Audience

Audience refers to the type of person or organization you want to see your portfolio. Is it a new school? A new job? What industry? Having an answer to these questions early on will make other decisions about your portfolio easier.

When considering who is your audience, you should think about the following questions:

Question 1: Of the projects you've worked on, which are the most appropriate to go into your portfolio?

Question 2: What is the intended user-experience of viewing your portfolio?

Question 1: You may have a lot of projects you've worked on, but only a few of them are relevant to your particular audience. Think about which projects you want to emphasize and don't let these be drowned out by the cacophony of your other projects. If your audience is a very specific group of people, and your portfolio currently lacks work in that specific area, consider creating a few, quick projects of your own to show what you can contribution in that area.

Question 2: This is a broad question that can be addressed in two parts.

Part 1: Keep in mind that when applying for a job, the goal is not to impress your potential employer with everything you can do and how well you do it; the goal is to get an interview. It's a subtle distinction, but in terms of user-experience, the intended experience is to leave the employer interested and curious to find out more about you. (see also "Teaser Portfolio")

Part 2: If your audience is a potential employer versus a school, they might have different ways of looking at portfolios and how you deliver yours should reflect that. For example, if you are sending your portfolio to a school—that may be looking at hundreds of portfolios during their admissions period—it may be better to create something concise in physical form rather than force them to take the time to navigate to a URL you've provided. On the other hand, an online portfolio might be appropriate for when you are networking, handing out business cards, and want employers to look at your portfolio on their own time.

Talking to design professionals, there are roughly three zones of what your portfolio could be.

First, the teaser portfolio. A teaser portfolio will be defined as something that gets your foot in the door. After looking at the teaser, the other person will want to follow up with you. The teaser portfolios tend to be on the smaller side, focusing on what specifically you have to offer with respect to the position you are interested in.

Second, somewhat opposite, is the process book. While this is not required for a particular position, creating a process book will help you internalize what you've done and also provide a way to show your audience the depth of your work. Often, a process book is made per project. Imagine that at an interview someone wanted to learn more about specific design decisions at a step. You could then use the process book to explain further. Note that this is an extra item that would be nice to show but not the primary thing you should be working on.

Finally, there is the portfolio itself, as in, the object that you've created for the purpose of this particular position for which you are applying.