How to create your best fashion illustration portfolio?

A portfolio is the visual resume, intended to communicate to a potential client / employer what you are capable of and the caliber of your creative work. A portfolio, should constantly be kept up-to-date with your best pieces.

Here are some tips from our Guest Writer Robert Tirado, which may help you to build your well done portfolio. We simply admired Robert’s portfolio. We find it very powerful and very well organized. You’ll also see it bellow both in print and pdf version. Enjoy!

Robert, in your opinion, how should a portfolio look like?

I think it depends on your style. It may look very corporate or rather art, but either way, you must share professionalism and sensitivity that is achieved through a judicious selection of jobs. You should express a good layout, grammar and attention to detail.

The portfolio must be your own reflection as a professional and you should discuss the concept and the design.

What platform do you used to create your portfolio and why?  Do you think is better to create it on an online website or to design it yourself in InDesign?

Right now we have many good ways to do both.

However, I prefer to work in InDesign (with the help of Photoshop and Illustrator) and then upload to the internet, simply because I think the result is much more personal and I can let your ideas flow freely without being tied to templates.

If clean, accurate and easy to read.This way I can produce a unique piece that define me and differentiate me from other professionals, enables me to establish my own identity.

The portfolio must contain a good selection of jobs that represent yourself and your style. They should be diverse but keeping the unit in its content. It might be clean, accurate and easy to read. I strongly believe that the portfolio should also be able to show your versatility and highlight your strengths. 

Robert Tirado ‘s Portfolio on ISSUU. Click on the image to expand.

How should an illustrator organize his portfolio?
  1. 1. I believe the first thing to do is to define how the project should looks like. You might keep in mind your personality as a designer and the target of the people you want to send it.
  2. 2. The cover is really important because through it you give the customer the first impression will have about you. For this, you must take your time and think about the concept and the implementation of the effective idea.
  3. 3. It’s good to have an introduction that talks about you, your goals and objectives.
  4. 4. You must classify your work for content and theme and present them according to the hierarchy that they have. For example you can open the first section with a content that represents you and that is shocking.
  5. 5. It is advisable to find binding elements for all sections of the portfolio (These can be artwork, fonts or colors).
  6. 6. Each paper should have a sheet that explains briefly some relevant data, as the year the project was done, the technique you used, measures and / or client.
  7. 7. It’s important to know that there should be consistency and continuity in the development work. 
  8. 8. On the other hand, I think it is very important to have a printed version of your portfolio, because it can really help to show what you do in a short time and cause great impact on meetings face to face.
  9. 9. You can also supplement the portfolio with promotional material that are sent or are left to each client, before or after a meeting (postcards, badges, stickers, flyers or information leaflets), in each case, you leave your contact information visible.

How often should be updated the portfolio?

This depends on the production of new parts. Your portfolio can be updated once you have managed to collect a significant amount of work.

Some people believe that you should not update a portfolio if projects are not “real” to show, but I am among those who think it is perfectly valid (and also necessary), include personal projects.

Tentatively, the content could be renewed every 6 months and in my opinion, the design could change every 2 years or so, but this depends on each person.

How do you promote your portfolio?

I promote it through social networks (twitter, facebook, google, linkedin etc), and also through my personal blog and my website.
I am currently working on a new design of my website, which allows visitors directly access to the content of the portfolio by viewing a quick sample.

Robert recommended also some do’s and don’ts when creating a portfolio

    Do’s

  1. Set a good criterion for the selection of your work according to your own concept
  2. Prioritize and develop information sheets each the project
  3. Use a grid to create base pages that help you organize the composition
  4. Find items that relate to the content of the portfolio throughout their development
  5. Printing test (check the scores typographical and sizes of the images)

    6. Don’ts: 

  6. Content Development monotonous or repetitive
  7. Include too many jobs
  8. Include low resolution pictures or blurred
  9. Include too long texts and the excessive use of different fonts
  10. Excessive graphic resources minimize the quality of the work or hinder the reading of texts.

Guest editorial by Robert Tirado  - Illustrator and portfolio teacher at Instituto Europeo Di Design, Madrid.


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