How to Develop a Fashion Design Portfolio

Two years ago, I was finishing my concluding semester of college and preparing for the seminal moment in a blueprint student's life: portfolio reviews and finding a task. And even though I was finishing a degree in graphic blueprint, I was looking for a full-time job as a UX/UI designer.

My hard work paid off. I landed a chore at Bloc, and it'south been a magical time.

But information technology was a painful process. I got a lot of rejection emails and fabricated a lot of mistakes. At present that I'1000 building a company that creates new UX designers on a daily basis, I tin can look back at my quondam portfolio and pass on those lessons learned. Hither are 8 things that I got correct and wrong.

1. Present your work as a case study

Make full your portfolio with as many case studies as possible .

When I applied to jobs in higher, I filled my portfolio with large, beautiful visuals. I applied to UX/UI jobs left and right, with no luck. "Why? What am I doing wrong?"

"Prove that you tin can solve issues, and you'll bear witness that you're worth hiring."

I asked a friend for help—and she passed along a few portfolios of friends who'd gotten hired at tiptop-tier companies and…

They all had case studies. Rich, wonderful case studies that talked almost their blueprint process, their successes and failures, and their ultimate design solutions.

I thought, Why couldn't I take case studies?

And then I added case studies. And, success. My employer response rate jumped.

Big beautiful images expect great, but they don't tell a hiring director if yous tin solve a problem. Can you design a solution that makes your users, clients, and stakeholders happy? Can you lot talk near your procedure—what solutions y'all tried, what worked, what didn't, and why? Tin can you prove heaps of work including prototypes, wireframes, scrapped visuals that shows your rigorous problem solving skills?

Bear witness that you can solve problems, and you'll show that you're worth hiring .

2. Carefully curate your portfolio

Should your portfolio exist specialized or full general? For design students, this pick is tough. Some educators suggest to diversify your portfolio: show a variety of work—be it packaging, print, ad, and web. Others encourage to specialize. You similar mobile apps? You lot desire to build mobile apps in the time to come? Fill your portfolio with mobile apps.

If you're still exploring careers, and you're not sure what you'd like to do, I say that it's good to evidence breadth. Just if you want to blueprint mobile apps, and but design mobile apps—so specialize, specialize, specialize. The majority of piece of work in your portfolio should be that specialty.

When I was starting out, I wanted to exercise UI blueprint, then I practical for UI positions. My portfolio was filled with spider web or mobile interface pattern. But here's the hush-hush: my entire body of work over the past three years wasn't all web—over half of it was print. Just I didn't want a print task, so I omitted it. And I got the job I wanted.

3. Showcase real-world work, even if information technology'south got bug

In school, I had an fantabulous internship. I designed beautiful piece of work—and my team was thrilled with it. I left my internship proud and pleased. Just shortly subsequently, the project roughshod apart, and my squad disbanded—partially considering of the piece of work I did!

Awkward. The work looked smashing, but the project ultimately failed. Should I put information technology in my portfolio, even though I'd accept to talk virtually it to future employers?

I put it in my portfolio.

And man, it was awkward: during interviews, I presented a project that I ultimately failed on. Merely, being honest most failure was an asset. I spoke frankly well-nigh how the project succeeded, and how it failed. I talked most what could be better. I showed that I tried, and learned. And that went over well with the designers I spoke with.

"Showcase real-world work in your portfolio, even if information technology'due south got problems."

When a designer interviews you, they don't know what it'south like to work with you… until they practise work with you. So equally a substitute, show that you've worked with others. This real-world experience demonstrates your graphic symbol—it shows that you lot can work with a team of stakeholders, under tough deadlines and constraints. And if that project has a poor effect, talking about it is skillful. You're not ashamed of the un-sexy work you lot've created, but you're smart to be critical of the effect.

iv. Less pattern exercises. More in-depth case studies.

Portfolio #1: typography poster, advertizement for hypothetical product, Reddit redesign.

Portfolio #2: advertizement for hypothetical product, Facebook redesign, concert poster.

Portfolio #3: Craigslist redesign, simulated mobile app, fake advertizing campaign.

Go through hundreds of portfolios, and it's non that hard to spot class projects.

Allow me exist clear: posters from your get-go-twelvemonth typography course look absurd! But they don't evidence that you can piece of work independently and solve bug—they show that you can follow a prompt. If you choose to showcase design exercises in your portfolio, make certain those exercises involve rigorous problem solving, and make 'em case studies!

5. Talk about results

I was interviewing for an internship.

I completed a design exercise for the firm, and I was explaining my concept to the interviewer. I'd designed a flashy, interactive wireframe with tons of features, and as I finished up my sentence, I felt proud and confident.

And then the interviewer asked, "What goals are you trying to accomplish with this pattern?"

I stammered out a reiteration of the prompt they'd given me.

The interviewer paused. I balked. Needless to say, I didn't get the internship.

"If your design doesn't amend the user'south experience, it's purely decorative and useless."

I beloved seeing beautiful, entertaining interaction pattern work. I spend hours drooling over the layouts on Site Inspire. Simply I know this from my own work: If your design doesn't improve the user's feel, solve the business organization goals, or whatsoever outcome y'all fix, it's purely decorative and useless.

Talk about results. Get real data if you lot can. But if you can't—and it'due south hard for student projects—interview your users or stakeholders to get a grip on whether or not your design achieves it's outcomes. Always outset and terminate a project with a goal and an outcome.

half dozen. Make your portfolio easy to navigate

Today, I take to acquit user interviews, run across with stakeholders, design a sticker, corroborate a UI modify, prototype some concepts for a new feature, and review the terminal 20 resumes that've come in.

I take to quickly divide the expert portfolios from the bad.

I take—at all-time—ii minutes per portfolio.

"Your portfolio should be easy to scan on mobile."

I've seen beautiful, neat, innovative work. I've seen designers experiment with interesting layouts and wonderful site designs. Merely if I notice myself lost—if I tin't navigate your site quickly and easily, I'grand frustrated.

Make sure a user tin movement through your portfolio speedily and with ease. Brand sure it's easy to scan on mobile! If the user experience of your portfolio isn't as good as the user experience of your piece of work, it doesn't reverberate well on your talent every bit a designer.

And aye—brand sure your portfolio is online!

7. Do your research, and write sincerely

I received an fantabulous electronic mail application from a designer.

Sincere, succinct, straight to the point—she showed that she had a passion for education, aligned with our mission, and she threw in a dash of humor, to boot.

I fix an interview the next day. And in time, she got the chore.

"Ditch the cover letter."

A hiring manager reads hundreds of encompass emails. The majority first with "Dearest Hiring Manager…", outline the applicant's feel in excessive, flowery spoken communication, and usually terminate with the candidate existence "fully aligned with your mission."

Ditch the encompass letter of the alphabet. Show you're a passionate, splendid designer through that first email—information technology's much more effective than a template. Talk about bug you've tackled in the visitor'southward industry. Evidence that you know the company inside and out. Show that yous really, truly care.

Be brief, merely exist sincere—information technology shows through in a sea of templates.

viii. Permit your passion show

In my starting time interview with Bloc, I went on a 10-minute rant about design education, the value of self-driven learning, the difficulties of being self-taught, growing needs in the design community, new tools I was trying… and I looked up, embarrassed most running my mouth for a few minutes.

Only, that's passion.

The design community changes and grows. Showing that you're passionate about the industry and the company? That really shows proficient character.

Talk well-nigh what you're interested in. Go involved in the customs, online or in-person. Share links, offset discussions, write about your field of interest. Contribute, fifty-fifty if yous're however learning.

And let that passion shine.

This post was originally published on Medium.

by Emelyn Bakery

Emelyn is the Design Lead at Bloc, an online program for learning evolution and design with a mentor. She's worked with Fortune 500s to companies of five, and currently writes virtually the challenges of designing at a start-up. Read more of her work on Medium, or check out her portfolio.

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