Within the architecture industry, portfolios and work samples usually are considered more important than any other proof of education or experience. Updating and improving them can become one of the most challenging tasks, specially when showcasing progress at the early stages of our professional life – here are some tips for an architecture portfolio and a few tips on how to shape it to show the best of yourself!
- Less is more. You may notice that some companies limit the size or length of the material uploaded for applications – most are usually overloaded with imaginery and data, so it becomes crucial to keep it short and representative of what you can bring to the table.
- A picture is worth a thousand words. Including a brief description of a project may provide context, but anything longer than two paragraphs will most probably not be read – and be a waste of your space.
- Know your audience. You can have a set of projects in your folder, but there is no need to show your entire trajectory the whole time. Being mindful of what pieces of work may be attractive to your recruiter will automatically earn you extra points.
- Tell your story. No matter if each image is different, or even if they look all the same, companies are interested in good professionals, but strive for natural communicators to be part of their teams. Delivering a message in a polished and unique manner will be much appreciated by the person looking at your work. Always keep a balance between what you have achieved, and where you want to take your career in the future, and how that can be an opportunity to be valuable in the company.
- Readability, legibility, navigability. Three words to explain how having a clear structure can save your samples from being piled up in nobody’s desk. Regardless of style, anything that goes into your portfolio needs to express its importance by its scale, position in page or even its font. Just the same texts have an introduction, body and conclusion, your work should follow a set of guidelines that allow the reader to focus on the content, and not the overload of information.
And remember,this is just a few tips for an architecture portfolio, it’s never a competition to find the best porfolio, but to get the person who fits better a certain opening – not all are the best match for all potions. If something doesn’t work the first time, share and compare it with others, take the feedback and keep improving!
