Portfolios: Physical Paper Port

Earlier I posted an article entitled Portfolios: "This is me!" in which I laid out my three guidelines for creating a physical paper portfolio. I thought I'd show you what mine currently looks like as I have it set up to apply for MFA Costume Design programs. Then I'll mention what I would probably change if I were going for a Technical position/job. 

When I was constructing my paper portfolio I was hard pressed to find any examples of them for costume designers. Hopefully seeing a physical portfolio laid out will help any visual learners (like myself) start to construct their own.  

My opening page is my resume. I feel it is a nice cover page (I had extras to give out at the interview as well). Some other costumers I know have created a collage cover page with pieces of their works or just one picture of their favorite piece. Whichever you choose, make sure it is secured with an even boarder. Taking the time to mat your work neatly does wonders. 

The next section that follows in my current portfolio is DESIGN. I arranged my designs from fully realized plays to class projects to costume sketchings. Depending on what position you are applying for a different section may come first. I also labeled my sections as you can see in the first picture with white tabs that neatly read DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY, and ART. This allowed my interviewers to quickly flip back to a section they wanted to ask me about during our time. 

In my DESIGN section I made sure that each show was labeled with the show, director (if realized), class (of not realized), and character. I also included research, show photos, and process rendering pieces. (If any of my shows had been build I would have also included swatches of the fabrics used.) 

You may notice that the first design for Brick: the Musical has a colorful heading behind the characters. This was a finishing touch that was suggested to me by a colleague which she learned in graduate school. It is not necessary, but adds a cohesive finish to a project. 
I did not include all designs from all projects and shows. I picked top pieces from each. If not, my portfolio would have been at least four pages per show and taken my poor interviewers a good part of a morning just to read through.  

The next section is TECHNOLOGY. It is important to show employers that you are multifaceted and as a designer know how things go together (or vice versa). I included only pieces and projects that would show a range of my talents. (ie: not all wigs) 

In this section I included technical drawings I did of pieces, progression shots, and show photos. I also made sure to clearly label each show with director, designer, character, etc. And when using renderings as an example of what I built I made sure to cite the designer. (Don't take credit for someone else's renderings)

For some projects all I had were production and progression photos. If I could have I would have liked to have had swatches of materials used for these projects as well. It is always more interesting to be able to touch something rather than just hearing about it. 

This last page was one of my senior projects in undergrad. I added some research I did as well as a short description of the requirements. Again, a swatch here would have been ideal.

The final section was simply labeled ART and contained class projects from design classes and drawing classes while in undergrad. 

It is a small section but giving my interviewers an idea of my drawing was important to me. During and interview I was asked which were drawn from life. I only had one (my final page). I had more at home, so now I know I will need to add a few more life drawings to this portfolio. 

At the end of my portfolio I took out the last page (why have an empty page just hanging out?) and ended with a piece I felt was strong. It is important to me to start and end with an orderly impression.

What I would have changed:
To make my portfolio an A+ I should have formatted each page to read the same direction and to be labeled in the same location. I wanted to show my original works and did not photoshop for this version of my portfolio. 

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If I had been going for a technology based degree or job I would have lead with my TECHNOLOGY section and beefed it up with other projects I've done. I would have then continued with DESIGN (scaled down to just one or two shows) and still ended with ART. 

TIP

Make sure you collect swatches for not only your designs but from projects you've worked on. After the garment is finished grab a piece of leftover fabric so that those viewing your portfolio can feel the kind of materials you used. 

Also, save your technical drawings. These allow interviewers to understand your thought process when creating a piece. I can't tell you how many times I have thrown a technical drawing away and then wished I hadn't when creating my portfolio. 

I hope this visual explanation of my own portfolio will be able to help in the creation of your own. Remember, this is only an example that I have found to work for me. Each portfolio is as unique as the work inside it. Find what works best to show you and your work off to future employers or grad programs. 

Question of the Post

What would you use as the first and last pages of your portfolio? 

What kind of message do these pieces give off about you?