The Graphic Designer's Guide to Portfolio Design, 3rd Edition

Chapter 7

The Design Phase

What do potential employers regard as the most important element of your digital portfolio? If you answered creativity, you’re right. But they’re looking for much more. They will examine your portfolio as a reflection of your logic, vision, versatility, artistry, and computer skills.

A well-designed electronic portfolio gives the viewer a better understanding of your particular design strengths and knowledge. The way you choose to arrange the portfolio gives the viewer insight into your intellectual and organizational skills. In the end, an employer is not going to want a designer who does only what is asked for but someone who is willing to go the extra mile. An innovative electronic portfolio reveals that you are willing to push your own creativity in an effort to keep producing higher-quality, more innovative work. An accomplished digital portfolio says, “If you ask for two comp designs, I’ll come back to you with three.”

To help you produce that kind of digital portfolio, this chapter explains the process of planning, with a focus on the theory and use of color.

Organize, Organize, Organize

I’ve stressed the importance of being organized in earlier chapters. When it comes to developing an effective electronic portfolio, planning your overall interface is the most important effort you’ll make, and it begins well before the design process. Simply put, the more time you spend conceptualizing and gathering the parts of your electronic portfolio, the easier ...