it user-friendly, visually appealing and professional. Use white space effectively, choose a readable font, and organize the content logically.

See examples below, and reflect on how professional and appealing these portfolios are to you (and why!)

Feedback and Iterative Improvement

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 00:53:01 UTC

Gathering feedback from peers and mentors can lead to significant improvements in your portfolio. Be open to critique and make iterative revisions to enhance the clarity and impact of your work.

EXAMPLE

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 16:57:15 UTC

https://www.adhamdannaway.com/

EXAMPLE

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 17:01:47 UTC

http://misophialu.com/

EXAMPLE

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 17:11:44 UTC

https://chrisfriend.us/design-portfolio/

EXAMPLE

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 17:18:01 UTC

https://www.yuhan-tan.com/

What do You Want to DO?

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 17:35:24 UTC

By now, you should have some idea of your professional aspirations. That doesn't mean you have fully formed your plans and that they won't change later.

However, to 'tell a story' of who you are and your professional goals through a PORTFOLIO, you'll want to identify a career direction to lean into (for now). To figure this out, ECT has created the following resources for you to explore:

Review ECT career pathway resources
Internship

Industry events
Get involved in faculty research projects

Alumni Resources

ECT LinkedIn group, alumni spotlights and Newsletters
Participate in J term Professional Applications class
Join ECTAA events and mentoring program

EXAMPLE

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 17:49:30 UTC

https://www.irondesigns.co/

EXAMPLE

ectnyu — 2023-12-12 17:51:47 UTC

https://simonpan.com/

ectnyu — 2024-01-03 20:47:09 UTC

https://www.ectstudent.info/student-resources/portfolios/example-portfolios