Any tips on how to show process in a portfolio? ✨
I’ve been told that showing your process in each of your projects is super important for the employer to see how you work and essentially how you arrived at your solution. I’d love to know your thoughts and or tips to show this and good ways to prettify the process because at the end of the day a portfolio is a beautiful curation of your work!
Thank you ☺️
Replies5
- I personally love seeing process in a portfolio as it helps me understand the creative process! I find it helpful to know – 1. What was the brief? 2. What steps did you take to explore and answer it ... and finally 3. What was the final outcome?But it's also important to note the process story, and level of detail shared, may change significantly depending on the medium in which you are telling this story.For example - on your website or Instagram - you may want to lead with the shiny/beautiful finished product, and then perhaps support with a little bit of 'behind the scenes'y-ness if you feel it is important to your work and your process.But in an in person meeting, or a presentation, you have more time to talk the whole project through, explain the context fully, and show sketches/process/thoughts/prototypes/moodboards - all leading to the final outcome!
- Hello Zoe,Whoever told you that process is super important they possibly looking for a specific thing. In most cases people should have a fairly clear idea about what is the idea / thibnking / process behind your work or it needs a bit more work. It's like a joke - if you have to describe it possibly it's not that good.From the other hand if you personally would like to show I find timelapse / gif / before after kind of presentation the best way of showing process.
- Hey Zoe,I wanna add to the other two amazing replies with a quick tip and say that moodboards are a great way to showcase your thought process, too. They indicate your vision, the level of research you've conducted, and the depth of your knowledge in the field.Hope it helps. All the best!Elif
- Hi Zoe!Great topic. I'd voice my opinion about it. While I love seeing process I think it should have its own place and should be BEAUTIFULLY documented.PDF portfolio:If you are creating a PDF portfolio that you'll be sending out to apply for jobs and have 6 amazing projects which comes to about 30-40 pages - focus on the work, not the process. You don't need that. You can talk about the process and include some images on another PDF that you'll be showing on a interview. On another side, if you don't have that many good projects you can expand on the ones you have and include images from the process.Website:Here you can add few images of the process or create another section next to work that will be titled process and elaborate more on that with images and text. When adding images of process to each project - make sure not to add too many images. I've seen portfolio that show 60% of sketches, sticky notes etc. and 40% was the actual work. You don't want to loose people's attention by showing them bad schetches. They will quickly move to the next candiate.
- Personally I would only find process important when your process is something particularly unique, such as hand-drawn typography. In which case probably a graphically interesting 3-step early shape, mid stage without full context and background, and then finished piece would be interesting to see. Perhaps pulling out in frame as well (ie. tight, mid, wide with frame).That would be my initial thought, but as you say, it’s usually more about the finished work. Showing your process proves you made it and how.
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