When applying to KTH, your best skills and knowledge should be presented in your architecture portfolio. When Covid came, I had recently completed my Bachelor’s programme and was looking for an internship. Since it was a hard time for everyone, I was unlucky to get it. Fortunately, I spent more or less a few months on the graphics and layout of my portfolio. So here you can find some essential points for a good portfolio:
Your portfolio’s presentation is just as important as its content
The visual composition can make your portfolio pop up. This shows your grasp of an essential skill: graphic design. Even though your analysis and work in your portfolio are thorough and useful, remember that communicating your ideas is crucial! It is better to show an image rather than a text. It should take a few seconds for a reader to understand the main idea you are trying to convey. Give your friends or family to take a look at the portfolio. Then ask them what they think is translated from an image!
Less is more
A long portfolio does not necessarily mean a better one. The iconic phrase “Less is more”- by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe could be applied to our portfolios. For instance, add as little text as possible. Using images instead would be a great way to communicate! Since the person going through your portfolio won’t have time to read it. Additionally, the use of colour should be deliberate. The colour could take away the focus from your main idea.
Consistency is the key!
Indesign is one of the best software to put your portfolio altogether. You can set a font and size of the font – this creates a coherent portfolio that is easy to read. Keep the layout of the portfolio consistent. This could be achieved by drafting a few page layout variations and repeating them throughout the file. When adding a short image explanation, make it as little as possible. Almost invisible!
If you are using colour, set a colour scheme and stick to it throughout all your projects. Sadly, I used quite a lot of colour in my projects years ago. Eventually, they lacked coherence when I had to combine all the projects since they had different colour schemes. Learning from my own mistakes too!
Other examples
It is very useful to look at other portfolios to comprehend the task of presentation. However, I would not recommend copying! Try to reinterpret what you like in your own way! Some good portfolios can be found on issuu! This was my main source of inspiration.
Good luck with your portfolio, and do not forget to be yourself! If you have questions about a good CV, check Lorenzo’s eye-catching CV post! Tips on the application can be found here!
//Martyna
I cannot say this more, thank you so much!! It’s a struggle creating portfolios. Finding the best pieces, making sure they aren’t too old, and if there isn’t enough pieces, having to make more so it fits. However, even if that isn’t the best, it weighs down motivation. This ought to help out though, thanks so much once again!!!