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By: Tze Wei

Images courtesy of Feng Zhu

Introduction

One of the most important factors that help secure a job in the entertainment industry has to be the designer’s portfolio. At the school, we are often asked for advice about what to include in a portfolio. This article aims to address the considerations when preparing a portfolio for a job application in the entertainment industry; and share some tips on how to make your portfolio stand out. As a reminder to those reading this article, the views here are strongly based on the school’s experience, and it is by no means absolute.

The Portfolio Do’s and Don’ts

Listed below are bullet points that we feel make a strong portfolio. Some of the points listed may seem trivial to many reading it, but we believe it is these little details that make the difference between an average portfolio and a professional one.

- Do have a good range of work. Environments, vehicles, characters and props all need design, so be sure to have examples for all. A typical portfolio consists of 15 to 20 pieces that help show a designer’s proficiency in various projects.

- Do your research and plan out your presentation. Every potential employer has its own profile and it would be advisable to lean your portfolio to suit it.

- Do start and close your portfolio with a strong image. Just like a good movie, you want to catch the viewer’s attention, bring them in, then end it on a high. It is also possible to start or end with a resume that details your working experience.

- Do print out your portfolio and assemble it into a book/file. It is important to have a physical portfolio as compared with having it on a USB stick. Nobody likes to crowd around a screen to review a portfolio.

- Do make sure the porfolio file is big. Presenting an A3 (11”X17”) image is much more effective than looking at a photo-sized 4R (4” X 6”) album.

- Do always label your work. Clearly indicate your name and address and remember to leave your contact information and website URL. Studios receive a lot of portfolios, you want them to know who you are and how to contact you if they are interested.

- Do put in effort to present your work well. If it means using better quality paper and ink, go the extra mile and make sure your work looks good.

- Do focus on presenting your design abilities. This is perhaps one of the most common mistakes when including characters in a portfolio. There are only so many times employers want to look at a render of a bikini-clad woman holding a big gun with a dragon looming in the back ground.

- Do include orthographic views when possible. Its important to demonstrate your ability to visualize not only the front, but also the side and rear of the character / vehicle / prop you are designing.

- Don’t include images that depict violence. Fighting and explosions are acceptable, but explicit decapitation and genocide is not.

- Don’t include images that touch on religion. Historical artifacts and icons are fine, but avoid trying to make any sort of religious statement with your work.

- Don’t include school homework, unless it looks like a real project. Avoid showing employers the boxes you did for perspective class or color studies in painting. It is better to demonstrate these skill through the work you do. Perspective can be shown with set designs and a cool character design shows you can draw humans.

- Don’t worry too much about decorating your portfolio with a fancy cover; Keep it simple, and let the work inside speak for itself.

Closing

Given the popularity of this topic, I hope this article was helpful to people who are preparing a portfolio for the entertainment industry. I would like to mention again, that this article covers in brief a portfolio that caters to the entertainment design industry, and it is not representitive of other artistic endeavors. That said, I have enjoyed sharing with everybody and I look forward to the next opportunity to write an article like this again.