Putting your work out into the world can be terrifying—but as a creative, it’s an essential part of landing your next gig. We chatted with two creative directors about what makes a portfolio “good”, and had them select their favorite Format portfolios. From a clear point of view to a Tinder comparison, see what these CDs weighed in with.
Portfolio: Martijn Van Marle, photographer
Reviewed by:
Chris Segedy (POPULAR, Nylon, GQ)
The verdict:
“Martijn’s portfolio gives me a good sense of his point of view, and the types of job for which I would want to hire him. Some photographers may have work that is very narrow in terms of what they shoot and how they shoot it; others may exhibit a broader range. In either case a potential client wants to see what a photographer does particularly well. Martijn’s portfolio pretty clearly represents travel, landscape or journalistic photography. My only pet peeve here is not knowing where he is based, though if he is literally always traveling, it wouldn’t be a factor.
Since Martijn Van Marle isn’t showing obvious client work, curating the best pieces isn’t necessarily difficult. However, as one’s career progresses there’s often a growing need to show work that represents a certain client. This can sometimes become more important than the pure quality of the work. However, it still holds true that if work is genuinely bad, you should cash the check and list the client on your website—but don’t show the actual work.”
Portfolio:Tabban Soleimani, illustrator
Reviewed by:Omar Sosa (Apartamento)
The verdict:”I’d absolutely go with Tabban. The main reason for my choice is having a general lack of time to review and decide whether you like something or not. It’s not something to be proud of, but everyday we are pushed to take decisions in a fraction of second—we even choose our one night stands in less than a second via all sort of apps like Tinder. This website shows you all the work in one shot, and that gives you the perspective to feel free to only look at what sparks your interest.
This format looks similar to Dropbox and iPhone thumbnails, which gives you peace of mind and allows you to proceed intuitively. I also love the fact you never lose the menu on the background, not even when you are visiting one of the projects, which makes the whole navigation fast and clear.”
For more tips on building the best portfolio, download our handy guide here.
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