Having a portfolio is a crucial part of your career as an interior designer. It will be impossible to get hired without one. But knowing what to include in your interior design portfolio can be tricky. No need to panic. Use our top tips to help boost your job prospects.
Digital or Paper Portfolios?
We say do both! The world has moved to digital spaces, so it’s important that you don’t get left behind. However, when travelling to see potential clients, they might want to see a physical portfolio. When creating an online interior design portfolio, you should choose a platform to host your work. You could use WordPress, for example. It’s great for those who are just starting out because it’s free, and as you start making money you can upgrade to their paid features.
What to Include in Your Interior Design Portfolio
Whether you’ve just finished studying, or if you’re a seasoned professional, knowing what to include in your interior design portfolio can be difficult. But one thing’s for sure, creative careers require creative portfolios. So make sure to use our tips to get your work noticed.
Contact Details
This is so obvious that you might forget to do it, but make sure your clients know how to reach you. A beautiful portfolio means nothing if your target market can’t find you. Your contact details should appear at the beginning of your portfolio. It should include your name, website, email address and phone number.
Your CV
You might be wondering “is the portfolio itself not the CV?”. The answer is yes, but this section will be a (very) brief, written overview of your education and the projects you’ve done. This gives potential clients a quick idea of your abilities. You’ll match the written to the visual aspects later in the rest of your portfolio.
A Short Description of Yourself
No, this is not where you tell your life story. There’s no need to get too personal, just briefly mention who you are and what your speciality fields are. This could include retail, commercial or residential interior design.
A Signature Style
Even though your job involves bringing a client’s vision to life, you can still put your own stamp on your work. This reigns true for your portfolio too. Potential employers will be looking at hundreds of portfolios before hiring someone. So make sure yours stands out.
Sketches
Clients love to see a work in progress. So if you can draw, make sure to include some sketches in your interior design portfolio. Use different mediums such as pencil and watercolour paints. This shows that you are a true artist. If you weren’t born with the talent of Picasso, don’t worry. With our Sketch-Up short course, you can learn the basics in no time and still impress your clients.
Visual Stories
This section should show how your work comes together. It is a visual demonstration of your work process. Think of it as a guided tour. You can include storyboards, mood boards and floor plans, all the way to the finished product.
Your Best Projects
Of course only the best of the best should make the cut. So choose your most outstanding work to put on display in your portfolio. This could be work you’ve done professionally, or even assignments you scored top marks in at college. Put your favourites at the beginning and at the end of the portfolio so that you leave a lasting impression. Be sure to include at least five to seven of your best projects.
Certificates and Awards
Any achievements you’ve received, whether it was during your study years or working should be included. Doing so proves that you are highly skilled. You can include positive reviews from your previous clients to show that you are trustworthy.
SEO Writing
If you have an online portfolio, you should take a few extra steps to make sure that it gets noticed. This is where SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) writing comes in. You have to use keywords and other techniques to help your portfolio earn a good ranking on Google.
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Get Your Career on Track With our Interior Design Courses
You can’t go wrong with our Interior Design Courses. Gain the technical knowledge you need to back up your talent and creativity. The best part is that we are a distance learning college, which means you can gain these skills from the comfort of your home! Contact us to get started:
- Call us on: 0800 39 00 27 – It’s free!
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