what does a portfolio assignment look like

The Portfolio – Culminating Activity (Your Final)

Portfolio assignment.

EN 111 Final Portfolio

The portfolio is a selection of work that demonstrates your writing abilities and knowledge about writing and critical thinking at the close of EN 111. For the purposes of this class, this assignment will be considered the final.

What goes in the Portfolio?

• Title page (title + optional picture and/or quote)
• Reflective Essay (~2 pages)
• A final (2nd) draft copy of all essays completed during the semester (Experience, Compare/Contrast, Issues) and the prior drafts for all essays.
• Selected Artifacts (2-3)

You should title the portfolio in a way that captures your sense of yourself as a writer and critical thinker at this point in your educational journey. You can include a picture and/or quote on the title page as well. A quote can come from anywhere (any text, movie, lyrics, etc.) but should illustrate your perspective about writing and/or critical thinking. You will discuss the significance of your title (picture and quote too if you included them) in your Reflective Essay.

Reflective Essay for Portfolio

The Reflective Essay is a self-assessment that examines the entire body of your work (all of your writing up to this point) rather than a single subject and/or inquiry thread. Your task is to examine, or reflect on , your own writing and situate your observations and interpretations within the context of our discussions about writing and critical thinking skills. The portfolio, in essence, is a presentation—a somewhat persuasive demonstration illustrating how you approached writing and critical thinking before EN 111, and how you see yourself, as a writer and thinker, now, in relation to these same abilities/skills at the close of the course.

What goes in the Reflective Essay?

This essay should be a fairly polished and focused piece of writing that supports its claims and reflections with specific evidence (i.e. cite yourself). It will run ~2 pages in length. All reflective essays should take into account the following, but not necessarily in the order presented here:

• The significance of your title (and picture and quote, if included).
• What you now understand about effective writing and how it is achieved and what the portfolio reveals about your writing and your abilities to think on paper. (Refer to your included essays and selected artifacts).
• What you now understand about writing and critical inquiry that this portfolio might not reveal. (You may understand more than your portfolio reveals).
• What the portfolio reveals about you as a writer and critical thinker at this point in your educational journey (Refer to your included essays and selected artifacts).
• What challenges you continue to face as writer and critical thinker. (What is hard for you? In what areas have you gotten stronger and more confident? What immediate goals have you set for yourself as you continue to develop as a writer and critical thinker?)
• (Optional) Discuss, document, and evaluate the extent to which you were actively engaged in this class (i.e. determine how much time/effort you put into this course and whether your writing reflects that same time/effort).

You are to include final (2nd) draft copies (at minimum) of all the essays you have written in this course. In including your essays, you will be expected to discuss why you have included them in your Reflective Essay, and explain specifically what they illustrate about you as a writer and critical thinker. As such, I recommend that you discuss how the essays reveal your analytical skills at work—your abilities to develop, examine, and communicate an informed perspective.

Selected Artifacts

I am asking you to include 2-3 artifacts from the course (or outside of EN 111) that are significant to, and reflective of, you in terms of yourself as a writer and critical thinker. You may select anything from your Informal Writing Collection (freewrites, peer exchanges, etc.), your formal writing (part of your essay(s), or parts of them as a sequence from the first draft to the final draft stage) or other texts (a particular paper or assignment from another class you found pertinent to your overall growth).

How Do I Submit It?

You should submit the portfolio, in the dropbox on the preceding page,  as a Word document or a PDF so that I may open it in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• Portfolio Assignment. Authored by : Jason Brown. Provided by : Herkimer College. Project : AtD OER Course. License : CC BY: Attribution

14 mins read

25 Writing Portfolio Examples (PDF & Other Formats) + Useful Portfolio Tips

Are you struggling to create the perfect writing portfolio? Here are 25 writing portfolio examples + 7 useful tips to make it happen!

Protim Bhaumik

Director, Content Marketing

Written by Protim Bhaumik , edited by Shreya Bose , reviewed by Eric Hauch .

2. Dec 2022 , updated 8. Feb 2024

Looking to create a writing portfolio? Curious how to do that without futzing with a website builder for days? We’ve been there.

We know that building a writing portfolio is hard — questions like what you should include, where you should host it, and how to effectively create something that gets you work, need answering! To that end, we've put together a list of 25 writing portfolio examples from our customer base that can inspire you as you make your own and included their tips on how they use Authory. (This is a collection of amazing writers, top journalists, and more.)

I also flagged examples that include PDFs because this type of content is notoriously clunky to upload in some website builders. Some clients and employers ask for PDFs, and building that into a portfolio website can be tricky. So, we'll cover how to do that by showing you 5 PDF writing portfolio examples and then 20 regular writing portfolio examples.

5 Writing portfolio examples in PDF format

When you want to save your writing samples, many people start by downloading a PDF that’s saved in a folder and then sometimes, maybe, once a month/year/panic attack, uploaded to a website. It’s a pain to constantly upload your writing samples, but it’s also risky. There’s always the potential your work is edited or removed before you think to save it.

With that in mind, we built Authory. We search the internet for your content and automatically add it to your website. However, we also make it easy to upload existing PDFs you might have.

Here’s how you can do it:

Here are a few examples of how it looks and advice from our customers on building a smart portfolio.

1. Sarah Sparks

Sarah is an advocate, consultant and writer.

For Sarah, Authory is “easy to use and I like how it aggregates media links before I do sometimes.”

That’s our goal. We automatically collect and back up your work so you don’t have to.  

Sarah’s tip: Just make it easy to navigate - one of the reasons I like Authory. One of the easiest ways to do this is by creating collections.

For example, Sarah’s collections include “legal” “social justice” “Indigenous” and “opinion.” Collections make it easy to categorize your content and then send specific collections to editors and publications when you’re asked for writing samples. You can watch a video on creating collections here.

Sarah Sparks' PDF portfolio.

Here are a few additional PDF portfolio examples that you can review.

2. Alex Hargrave

Alex Hargrave's PDF portfolio

You’ll notice that Alex has two collection examples; education and COVID-19.

3. Kevin Johnston

Kevin Johnston's PDF portfolio.

4. Kerry Sunderland

Kerry Sunderland's PDF portfolio.

5. Urvashi Aneja

Urvashi Aneja's PDF portfolio.

20 Writing portfolio examples in other formats

Besides PDF focused portfolios, we pulled examples of other portfolios and tips for how our expert customers are adapting them to make the best use of them.

Authory is a great additional branding tool

For many people, they have an Authory account to collect their work samples in addition to other branding tools.

1. Brian Clegg

Brian is a science writer with over 40 (fourty!) books in print.

Brian’s Authory site isn’t his only site. It works in addition to his other properties and supports his other online properties. When you google Brian, you’ll find all of these properties. Of note, it’s also possible to integrate an Authory portfolio into an existing online portfolio builder like Wix or SquareSpace.

But why bother? Brian uses Authory to “make my online writing easily available to my book readers and to support my book review site www.popularscience.co.uk .” And with our automatic tools, it takes little time to create this additional homebase for readers.

For Brian, Authory also collects his work, saves it, and he distributes it in a newsletter. It automates and does a lot of work quickly.

Brian Clegg's writing portfolio.

2. Brandon Hill

Brandon is a multimedia journalist covering music and culture, public policy, mental health, the labor movement and social inequality.

“Authory is a great resource for freelancer writers in more ways than you would expect. By automatically updating and feeding your work into a newsletter, it both saves the time and frustration of managing a website and makes for more reliable one to one connections with your audience than social media. Also, by creating automatic pdf back-ups of your publications, you’ll never loose a portfolio piece,” he said.

Like many people in this list, he’s thoughtful about his categories and collections.

“Include some pretty specific categories to lesson the time an employers spends looking at content that might not be relevant to them,” he said.

Brandon Hill's writing portfolio.

3. Scott Matthewman

Scott is a theater critic who is frequently writing reviews. It can be quite a pain to keep these recorded and organized.

“I review over 100 theatre shows a year for various online publications. Authory’s automated tools gives me a single URL where all those reviews can live, hassle-free,” Scott said.

You’ll notice that Scott’s profile shares collections.

“[Authory’s] been useful to promote my reviews to a wider audience on social media. At the end of last year I built a dedicated collection of my 20 favourite reviews for 2022, which was so easy to do and then link to from everywhere.”

Scott Matthewman's writing portfolio.

Use Authory and never worry your work will disappear

4. Tabitha Potts

Tabitha is a published writer with several short stories in print anthologies as well as online.

She uses Authory to share her work with “potential employers, literary agents or publishers (my creative writing, book reviews and journalism are all there).”

The big reason she recommends using Authory is to avoid the situation where your content might be lost and because much of the work is done for you automatically.

And of course it makes it easy to showcase your work.

“I share my Authory profile with every new and potential new client so they can sort and view my published work by category,” she told us.

Tabitha Potts' writing portfolio.

5. Diana Rosen

Diana is an essayist, flash fiction writer, and poet. For her, Authory is “an elaborate business card.”

Her advice is simple: When capturing published work, review thoroughly to avoid duplication or (Egads!) errors.

Diana Rosen's writing portfolio.

Create collections to share what’s relevant

When you’re sharing your work, with an editor, employer, or even just another writer, you don’t always want to share all of your work. It’s key to create and categorize your work by niche or category. You can create collections that make this very easy and share only specific pieces of content with certain people.

6. Carrie Cousins

Carrie  has 15 years of experience in media, design, and content marketing and is a freelance writer and designer.

We asked her for advice for other portfolio builders.

“Think about ways to group content that showcases specific niches that you work in or want to work in. It can really help make sharing and getting new work a lot easier,” Carrie said.

That’s easy to do with Authory’s collection tools. It’s easy to categorize content, give it a label, and share just this grouping with editors.

Carrie Cousins' writing portfolio.

7. Stephanie Bernaba

Stephanie is a writer, multimedia journalist, and photographer.

This is easy to do with our collections feature. We want to make it easy for you to organize your work and send exactly what you need to editors so you can land the gig.

Stephanie had a bit of advice, too.

“Communicate your passion with your header. Make your headline impactful but succinct. Lastly, arrange your work into easily-searchable categories,” she said.

Stephanie Bernaba's writing portfolio.

8. David Worsfold

David is a journalist and author, specialising in finance and insurance

You’ll notice that his portfolio uses the collection feature, too.

“By making it easy to share my work. The collections help showcase writing on specific topics,” he said.

Of course, be thoughtful with your categories.

“Think about the audiences you want to reach and organise your work accordingly,” he mentioned.

David Worsfold's writing portfolio.

9. Kathy Parker

Kathy Parker's writing portfolio.

10. Geraldine Brook

Geraldine Brook's writing portfolio.

11. Pam Moore

Pam Moore's writing portfolio.

12. Mary Ann Gwinn

Mary Ann Gwinn's writing portfolio.

13. Simon Denyer

Simon Denyer's writing portfolio.

14. Jarrod Kimber

Jarrod Kimber's writing portfolio.

15. Carrie Back

Carrie Back's writing portfolio.

16. Crystal Housman

Crystal Housman's writing portfolio.

17. Steven Levy

Steven Levy's writing portfolio.

18. Carin Marais

Carin Marais' writing portfolio.

19. Rosanne Barrett

Rosanne Barrett's writing portfolio.

20. Dan Rosenbaum

Dan Rosenbaum's writing portfolio.

What your takeaways should be from these writing portfolio examples

What a writer portfolio is, and why you need a writing portfolio.

A writing portfolio is a collection of your best (and possibly all) writing samples put together on a website so that potential clients and employers can make a "buying" decision — in essence, all the information that they may need to engage you for your writing services.

An online writing portfolio can also do wonders for your personal branding if managed well. So, in a word, your portfolio is a single place through which you can source work.

Curating the perfect set of writing samples for your portfolio

It's important to figure out what kind of writer you are and the type of writing work you're looking for. This process will inform the writing samples that you'll highlight in your writing portfolio.

Remember, writers come in all shapes and sizes (literally!), and you could be a content writer, copywriter, novelist, author, non-fiction writer, poet, journalist, and more... the list is practically endless.

With that in mind, it's essential that you curate the content on your writing portfolio with examples that will impress upon readers your specific set (and type) of writing skills so that they can make an informed decision when hiring you.

To that end, if you feel that you don't have a good set of writing samples to upload to your portfolio, then it might be best to get writing!

To help you build out your writing portfolio, I've put together a small set of ideas/resources that I turn to for inspiration, support, and general diversion:

• Subreddits like r/writingpromts, r/thedailyprompt, and r/promptoftheday are excellent for trying out amateur storytelling.
• Other subreddits like r/writing, r/freelancewriters, r/keepwriting, r/writers, r/selfpublish, r/blogging, r/copywriting, r/technicalwriting, r/wordcount, r/writingmotivation, offer up a plethora of options for3 you to explore as writer.
• To find work, subreddits like r/hireawriter, r/forhire, r/b2bforhire, r/writersforhire, r/jobbit, and r/writingopportunities can be a source for work if you're lucky.
• What's more in your control is writing for your personal social media accounts to build up that personal brand.
• You could also provide your services for free or reduced rates to friends and family who run a business — this can be for their social media accounts or even their websites.
• Form a writing group with a friend — I have a weekly writing meetup with a close friend, and this can be an online meetup — my friend is half a planet away!
• Write about what you know: everyone knows something and has a lot to offer, even if it's a personal experience. For example, when I am stuck, I write about content marketing and SEO — I don't publish these pieces necessarily, but they're great for getting the juices flowing. That said, I could post them in my writing portfolio.

Seven tips for creating the ideal writing portfolio website based on the writing portfolio examples above

The writing portfolio examples above should give you a great idea of what a writing portfolio must look like, and the various ways other writers choose to exhibit their work.

We've also gone over why you need a writing portfolio and how you can create a few writing samples in case you feel the need to.

Now, let's get down to how you should create a writing portfolio website. We'll go over the best and most efficient ways to go about creating it.

1. Make your website more organized for simpler navigation.

It's vital to organize your online writing portfolio in a way that's easy for your readers to follow. Place your top projects front and center for simple accessibility. Note: what the ideal projects are may differ from client to client. So, suppose you divide your work into carefully curated collections with different URLs. In that case, that specific URL that contains projects pertaining to that particular client can be shared with them.

2. The "correct" number of your projects for easy viewability

The conventional wisdom is that you should limit the number of projects on your online writing portfolio so that a prospective client can make a quick and easy assessment.

I think this is WRONG.

Your portfolio website HAS to have ALL your content. Why? Well, because hiring managers, clients, and employers are looking for both quality AND quantity. Yes, they aren't going to read your entire portfolio website, but they are looking for consistency and experience.

Obviously, if you wrote a terrible article long ago as a young budding freelance writer, don't include it. So, I'll change my caveat to " nearly ALL your content."

Hence, the navigation of your writing portfolio becomes super important. Remember how I spoke about dividing your work into collections? Well, that is a must if you're including a ton of content. Split it by topic, type, publication, etc., and then share the correct URL with your prospect. Let them begin their journey through your writing portfolio from a starting point that you have determined for them.

Place your contact information in an easy-to-find spot so that when a prospect is satisfied with your writing, they can contact you immediately.

3. Imagery for better conversion rates

Human beings positively respond to visual stimuli, especially faces, which means if you're able to include graphics in your writing sample, you have a better chance of converting your readers.

4. Write case studies to exhibit results

If you have the bandwidth to do so, then you should take some time to write case studies for the work that you have done. A simple format to follow for writing case studies is as follows:

• Start with the results: usually exhibited in the form of "increase X by Y." So, for example, I could say I increased traffic to the blog by 11X.
• Then outline the problems and challenges that the client was facing before you joined the project.
• Next, explain how you solved those problems with your writing, your work, and general professionalism.
• And finally, round it off by digging into the details of the results you achieved a bit more and touch upon how the client is doing now.

5. Add social proof to lend credibility to your work

Unfortunately, writing is a creative art, and there are always critics. If you can get a past client to vouch for you and your writing, then that social proof can stand you in good stead when soliciting even more work. Add all the social proof (read: testimonials) you can in your writing portfolio to bump up that conversion rate.

If you have done work for friends and family, this would be a great place to begin hunting for testimonials.

6. Present your contact info in an easily accessible place

I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating because it's so important. The whole point of having a writer's portfolio is to get work. If people cannot contact you or can't find your contact details, that will severely affect your chances of getting new projects. Social media handles will do if you're uncomfortable with sharing your email address or phone number publicly.

7. Use a website builder for writers like Authory to create your portfolio quickly and back up your work

All of the tips here are excellent (if I say so myself!), but that said, creating a writer's portfolio is a lot of work !

So, leaving the best for last: my final piece of advice is to use a portfolio website builder so that you can cut down the time to build one.

A couple of major issues that writers face are:

• Updating their writing portfolios when they write new content, especially when creating a portfolio from scratch, takes effort. So, in essence, most writing portfolios are out-of-date.
• And writers also lose access to their work when websites go down, and content gets re-bylined, etc.

That's why a service like Authory is perfect for writers worldwide. With Authory, you get a self-updating portfolio plus a full auto-updating backup of ALL your content. It's super simple to set up your Authory portfolio:

• Sign up for Authory for free !
• Add your sources, i.e., all the places where you've published content on the web. Authory will automatically find your bylined content from these sources and import it into your Authory account.
• Build a collection from the collection tab: click "+ Create collection" and follow the instructions.
• Then go to the portfolio tab : go to the "Content" tab on the left menu and add the collection you just created.
• And then, toggle your portfolio on from the "Portfolio" tab on the left menu, and check out your portfolio!

And now you'll have a self-updating portfolio that also automatically backs up all your content!

To see more writing portfolio examples, check out our other collection :

• Content Marketers
• Journalists

Protim is a startup founder & marketer with over a decade of experience in content marketing, content writing, SEO, and more. He loves dogs, D&D, and music!

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How to Build a Writing Portfolio with No Experience (+ 10 Great Examples)

Jessica Michael

So you're a writer, and you want to take your writing career to the next level. What kinds of tools do you need to start landing jobs and clients ?

One of the first things you'll need is an online writing portfolio. In this article, we'll share how to build a writing portfolio that will impress clients and employers, even if you have no experience.

What is a writing portfolio?

At its most basic, a writing portfolio is a collection of your writing samples that you can share with potential clients and employers. Often, it will also include information about you, your work and educational background, and the types of writing services you provide.

Most writing portfolios are online writing portfolios hosted on websites. This makes it exceptionally easy to share and to update. It also makes it into a marketing tool, as you can connect your social media and add things like email sign-ups to your portfolio.

What should a writing portfolio look like?

A writing portfolio can be a website with a single scrollable page that includes bio, work samples, and contact information. Or, it can include multiple pages that display your work and other information separately. You can make your portfolio as complex as you like, as long as it's well-organized and easy to navigate.

It's important to remember that the purpose of an online writing portfolio is to showcase your writing skills, so you don't want to create a portfolio design that's so elaborate that it's hard to tell what it's about. That being said, writing portfolios that create visual interest through photos, graphics, logos, and color schemes are more impactful.

How to create a writing portfolio

As you choose your layout, design elements, and color scheme, you want to keep your brand identity in mind and create an aesthetic that matches. You'll also want to keep it consistent across your site. This is easier if you use a website builder with pre-designed templates and themes, so you don't have to think about it.

Website builders that feature templates for portfolios, or website builders such as Journo Portfolio that are specifically for portfolios, make it easy to upload your information and design a professional-looking and complete portfolio within a short period of time.

All you have to do is gather the material you want to upload to your portfolio!

What to put in a writing portfolio

1. about me.

An About Me section or page talks about your writing experience, educational background, and writing style. You can add a few personal details to make it more personable and we always recommend a professional bio photo.

2. Work Samples

This is the most important part of a writing portfolio, whether you're designing a creative writing portfolio, a content writing portfolio, or a digital marketing portfolio. You'll only want to include your best work here.

3. Contact Info

Clients and employers need a way to contact you if they want to work with you, so add a contact page or email address .

4. Services

Some writers like to include a detailed breakdown of the services they provide, with or without pricing included.

A more detailed CV is great to link to your writing portfolio if you are looking for in-house work or you have relevant expertise stemming from your work experience.

6. Social Media Buttons

Including links to your social media accounts turns your writing portfolio into a marketing tool. Just make sure you only link to your business accounts .

A blog is another great way to use your portfolio for marketing, and it can add more writing samples for clients to check out.

8. Embedded video or audio clips

This feature is especially important if you write content for multimedia platforms such as scripts or ads. Make sure the website builder you choose allows for this option.

9. Testimonials

Nothing is more convincing than testimonials from previous clients, employers, or editors!

10. Case studies

Case studies take one project from inception to completion, showing each step along the way. This shows clients that you can take on more complex projects and gives you a chance to show how you work.

How to build a writing portfolio with no experience

Creating a writing portfolio with no experience can seem overwhelming, but you probably already have most of what you need, like an About Me and contact information. You may even already know what kinds of services you want to provide and have created social media accounts for your work.

The most common issue is not having enough work samples.

There are a few great ways to create work samples for your writing portfolio even if you've never been published.

Mock work samples- As long as you define that the work sample is a mock-up, these work great for building out writing samples for the type of work you want to do. If you're stymied, there's also multiple online programs that can help you build out mock samples.

Mock case studies- Similar to above, you can use a faux company to create a detailed case study that exemplifies the type of work you do.'

Including a blog- Including a blog on your site means you can self-publish articles through your portfolio that can act as samples.

Guest posting- You can also guest post on other people's blogs to add to your credentials.

Writing projects through school or training- You may already have some impressive writing samples from your schooling or through writing certification programs you've taken.

Remember, most people are going to be looking at the quality of your writing and not the number of publications you've been in or the number of companies you've worked with. Spend time developing quality work samples and you'll soon find yourself landing clients and getting published!

10 brilliant writing portfolio examples

1. beth fand incollingo.

Beth is a freelance content marketing writer who specializes in Health and Sciences writing and messaging for universities and academic institutions.

Best Features: Beth has divided her work samples onto separate writing portfolio examples pages. Her health and sciences articles, university articles, and human interest articles all get their space to shine. This not only shows potential marketing clients that she has a depth of experience in multiple areas, but it also makes it easy for them to find writing samples specific to the type of work they want her to do.

Pro Tip: Create consistency across portfolio pages by using the same grid design. This keeps pages clean and connected.

2. Anthony Coppola

Anthony Coppola is a certified technical writer and screenwriter.

Best Features: In order to create technical writing samples for his online writing portfolio, Anthony invented a mock software company named SEIFER. He then wrote multiple examples of technical writing products such as a user guide and brand style guide to showcase how he would handle those types of technical writing projects from a client.

Pro Tip: Using one mock company to showcase a variety of writing skills while maintaining brand consistency is a great way for new or transitioning writers to create writing samples for their portfolio.

3. Triana Garrett

Triana is a content writer and ghostwriter with over 5+ years of experience in a multitude of industries.

Best Features: Triana has used her writing portfolio to not only display her writing samples but to create a clear brand identity. Using an elegant and intriguing black and gray aesthetic, she creates visual interest across pages. She also has a recognizable brand voice that she uses throughout her text. 

Pro Tip: If you have wide ranging experience or an extensive professional background, try linking your CV with all the details rather than attempting to stuff all that information onto your About page. This keeps your portfolio clean while still giving clients access to your full credentials.

4. Rochelle Messner

Rochelle Messner is a copywriter with over a decade of experience with both in-house and freelance copywriting.

Best Features: Because Rochelle has worked across multiple industries, she focuses on the types of copywriting that she does with a list of her services on her home page. She's also created separate writing sample portfolio pages that are likewise divided by project type (blog writing, website copywriting, etc). These are nested under Copywriting Services in her Nav menu which keeps it clean and easy to find.

Pro Tip: Rochelle's home page features a great graphic logo that immediately gets your attention and defines her brand. Even though a writing portfolio is about writing, it's important to create visual interest for visitors to your writing portfolio website.

5. Rachel Oliver

Rachel is a brand strategist and creative copywriter who has worked with national broadcasters and charities.

Best Features: Rachel has made her writing portfolio super accessible by including an FAQ, defining in detail her writing process, and including a "Why work with me?" section that talks about her work philosophy. This makes her portfolio seem conversational, and with the inclusion of buttons that lead to her contact page, she is just an email away.

Pro Tip: Rachel offers a free 30-minute consultation, which she makes easy to book by including a button that leads to her contact page. Making it easy to connect with you makes it much more likely that a potential client will reach out.

6. Alanna Reid

Alanna Reid is a creative writer and screenwriter in the UK.

Best Features: Because Alanna's creative writing portfolio focuses on their creative fiction, nonfiction, and screenwriting, they've designed a portfolio that's equally unique and imaginative by featuring a collage art header and footer. They keep the rest of the design simple, so the art can speak for itself, which also keeps the website easy to read.

Pro Tip: Alanna includes an impressive award they received on their homepage, so it's one of the first things a visitor sees. Showcasing your accolades and awards on your landing page is a great way to immediately establish validity for your work.

7. Amy Rutter

Amy is a copywriter and copy editor with a post-graduate diploma in magazine journalism.

Best Features: Amy takes full advantage of her About Me page by building it out into sections. She covers her educational background, why she started writing, and her writing experience. She even includes a "Three fun facts" section, which gives potential clients a little more info about her personality. She sticks to her own well-developed brand voice, which is a great way to show clients that you understand brand messaging while letting them get to know more about your style.

Pro Tip: Amy includes brand photos as part of her online writing portfolio. It may cost a bit to work with a photographer, but it helps evoke an immediate sense of professionalism. 

8. Amanda Monterroso

Amanda Monterroso is a freelance content writer and copy editor with a background in creative writing.

Best Features: Amanda includes a Services page where she outlines the writing services she provides. She includes a brief intro with each service that provides information on her approach as well as a list of the types of projects she works on (white papers, social media copy, etc). This makes it easy for a potential client to understand what Amanda has to offer and how she approaches her work.

Pro Tip: In case there isn't an example of the type of project a client may be looking for on Amanda's Portfolio page, she includes her contact information at the top if someone would like to request a specific sample. This is a great way to make sure you're not ruling anyone out if you don't want to include every project you've worked on.

9. Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson is a content marketer, freelance writer, and award-winning journalist based in Iowa.

Best Features: Mike’s created a visually impactful online writing portfolio by using photography and design elements to create interest. He uses large photographic headers on each of his pages that are connected by theme and aesthetic. He also makes use of a carousel scroll section for featured articles on his Home page.

Pro Tip: Mike includes many work samples and articles on his Portfolio page. While this might be difficult if you are just starting out, as you build your experience, you can use your portfolio to organize all of your work and create pdf backups for the future.

10. Ashley Carter Cash

Ashley is a narrative nonfiction writer who also writes advertising copy for clients in the spirituality, lifestyle, and addiction recovery spaces.

Best Features: Ashley's Home page is stunning with a crisp white background showcasing photo buttons in an asymmetrical grid design. Each photo links to an article, and hovering over a photo reveals a text description of the accompanying story. She also includes an embedded podcast interview with her, which creates a dynamic multimedia presence on her website.

Pro Tip: Ashley makes good use of an email sign-up option by enticing visitors to sign up for her VIP List for exclusive perks. This is a more compelling way to attract subscribers because it implies a return for their sign-up.

Ready to build your online writing portfolio website?

Now that you know how to build a writing portfolio and you've seen some great writing portfolio examples, it's time to design your own. Journo Portfolio is the online writing portfolio website builder that has all the features you need for your site, like automatic article backups and pre-designed templates that have writers in mind. Get started today!

Amanda Ronan

What to include in your writing portfolio when you're just starting out.

Jamie Mendes

How to succeed as a freelance journalist in the fake news era.

How to Craft a Stunning Photography Portfolio From Scratch

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What are Student Portfolios? | The Ultimate Guide to Student Portfolios (2024)

At Unrulr, we’re interested in the future of education. We believe authentic learning is much more than tests and grades— it’s about experiences, human connections, and individual passions. One of the best ways to gain a nuanced picture of the whole learner is through a curated and living student portfolio.

In this guide, we’ll introduce you to student portfolios, explore why student portfolios are important by looking at some benefits for both learners and educators, and share some tips for implementing and assessing student portfolios in your learning community.

Already know all about portfolios?   Jump to our pro-tips

Trying to decide what kind of portfolio to use jump to the different portfolio options.

Read on to learn about student portfolios and how to get started.

What are Student Portfolios?

Student portfolio definition.

A student portfolio is a collection of student work compiled over time to showcase a learner’s progress, skills, and achievements. This can include project work samples, finished assignments, case studies, and self-reflections. Student portfolios can be digital or physical and tailored to specific subjects or projects. In this guide, we will mostly be talking about digital student portfolios.

Student portfolios are commonly used for:

Tracking student progress over time Student portfolios can document a learner's progress and understanding of a particular subject or skill. Educators can use the portfolio to gauge how a student has grown and changed over the course of a school year and identify areas where additional support may be needed.

Assessing student work Educators can use the portfolio as a summative assessment tool to evaluate a student's mastery of a particular concept or skill and provide constructive feedback on how to improve. Additionally, portfolios can be used as a formative assessment tool to regularly check for understanding and get instant feedback to quickly determine what your students need more help with.

Communicating with parents and other stakeholders Student portfolios can be used to communicate a student's progress to parents and other stakeholders, such as school administrators or mentors. This can provide a more holistic and textured picture of a learner's abilities and potential than a traditional report card or test score.

Self-reflection and self-assessment Student portfolios can serve as a metacognition tool when learners reflect on their progress and understanding and identify areas where they need to improve. This can help students take ownership of their learning and set goals for their future growth. Reflection is a core feature of posting progress updates on Unrulr.

Documenting learning for college and career readiness Student portfolios can showcase a student's knowledge and achievements to external stakeholders, such as college admissions or potential employers.

What to Include in a Student Portfolio

Many types of works can be included in a student portfolio, depending on the subject or project and the portfolio medium. Some common examples include:

• Writing samples : essays, journals, research papers, and creative writing pieces
• Artwork and designs : drawings, paintings, graphic designs, and 3D renderings
• Photography and videos : photo essays and short films
• Music and audio recordings : compositions and performances
• Applications and design artifacts: coding assignments and UX/UI design case studies

Traditionally, portfolios primarily focus on polished final products with less emphasis on the journey that led to those products. Modern portfolios should aim to focus on process as much as final products, giving educators and other viewers insight into the learner’s thought process and learning journey.

Why are Student Portfolios Important?

Student portfolios are an important tool for presenting and assessing student work that is hands-on or project-based. They help organize individual materials that are relevant to a specific project or experience, providing a more complete representation of a learner’s progress and accomplishments. Portfolios can also be used to tie together separate projects within a given subject or class, providing a longitudinal look at a student's learning journey.

The creation and evaluation of student portfolios should be a collaborative process that benefits both students and teachers.

Why are Portfolios Important for Students?

Of course, when considering the benefits of student portfolios, we should start with the students themselves! One of the main benefits of student portfolios is that they are curated by the learner, giving them ownership of how their learning is represented. 

Other student benefits include:

• providing a visual representation of their progress
• improving self-reflection and metacognition skills
• fostering organization and presentation skills
• encouraging a sense of agency and ownership over their learning
• serving as a valuable tool for college and job applications

By regularly updating their portfolio and presenting their work effectively, students are equipped with crucial skills for college and career readiness, and are empowered to become active participants in their education. This kind of learner agency is essential for deeper learning.

Why are Portfolios Important for Teachers?

Educators can also reap the rewards of student portfolios! Student portfolios can help educators to:

• gain a visual representation of student understanding and growth
• evaluate student work and provide actionable feedback
• track student progress over time
• reflect on their teaching practices and identify areas for improvement
• engage in differentiated instruction and individualized learning

Incorporating student portfolios into teaching styles like project-based and experiential learning can enhance student opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. Reviewing student portfolios can also help teachers reflect on their teaching practices, allowing them to identify areas for improvement and use student work as evidence of their own growth and development as educators. It's a win-win situation!

How to Create a Student Portfolio

When it comes to putting together portfolios in the classroom, it's all about letting the students take the lead! They should be the ones creating their portfolios and choosing what pieces of work to showcase. That being said, as an educator, it’s your job to coach your students on how to best represent their work.

Creating an effective student portfolio requires some planning and attention to detail. Here are a few steps students should follow when creating a portfolio:

• Define the purpose and goals of the portfolio
• Select the type of portfolio that best suits their needs
• Gather and organize work and materials
• Reflect on their work and self-assess their progress
• Present their work in a professional and organized manner

Defining the Purpose and Goals of the Portfolio

It is essential to define the purpose and goals of the portfolio. Students should consider what they want to accomplish with the portfolio and what they want their audience to see. Ask your students to consider the questions:

• What course, project, or subject matter are they creating the portfolio for?
• What types of work will they be sharing?
• Who will be the main audience they will present their work to?

This will help them select the best type of portfolio and determine what work and materials to include.

Selecting the Type of Portfolio

There are several types of portfolios, including traditional portfolios, electronic portfolios, and online portfolios. Have your learners consider their goals and the kind of work they want to showcase when selecting the right type of portfolio for their needs.

There are a few different options for setting up student portfolios, including:

• Digital portfolio platforms like Unrulr, bulb, or SpacesEDU make it easy to share evidence of learning through multimedia, such as photos, videos, documents, and written reflections.
• Class blogs or websites give students their own page to post their work and show off their skills. This is an excellent option for younger students who may not be ready to set up their own website.
• Individual blogs or websites allow students to get creative with how they house their portfolios. Many drag-and-drop website editors simplify the web design process, such as Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress, to name a few.
• Cloud-based storage platforms like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive allow students to store and share their work with their teachers and classmates. While this option is easy to implement, it offers the least customization of the other options and may be difficult to navigate.
• Physical portfolios like folders or binders, are an old-school way to store and showcase student work.

Gathering and Organizing Relevant Work and Materials

Once your students have selected the type of portfolio they want to create, it is time for them to gather and organize their work and materials. This includes choosing the work samples, organizing them logically, and including descriptions and reflections for each item.

Reflection and Self-Assessment

Self-reflection and assessment of progress are integral to creating an effective student portfolio. Students should be encouraged to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, set goals for future growth, and identify areas for improvement. This type of higher-level thinking and metacognition is essential for deeper learning .

Presenting Work in a Professional and Organized Manner

Finally, when it comes time to present their work, coach students on how to showcase their portfolio in a professional and organized manner. Ensure students use proper presentation tools and prepare adequately ahead of time. This will help them effectively demonstrate their skills, knowledge, and progress to others, including college admissions officers or potential employers.

5 Tips for Getting Started with Student Portfolios

Getting started with student portfolios in your classroom can seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be— here are our tips to help you get started:

• “MVP it": Don't try to do too much too soon. Instead, create a minimum viable product by starting with a smaller cohort and a single project or experience. This will allow you to get your feet wet with student portfolios and get actionable data and feedback.
• Build a culture of documentation: Making documentation a regular part of the learning process will ensure that it feels authentic and students can see the growth in their portfolios.
• Use a variety of multimedia: To make portfolios as diverse and well-rounded as possible, encourage students to document their portfolios using videos, photos, PDFs, and other multimedia to capture their process and growth.
• Encourage self-reflection: Encourage your students to reflect on their process, identity, and the ups and downs of their learning journey.
• Find a tool that will actually be used: Look for a tool that allows students to see each other's work, document in a way that feels authentic, and share their portfolios with others.

Student portfolios present the opportunity for learners to showcase their skills, knowledge, and growth in a fun and engaging way (don't forget the fun part!).

Assessing Student Portfolios

When assessing student portfolios, it's important to remember that the goal is to gain a holistic view of student progress and understanding. Some questions you should ask yourself are:

• Are the students demonstrating progress and growth over time?
• Have they effectively applied the skills and knowledge they have learned in a real-world context?
• Are they effectively engaging in reflection and self-assessment?

Providing actionable feedback is essential to help students continue developing and improving their skills. Keep in mind the learning objectives or core competencies of your learning community— using a rubric or criteria to guide your assessment may be helpful.

Make the most of portfolios by incorporating peer assessment into the mix. It's a win-win: students get a fresh perspective on their work, and their peers get valuable practice evaluating and critiquing. Additionally, crowdsourcing assessment might just save you some time 😉.

Unleash the Power of Student Portfolios

Student portfolios are a powerful tool for enhancing student learning and engagement and assessing student progress and understanding. Whether you're a teacher looking to track student progress over time or a student eager to demonstrate your skills in a real-world context, portfolios can benefit all parties involved.

So why not give it a try? Start small with a single project or assignment, and see its impact on student learning and engagement. The results might surprise you!

Book a demo or create an Unrulr account today.

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What is a Portfolio?

A “portfolio” is a selection of student work that they have chosen and evaluated as their best work, or as representative of their development over time. By making students responsible for collecting, organizing, drafting, revising, proofreading, and/or reflecting on their work, portfolio assignments engage them in the learning process and afford them an opportunity to share with the instructor their own reasons for investing in the project of the course.

Portfolios are especially common in the arts and for courses in which students conduct a range of writing assignments. (“ Exam wrappers ,” increasingly common in STEM fields, might also be considered a form of portfolio.) Portfolios can be assigned for semester-long courses, or for longer term capstones like certificate programs, across a range of fields.

Why use Portfolios?

Portfolios can be assigned as an alternative to a traditional final exam or paper, and can be especially effective at meeting some or all of the following goals:

• encouraging student agency;
• generating insights into each student’s engagement in their own learning;
• prompting students to reflect on and understand understand their own development over the course;
• inspiring students to identify future goals for continued learning beyond the course;
• providing students the opportunity to select and develop work that they can use beyond the classroom, such as samples for graduate school applications or future employers.

“Portfolio culture” honors both processes and products, and encourages students to prepare materials for the job market / interviews, by encouraging a mindset of professionalism, rather than an “assignment mindset.” Portfolios encourage students to reflect on the amount of work they’ve accomplished over the course of a semester, and ideally, to learn about themselves and their own learning strategies as much as they’re learning new content/skills.

What does a Portfolio contain?

A portfolio typically includes three key components:

• Samples of student work distributed across the term
• Reflections on the work samples
• A professional re-presentation of the work samples
• Samples of Work
• Reflections
• Re-presentation

Work samples can be chosen to:

• represent the students’ best work (potentially incorporating revisions of previous work)
• display an array and/or mastery of skills, such as drawing, digital media, music, language fluency, coding, etc.
• Demonstrate growth over the course of the semester

Depending on the needs of the course, the selection might include essays, interviews, charts, inventories, diaries, tests, or artwork. These samples can vary based on content, format, length, or style of writing or research. The instructor may give specific requirements for the type of work, or it may be selected entirely by the student. For instance, for a writing class, the instructor might stipulate that the portfolio ought to include at least one persuasive piece (in which the main purpose is to agree or disagree with a public concern), and one source-based piece (in which the main purpose is to respond to a primary source).

Some portfolio assignments incorporate the requirement or opportunity to revise prior work. In some circumstances, the opportunity to incorporate instructor feedback can help reinforce learning goals and allow students to take their own work to the next level. In other circumstances, including rough drafts or early-semester work can provide the student with the opportunity to reflect on their early work from the position of greater mastery, and allow them to see their own growth over the semester.

The key self-reflexive element of a portfolio is that it contains a reflection on the work by the student: without the reflection it is just a collection of assignments. The reflection is an opportunity to convey a philosophy, methods, and goals, and identify strengths as a writer or learner.

Each piece might be accompanied by a reflection, or they can be summarized in a “Dear Reader”-style cover letter, with the artifacts as more of an appendix. This letter might contain:

• What readers can expect to encounter in the portfolio
• A rationale for the documents included
• A description of the variety of strategies / methods / theories / skills utilized in the works included
• Connections drawn between the assignments
• Connections drawn between the assignments and the content/skills of the class
• A reflection on what the student is most proud of, and why: did they experiment with new theories? Did they push themselves to try new styles or methods?
• What the student was thinking when they created the artifact, and what impact did it have on their learning? (Questions here might include: What would you do the same or differently next time? How did specific moments in the assignment help you recognize that you were making improvement or on the right track?) This kind of reflective action involves an examination of their past work and the impact that it had in order to synthesize how it might be refined for a better outcome in the future
• Evidence for how it aligns with assignment objectives or class goals
• Moments of surprise or moments corroborating earlier intuitions

Finally, portfolios usually incorporate some sort of professional presentation—what would in another context be a physical portfolio. In other words, it is not merely the resubmission of the components in their original form, but rather an intentional re-presentation of them so as to make an argument about their relationship to each other. Tangible portfolios might take the form of a binder or book; digital portfolios might be collated into a website or slideshow. There could be a visual/graphic design component that could “package,” or “brand” the material to tie it all together, and/or a table of contents, to show how the components fit together. Giving students the opportunity to create a professional package with visual / non-textual material can encourage them to connect with it on a more personal level, and which might allow them to understand their own work in new ways. The act of “publishing” their work can also give it value.

What is an Exam Wrapper?

An exam wrapper (or paper wrapper) is an activity or document that “wraps around” an exam. Similar to portfolios, they are used to enhance student metacognition and self-awareness of their own strategies for study and performance. Common questions that might be asked in an exam wrapper include:

• How did you study for this exam? What strategies did you use to prepare, and which seemed most effective?
• Did these study strategies differ from your preparation for the last exam? Did these changes effect your performance?
• On which aspects of this exam did you perform well?
• Are there patterns to your errors that you can address in future preparation?
• Name at least three things you plan to do differently in your preparation for the next exam. (For example, will you spend more time, change a study habit, or add a new skill?)

How are Portfolios Assessed?

Because of the open-ended nature of work that could be produced across portfolios, it is important to provide clarity about what is expected. Explicit instructions are necessary to avoid student uncertainty about what to include in their own portfolios. Periodic check-ins between student and instructor could alleviate student uncertainty. Students could be organized into pairs or groups, and could thought partners for students working on assembling and explaining their work.

Because of the potential variability between portfolios, a clear grading rubric is key to students understanding how their own work will be assessed. While the precise assessment scheme will depend on the course learning objectives, a rubric might include:

Selection of work

• Shows a variety of work (for example, in different genres or at different stages of drafting)
• Shows development / growth / moving up Bloom’s taxonomy
• Shows clarity / concision of writing

Reflection: demonstrates understanding of course skills

• Shows awareness of and ability to communicate development / growth

Professionalization: has an organizational structure, which is carried out consistently over the project

• Shows engagement with presentation style: includes visual or graphic components that convey a polished professional finish, an overall “brand”
• Is adapted to audience

Portfolios by definition contain individual parts that are organized into a whole, and these parts are themselves coming together at different stages of the assignment. As a result, assessment itself might take place at different stages—including lower-stakes formative feedback—with rubrics that are tailored to the individual parts and/or the final submission.

For more information...

University of Hawai’i at Mānoa: Using Portfolios in Program Assessment

The University of Arizona, Tucson: The Use of Portfolio Assessment in Evaluation

Carnegie Mellon Eberly Center, Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation: Exam Wrappers

Indiana University Bloomington, Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning: Help Students Learn to Take Exams with Exam Wrappers

J.E. Sharp, “ Using Portfolios in the Classroom .” Proceedings Frontiers in Education 27th Annual Conference. 1997.

Crystal Kwan and Camilla Kin Ming Lo, “ Evaluating the Portfolio as a Social Work Capstone Project A Case Study in Hong Kong .” Social Work Education 42, no. 1. April 2023: 145-160.

Betty McDonald, “ Portfolio Assessment: Direct from the Classroom .” Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 37, no 3, May 2012, 335-347.

J. L. Ray, “ Industry-Academic Partnerships for Successful Capstone Projects .” 33rd Annual Frontiers in Education, 2003.

David R. Schachter and Deena Schwartz. “ The Value of Capstone Projects to Participating Client Agencies .” Journal of Public Affairs Education, 15:4 (2009), 445-462.

John Zubizarreta, The Learning Portfolio: Reflective Practice for Improving Student Learning . Jossey-Bass, 2009.

Elana Michelson, Alan Mandell, eds., Portfolio Development and the Assessment of Prior Learning: Perspectives, Models, and Practices . Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2004.

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By Katie Gatens and Nicholas Holmes

Writing Portfolio Guide

Writing portfolio success... in six easy steps.

After eight years in the portfolio business, we've noticed something:

Most writers HATE shouting about their work and their achievements online.

But they shouldn't.

A writing portfolio is the best way to professionally show off your skills and achievements, without sounding braggy or arrogant.

And with a little bit of planning, creating one needn't be a time-consuming nightmare.

In this guide, we'll take you through the six steps required to build a killer profile online, so you can easily have one completed for yourself in an hour or two.

This is the process we'll follow to create your perfect online writing portfolio:

• Objectives: Be clear about them from the start. The work you choose to get a job is going to be very different from the work you choose to land a travel writing gig.
• Hosting: Keep it memorable and professional. If you need to create your portfolio quickly, choose a hosted service such as Clippings.me.
• Portfolio Design: Keep it simple and clean. Avoid distractions but make sure it works on mobile.
• Samples: Add between 10 and 20 pieces of work. Use links or PDF uploads for maximum viewability and to give a snapshot of what you can do, but organize things logically and don't make the user scroll.
• Biography: Showcase your achievements. Make it as long or as short as you want and add a resume if you're job hunting, but make sure you're clear on what you can offer a potential employer/commissioner.

Ready to read more? Scroll on!

You want to make sure your writing portfolio achieves its objectives - if you're an author, that may be to get you a book deal. If you're a student, it's likely academic consideration and if you're a freelance journalist, it could be to get you an article commission.

So think hard and be specific about what your portfolio should tell the people that come across it. Doing so will make drafting your copy and planning out the different sections MUCH easier.

Common Objectives

To get a job - you'll be sending your portfolio to prospective employers or clients, so your main aim is to impress in the field you work in.

To sell - you've written some great stuff, and now you want to sell it to an agent, publisher or commissioner.

To be more visible - you want a place where people can find you online and learn more about what you do.

Once you know what the aim is, write that down somewhere. As you build your portfolio, every time you write a sentence or add a piece of work, ask yourself "does this addition help my objective?"

If the answer if no, don't add it.

Portfolio Hosting

The days of the hard portfolio are DEFINITELY over.

For 99% of portfolio users, digital is the right way to go, as the late Steve Buttry explained in this excellent blog . Steve passed away in February 2017, but his superb blog remains online as a resource for journalism students and professionals and is well worth a read.

We’re way past the days of deciding which half-dozen hard-copy clips to stuff into an envelope with your résumé. Unless an employer specifically asks for a hard-copy application, you should apply by email with a hyperlinked résumé. Even if the employer asks for hard-copy (and if you want to work for someone who needs hard copy), you need a URL (or a few) at the top, guiding your future boss to a place to study your work at length.

There are tons of options for creating portfolios out there - Clippings.me is one of them, but you can also create your own using a tool like Wordpress, Wix or Weebly.

In this piece , Poynter's Kristen Hare and Ren Laforme round up the best portfolio tools for journalists in 2017:

It seems to me that the big ones for journalists are Muck Rack, Clippings.me, Contently, Pressfolios and Journo Portfolio. They all allow you to set up a little landing page where you can drop your clips. Some sites limit your clips if you’re on a free account, and they all arrange them in various artful ways.

Another roundup by journalism.co.uk's Sarah Marshall, took a look at various portfolio tools available including Clippings.me, Contently, Journalisted, MuckRack and About.me.

Sarah also pointed out that it's critical to pay attention to your social media channels too:

Whether applying for a job, pitching as a freelancer or showcasing your work, an online portfolio with a biography and links to your work can be hugely valuable. Of course, LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook and other platforms provide journalists with an online presence, and it is always worth paying attention to your bio information available on social networks as other people will search for you.

However, your choice of tool will likely be determined by the formats that you chose to include in your portfolio. So spend some time considering your pieces of work and the formats that you use the most often.

What content formats might you need?

• Writing: Plain text, links, PDF files, Slideshare presentations, Scribd documents
• Images: All common image format files, plus 'rich' media files like Flash and Shockwave. Also, material you've posted on photo upload sites such as Flickr.
• Social media: Storify curated stories, Twitter feeds, Facebook Post
• Videos: YouTube videos, Vimeo videos, Wistia videos, embedded newsreels
• Audio: Podcasts (mp3, AAC or other), AudioBoom files, SoundCloud files

Back when Clippings.me was founded, it only allowed for the addition of links and PDF files - but now you can embed all of the above, and most journalists take advantage of that functionality. You'll want to consider this before moving onto the next step.

Finally, ensure whichever tool you use can make use of a custom domain. This will allow you to use a link such as www.yourname.com, rather than a branded link like www.clippings.me/yourname. This is strongly advised when hunting for a job, as putting your personalized URL on a business card or CV looks far more professional and makes it easier to remember!

Note that you'll probably have to pay for that custom domain - domains normally run from about $12 per year for a standard .com, although other domains might be more expensive.

Top Writing Portfolio Tools To Consider

Other Professional Writing Portfolio Software

Want something more advanced? If you're handy with HTML and don't mind a bit of messing around to get the look just right, you could also create using one of these other options:

Wix offers free websites that are easy to customize and need no coding.

Wordpress is the world's most popular blogging platform. It's more technically challenging but almost infinitely customizeable.

If you need some more help choosing, googling 'journalism portfolio tools' is a good place to start.

Portfolio Design

Overwhelmingly, journalists creating their page using Clippings.me tend to opt for a simple layout which draws attention to work with little in the way of fancy distractions on the site.

Our STRONG style advice would be to keep things as simple as possible and try to let your writing speak for itself.

Use a crisp, clear font which is professional and legible - no MS Comic Sans if you want to be taken seriously. Also, try to keep the font size above 14pt, ideally edging towards 16pt, to maximize the readability of what you've got. Another neat trick here is to increase the line spacing, which will give your writing more room to breathe.

Keep colors professional - shocking pink and lime green are rarely seen in portfolios, and there's probably a reason for that. If you choose to have a background color, make sure it's sufficiently contrasting with the text for things to be easy on the eye - using two different shades of blue for background and text, for instance, is usually a bad idea.

Be mindful of users on tablet and mobile (as you can see above, increasing amount are); some portfolio sites include a mobile option, but not all of them. People WILL be checking out your portfolio on a mobile or a tablet, so you'll want to make sure it scales correctly on different screen sizes.

For this reason, we strongly advise against having a flash-based portfolio, which generally won't work as designed on mobile devices.

Too many images may end up distracting from your writing, but images can liven up a portfolio.

Try to make sure the images that you use are compelling and colorful, relate well to the words next to them and don't take too long to load.

You may wish to check out our list of writing portfolio examples , but here are some other designs to check out for inspiration:

Catherine Bouris' mobile-first portfolio is also worth looking at:

Looking for more great examples of writing portfolios? Check out some of the following pages:

• Writing Portfolio Examples from Clippings.me (portfolios we love made using this site)
• Writing portfolio roundup from Format.com

Adding Samples

Now the fun bit begins!

We generally recommend adding between 10-20 pieces of work to an online portfolio - the overall aim here is to give a snapshot of what you can do in an overview that the other person will be able to finish. Don't feel that you have to include everything that you've ever written.

Choose a selection of writing samples that best serves the purpose you identified in section 1. Generally, it's good to use work that shows the versatility of your skills, but this may not be the case for your specific needs.

As Susanna Speier identified in a great Poynter piece on journalism portfolios:

Recruiters and HR departments simply “don’t always have the bandwidth” to research a candidate on the Internet, said Lars Schmidt, NPR’s senior director for talent acquisition. Schmidt said he prefers journalist portfolios that are categorized. He also advises journalists to organize their portfolios according to the job they’re seeking.

Most portfolios we see are a mix of links and PDF uploads, although there's certainly no harm in using more of one than the other. Do remember, if using links, that they have a nasty habit of moving or changing over time, so it's sometimes best to host the files yourself or set a schedule to come back and check that everything's still where it should be. Example writing portfolio sites that can support PDF include Clippings.me and JournoPortfolio.

Based on the formats you identified earlier, you'll want to make sure you've got enough examples to show the versatility of what you do.

Multimedia portfolios can be trickier to make but offer a better overview in the long term - as The Washington Post's Graphics Director Kat Downs Mulder explains in this ItsAllJournalism podcast

You'll want to pay more attention to the order of your written work, though - make sure it's logical. Some people display their clippings by date, some prefer to do it by section type, and either is fine as long as you're consistent.

Emily Ingram had some superb advice on her site (sadly now deleted) on how to build your own Wordpress portfolio (it applies to any portfolio, really):

I think a good rule of thumb is to keep things simple and try to eliminate any extra clicks for users. In other words: If you can put a good amount of your clips all on one page and still make it look simple, do it. Know how annoying it is to go to a newspaper’s Web site and have to load an entirely new page for each photo in a 50-photo slideshow? It’s the same concept.

If possible, try to include subheadings as well as the article title with each writing sample that you add - just as with a real article, they dramatically increase the chances of someone reading on. And, as already mentioned, if you're able to use pictures, it can make a real difference:

In the case of an author portfolio rather than a journalist one, consider using shorter excerpts rather than full chapters. It can be overwhelming for readers to be faced with dense chapters to navigate so offering the option of something shorter is normally appreciated.

If you're building an academic portfolio, make sure that you're meeting the requirements of whichever institution you're applying to. Critically, make sure that you've chosen a sufficient variety of papers - don't submit one with three or four with a very similar structure. There may also be restrictions on how many papers you can submit from any one course.

Most writers include a personal overview in their portfolio to provide context. It's up to you to make this as long or as short as you want - I've seen people including a full CV or just a few lines of text to explain who they are.

What to include in your bio? Well, your job title and company are a good place to start. Then, many writers use the bio as a space to do what they do best - tell a story. If you can get some attention by weaving together some bullet points that fulfill your portfolio's objectives (see step 1), that's great. Can you explain some of your best creations or achievements?

For students and graduates, this is a place to mention your college, your major and year, your roles on campus and any other information that will give people a flavor of who you are. But consider - always - that this is a public piece of work and if you're asked about it later, you don't want to squirm.

Before attempting this section, it's worth firing up a word processor so you've got an idea of word count. Realistically, 200 words are probably the limit of what you should go for - readers want to get an overview of you in ten seconds or less, so make every word in those first sentences count. No fluff, no buzzwords - just plain-spoken facts about you.

Resume or no resume?

Back again to NPR's Lars Schmidt in the Poynter piece:

He urges journalists to “include a resume and have it up on your portfolio.” Yes, a resume. An easy-to-find resume, Schmidt said, is still the best way to say, “here’s what I can bring to your organization.”

So adding a CV is considered a good idea, but if you choose to do so, make sure it's formatted correctly - often you'll find it looks more professional to embed it within your clips than to paste it in plain text somewhere. If you have a portfolio service where you can include it as a separate document, all the better.

Finally, make sure you've got your contact details. In many great portfolios, this is in the form of a call to action - e.g. "contact me via email at [email protected] ", leaving the reader in no doubt as to what to do next.

You'll also want to include social media links so that people can find you on Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and anywhere else you maintain a professional presence. If your Facebook page contains embarrassing pictures, don't link to that - obviously.

What NOT to add

It's best not to include any of the following things in a profile:

Your age - nobody wants to see this, especially if it translates to 'young and inexperienced'. If you must put a number, make it about your experience - "I've been a reporter for ten years."

Lack of confidence - in general, it rankles when writers write about what they one day "hope" to become. If you haven't got there yet, it's fine, but there's no need to draw attention to that fact. It damages a reader's belief that you'll deliver quality.

Grammatical mistakes - obviously. Take a free trial of a tool such as Grammarly to ensure your portfolio is free of errors.

Condescension - it's OK if you're great, but if you're that good a wordsmith, you'll be able to tell me that without making me feel like the little guy. The trick is to make your audience feel good about themselves at the same time as showcasing your skill. So no spammy header lines, no passive-aggressive copy and no cockiness. Just be honest, open and proud.

Make sure your friends and family know all about your portfolio. Share it on Facebook first to ask for feedback (you'll be amazed at what you missed), and then cast the net a little wider on Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn and your other social networks.

You need to drive traffic to your portfolio for it to be shared, so it's a good idea to start dropping the link around the place. Put it in your email signature and in the profile pages of your social networks, especially Twitter (if you've got an account!). You may also want to make sure that it's included on your blog and your LinkedIn page (Clippings.me users can embed their clips right into their LinkedIn pages).

There's nothing worse than an out-of-date writing portfolio. We recommend returning to your profile a couple of times a month to check that the links are all working and to add new pieces of work. This is a good thing to do because it allows you to build up a following around your portfolio, and it also shows the evolution of what you do, proving that you're active in the field and a good bet for your target audience!

What are your tips? Let us know by tweeting them @clippingsme and we'll RT the best. Thanks to all the people we've quoted in this piece.

Get your free portfolio and join 100,000+ Clippings.me users today!

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How to Create an English Class Portfolio

How to Write a Self-Assessment for an English Class

While most classes require a traditional final exam, many English instructors choose to evaluate your work using a portfolio, a compilation of your best work from throughout the course. Portfolios assess your overall improvement as a writer, revision and editing skills, your grasp of the overall writing process and the ability to create writing projects under a deadline. Thinking critically about your growth as a writer and carefully selecting your best essays can help you create a successful English portfolio.

Ponder Your Progress

Most portfolio assessments require you to write a reflective letter, an introduction that explains the evolution of your writing and the choices you made in compiling your work. This letter to your instructor offers a chance to look back on how the course has influenced you to become a better writer, including challenges you've faced and specific improvements you've made in your work. Your letter might include how you felt about your writing coming into the class, why you chose the essays that appear in your portfolio and your goals for continuing to develop your composition skills.

Show What You've Got

The bulk of your student writing portfolio examples will be a selection of essays you've written throughout the course. This is your chance to let your new writing skills shine, allowing your best work to illustrate the progress you've made. You might select pieces you particularly enjoyed writing, essays that showcase significant challenges you overcame or papers that required significant reworking to the final versions. Consider diversity in your selections as well by including a variety of explored genres as well as pieces that address different topics.

Revise and Rework

While some instructors may require you to simply include the final copies of your selected essays, others might ask you to rework them for your English portfolio. This allows you to showcase your revision skills by making improvements and changes to work your instructor already is familiar with. As you revise, review your instructor's original comments to see how to clarify key concepts, enhance the style or tone and write for a specific audience's needs. If your instructor requires you to submit the original drafts along with the final copies, attach them as well.

Review the English Portfolio Requirements

The process of assembling your English portfolio will vary from class to class. Some instructors may prefer that you staple your essays and fasten them with a binder clip while others might want you to bind them down the center in a three-pronged folder. Avoid putting your work in a binder as instructors often must carry several classes' portfolios home to grade and binders can make the stack bulky and difficult to carry. As part of your writing portfolio examples for college, place the essays in the order your instructor specifies. Usually, the reflective letter comes first and is followed by the essays and their drafts.

Related Articles

Goals for English Classes

Steps in Writing a Reflection Paper

How to Write a Portfolio Essay

How Is a Paralegal Portfolio Done?

How to Write a Technical Essay

How to Use a Graphic Organizer for Writing a Paper

Importance of Written Expression Skills in High School Students

Why Use APA Formatting in College Writing?

• Indiana University of Pennsylvania: Preparing and Assembling the English Portfolio
• Walla Walla Community College: The English 101 Final Porfolio
• Prairie State: English 101 Portfolio
• Common Sense Education: 4 Tips for Meaningful Student Portfolios

Kori Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts in professional writing and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and has been crafting online and print educational materials since 2006. She taught creative writing and composition at West Virginia University and the University of Akron and her fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals.

Digital portfolio for students – tips and examples

In the context of blended learning and digital classrooms, there’s a growing number of schools that encourage students to build a digital portfolio . There are many ways to do that and various tools that can be used to build a great digital portfolio for students.

Student portfolio definition

A student portfolio is a collection of academic assignments, projects, revisions, and work samples that stretch over a designated period of time, belonging to one student. It may also contain student self-assessments and reflections on their own work.

Why make a student portfolio

There are 4 different reasons why you might be required to make a student portfolio: (1) the teacher needs it to evaluate your learning progress by comparing early work to later work; (2) the teacher may use it to review your work in order to determine whether you have met the established learning standards set for your grade level or for graduation; (3) to help you reflect on your academic goals and progress; (4) to create an archive that compiles your most important school projects and academic work.

A teacher might require students to make portfolios for any or for all of the reasons above. In addition to meeting teachers’ requirements, older students might want to build a portfolio for themselves to help them later in their careers. There are many arguments for making a portfolio because it can help a student greatly.

Importance of portfolio for students

Now let’s talk about the importance of portfolios for students. Even though making a portfolio might seem tedious, the process is very rewarding. You’ll thank yourself later for making it. It will help you pick up some important skills and you will feel proud when you will look back on all your hard work.

• Opportunity to track and chart growth
• Increased motivation
• Deeper learning and quality work
• Habits of lifelong learning – a portfolio requires planning and keeping records which are great habits
• Promotes reflection on what to learn and how to learn
• Showcase around a set of learning outcomes – an achievement documentation system
• Opportunity to demonstrate particular competencies
• Ownership, responsibility, involvement in own learning
• Improves communication between parents and teachers
• Learn to auto-evaluate and critique

How should a portfolio be organized

There are many ways you can make a digital portfolio and each format is structured differently. Some of the most used formats for student portfolios are blogs, online journals, digital archives, websites, and notebooks. We advise you to think about all the benefits and limitations for each portfolio type and choose the one that works best for you and for your needs. For instance, a digital portfolio is more suitable if you want to showcase your online certifications like the OSHA international certification .

Regardless of the support that you’ve chosen for your portfolio, there are some guidelines on how it should be organized. Usually, the teacher will tell you what should be included in the portfolio, how it should be organized, and how it will be evaluated. Pay attention to these requirements and specifications because you need to meet these standards to get a good grade.

Here are some of the criteria that will surely be taken into consideration during the evaluation:

• Organization – Your portfolio should be comprised of an intro/ summary, a table of contents, work samples (organized into chapters) and a conclusion. You must have a logical explanation for the order in which your portfolio work is presented. Typically you may want to stick with a chronological order, but sometimes other criteria is more important.
• Completeness – Make a checklist with all the items that have to be included in your portfolio. Check and double check your list to avoid omitting important required elements
• Neatness – Pay attention to typos, spelling and formatting, because a neat, organized-looking portfolio will impress your teacher. Being organized and neat will help you in future projects beyond high school, or college.
• Visual appeal – Include images, charts and other interesting materials. For added visual appeal, make your portfolio with Flipsnack.
• Evidence of growth – Your teacher may compare some of your early work to later work, so make sure you devote more time in the very last projects and show off the information that you picked up
• Variety of artifacts and supporting materials – An ambitious student will always go above and beyond the minimum requirements for a portfolio. Show interest in the assignment by adding all sorts of relevant support materials to your portfolio.

Student portfolio websites

There are many website portfolio builders online, so you’ll have plenty of options if you want to present your portfolio in a website format. Some of the most known website builders are Wix , Squarespace , Weebly , IMcreator or Pixpa which offers lots of student portfolio website templates that can easily be customized to anyone’s needs. Portfoliogen is another online tool developed specifically for student portfolio websites. Another popular option is Bulbapp , which can be used to curate and create, share and showcase materials for school projects. Google Drive – If you need an online platform that can be used to keep your work private, organized into folders, you might consider using Google Drive and all the other Google apps made for collaboration. Another similar option (but less popular) would be Dropbox or Evernote . Google Sites – Many teachers use Google Sites to create a class-oriented site where students can collaborate and share files. To start a blog -style portfolio, try Blogger , WordPress , or some other blogging platform. If you want your student portfolio to look truly striking, try Flipsnack !

Student portfolio examples and samples

If you want to make a portfolio but don’t know where to start, perhaps you should take a look at these student portfolio examples in various formats: PDFs, websites, Google Sites, and magazines.

College portfolio examples

Take a look at this single-topic college portfolio in PDF format, made by 2 students. The portfolio compiles 3 studies on stereotype threats.

This student portfolio is made up of different projects made by Madelaine, a university undergraduate who specializes in landscape architecture .

High school portfolio

The following portfolio is presented as a Google Site . You can switch between projects by checking the menu on the left.

This student is building a high school portfolio that features all the most notable projects for each class, year by year.

How about a student’s art portfolio? We like this one created by Elizabeth Yuan .

Even young students can make portfolios. Here’s an example of a 4th grade writing portfolio.

Elementary student portfolio examples

Student portfolio samples.

And here are 2 more student portfolio samples. The first one is made in Bulbapp , while the second one was created with Flipsnack .

Also, here’s a video that you can check out to see how a girl designed her art school portfolio and maybe get some inspiration.

Flipsnack for student portfolios

Earlier we mentioned Flipsnack, but we didn’t fully explain why it would be such a great fit for your student portfolio. Let’s start by saying that the format is just perfect for portfolios because it looks like a digital magazine/ notebook, so it’s very easy to browse through. The navigation is very intuitive, making it easy for anyone to find a particular chapter or project from within the portfolio. Flipsnack supports internal linking, so you can link to certain pages from the table of contents.

The tool is so easy to use that anyone can easily create, edit and update his portfolio. You can make your portfolio by uploading PDFs or you can make your project page by page in our editor. You can make unlimited updates!

By using Flipsnack you will make your projects look polished and professional.

[…] (2017, October, 24). Digital portfolio for students – tips and examples. FLIPSNACKBLOG. Retrieved from https://blog.flipsnack.com/digital-portfolio-students/ […]

it is very good and useful thank you

Thank you nick!

Love this im a student and we are learning how to make a portfolio this helps a lot

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Portfolio Essay

Portfolio essay generator.

A Portfolio Essay is a unique narrative that showcases an individual’s skills, experiences, and personal growth. Our guide, enriched with a variety of essay examples , is tailored to help you construct a compelling portfolio essay. This type of essay is crucial for students and professionals alike, as it provides a platform to reflect on and present one’s journey and achievements. The examples included will guide you in highlighting your accomplishments, insights, and learning experiences, crafting an essay that truly represents your personal and professional narrative.

Download Portfolio Essay Bundle

Common questions to sked whenever you are tasked to write an essay are “how do I start?” and “what would this be all about?” Or let’s just say you were asked to write something that is a portfolio essay. What is a portfolio essay? How to write a portfolio essay? Portfolios, by definition, a

re the collection of the best works depending on the field you are in. You can be in the field of art, poetry or any kind of writing. This is not just about collecting. You have to exert effort to analyze it by the use of an essay. What to do next? Lets begin to tackle and make things clear.

1. Portfolio Essay

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2. Student Portfolio Essay

3. College Portfolio Essay

4. Portfolio Summative Reflection Essay

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5. Student Portfolio Essay

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6. Reflective Portfolio Essay

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7. Absolutism and Revolution Portfolio Essay

Size: 492 KB

8.Visual Art Portfolio Essay

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9. Portfolio Introduction Essay

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10. Portfolio Assessment Essay

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11. Portfolio Narrative Essay

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12. Portfolio Conclusion Essay

Size: 452 KB

13. English Portfolio Essay

Size: 192 KB

14. Sample Portfolio Essay

Size: 195 KB

What is a Portfolio Essay?

A portfolio essay is like a reflection paper that gives an analysis over a particular work of an author. You are to observe yourself with regards to how you feel and what you think with regards to your work portfolio. In simple terms, you are to reflect on your work whether you write for what is good and what is not good for them. You also have to make an observation of the progress of your writing skills whether they have developed or not including the factors that causes it and the motives.

Things to Consider When Writing a Portfolio Essay

You should be focusing on your portfolio essay alone

You don’t need to think of a special topic for your portfolio essay. Maybe your professor in school have already told you to write something about personal portfolio essays . Your essay must have a very clear focus. It may be all about your progress as its own writer or on your other writings. Make sure that you have understood everything especially those things that are being required from you.

Pick writings according to a criteria

The criteria are as follows: chronological, thematic and style. Chronological means based on sequence of events. Thematic means having your essay centered on a particular problem. Style means your writing style or a literary movement.

Find some time to introduce yourself

Every essays begin with an introduction. Present your introduction in a paragraph between five to ten sentences. Take note that portfolio essay is very different from an autobiography so you do not have to make a long list about your life. This type of essay is an advertisement to sell your work, so you better have to show all its assets.

Describe your writings

In order to present your writings, you always have to read your writings over and over again. This is because it is recommended to read them prior to your portfolio essay writing. You have to make sure that all aspects are clear especially in the title of your work, style, genre, main idea and even the methods that you used.

Come up with a conception about the writings

It is best to inform the readers about what is special in your work. You may also consider answering questions on your own such as about the development of your writing skills , factors that influenced your writing and more.

Style and Grammar

You may try to ask for a friend to read your paper to receive feedbacks if there are some necessary changes regarding it. Make sure that you work well on your grammar and the punctuations.

What is the first thing that you should do before writing your portfolio essay?

The first thing to do is to select your piece. Without knowing what the content of your portfolio, you will be having a hard time writing the essay.

What could be the process when you are writing your portfolio essay online?

Online writing portfolios should be done in any medium relating online. You may pass your documents through email instead of putting them all in a folder.

What will you do if your professor will not give you any guidelines about portfolio essay writing?

You may try to show all your work using any medium as possible.

Students, in some event in their school life, have already experienced creating portfolios of their individual achievements. In the case of a portfolio essay, you are required to read first your piece before having each of them assessed. Even though your portfolio essay doesn’t need to have a topic on its own, it is much better to work for it as clearly as you can and as precise as possible.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Reflect on your academic achievements this year in your Portfolio Essay.

Discuss the development of your writing skills through various assignments in your Portfolio Essay.

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College Admissions

• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

Complete Expert Guide: How to Make an Art Portfolio for College

Are you thinking about applying to an art program? Do you know what you should include in your portfolio? Your art portfolio is usually the most important part of your application, and having a great one can significantly improve your chances of getting into your top schools.

What Is an Art Portfolio?

An art portfolio is a collection of your work , whether that’s paintings, poetry, sculpture, or another art form. It gives you the opportunity to show off your artistic skills, experiences and interests, and it helps admissions officers decide if you'd be a good fit for their school. Your portfolio is usually the most important part of your application because it lets schools see firsthand the work you have created.

Who Needs a College Art Portfolio?

Art portfolios are often needed to apply to art school or to an art program at a traditional college. There are a number of programs that may require applicants to submit a portfolio, some of which include:

• Apparel Design
• Architecture
• Art Education
• Art History
• Graphic Design
• Interior Design
• Photography
• Printmaking
• Writing (usually for programs focused on poetry, fiction writing, screenwriting)

Not all students applying to these programs will need to submit a portfolio. If you apply to an art school, you will most likely be required to submit a portfolio, but traditional colleges sometimes do not require applicants to submit portfolios, depending on the program they apply to. Check the requirements of schools you may be interested in attending , and if one or more of them requires submitting a portfolio of your work, read on to learn how to create a strong portfolio.

What Do Art Programs Look for in a Portfolio?

Art programs want to admit students who create art in a skilled and memorable way. More specifically, art schools are looking for students with the following qualities:

Technical Mastery:

Perhaps the most obvious component colleges look for in your portfolio is how skilled an artist you are . Technical mastery includes being able to apply basic and advanced art principals to your work, create work that shows a high level of attention and detail, and complete projects that are free of sloppiness and mistakes.

Schools are also often particularly interested in your drawing skills because many art forms require the ability to draw well. Most art programs recommend applicants submit at least drawing in their portfolio, even if that is not their preferred art form, and some schools, such as the Rhode Island School of Design, require a drawing sample.

Variety and Versatility:

While it is expected for students to have an art form they create most frequently and are most comfortable with, art schools want applicants who are strong artists across a variety of media and art forms . One reason versatility is important is because the ability to create multiple art forms, from drawing, to painting, to graphic design , and more, is a sign of a talented artist and one who can apply their skills in multiple ways. It is also rare for an artist to stick exclusively to one art form. For example, artists who work with ceramics or in fashion design often need to be able to draw accurate designs before they begin their work.

Having a portfolio that shows variety also shows an ability to think creatively and a willingness to try new things. Montserrat College of Art states on its admissions page that "A portfolio which exhibits a harmonious balance between technical craft and conceptual thought process is of the greatest interest to Admissions Staff."

Unique Style and Personality:

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) states on its admissions page that the most important thing they look for in an art portfolio is "[W]ork that will give us a sense of you, your interests, and your willingness to explore, experiment, and think beyond technical art and design skills."

Your art portfolio should show your personality and your own way of looking at the world. You want to show art schools that there is a reason they should admit you specifically, and one of the best ways to do this is by creating art that you are passionate about and that is different from what other people are creating . Technical skill is not enough if you can only copy what others have already created.

Let's start creating!

How to Create Your Art Portfolio

Getting started.

First of all, you want to make sure that you give yourself enough time to put your art portfolio together. Many art students take at least a year to create the pieces they use in their portfolio , so start thinking about your portfolio and preparing pieces well in advance of the deadlines.

If you know what schools you want to apply to, research their portfolio requirements carefully and early . If you don’t properly follow each school’s instructions, you risk getting automatically rejected, and at the very least it won’t help your application. This is the most important piece of advice in this article! While researching the portfolio requirements of each school, pay particular attention to the following information:

Application and portfolio deadlines

How you need to submit your portfolio (online, snail mail, or in-person)

If there are open days or portfolio days when you can present your portfolio in person

Number of pieces you should submit

Any size requirements for the pieces

• If there are any special required pieces you must submit (for example, the Rhode Island School of Design requires all applicants to submit a drawing of a bicycle)

You should also look at examples of previously submitted art portfolios. Especially when you are just starting to create a portfolio, looking at the portfolios other students have created can be very helpful in developing your own portfolio . If you are currently in an art class, either at school or outside of it, your class probably has photos of portfolios previous students have submitted, and you can also ask your classmates about their portfolios.

You can also search online. Search “art portfolio example” or “[school you are interested in] art portfolio example”. This will bring up a lot of examples, often including portfolios of students who were accepted into particular schools , such as Yale University's art program or the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Remember to use these examples only as a guide; it’s important your portfolio reflects your own talents and interests.

Choosing the Pieces

You will need about a dozen pieces of work for your portfolio. The number varies by school, but most request 10-20 examples of your work. These can be pieces you created for a class or outside of school. You should aim to create more pieces than you need , so that when it comes time to create your portfolio, you can choose your strongest pieces to include.

The pieces you include in your portfolio should also have been created fairly recently. Most schools request that your submissions be work you recently completed , and some require the pieces to have been completed within the past year or past few years. Hopefully your most recent work will be your best anyway, since you have been learning more and improving.

The strongest art portfolios will have the following qualities:

Show the Breadth of Your Skills

Different schools have different rules in terms of the number of art forms you should submit . Some want you to focus on the art form you plan to study in college, while others want to see your work in a variety of art forms (such as including some drawings and paintings, even if you are applying for a graphic design program). If you are submitting multiple art forms, unless otherwise specified, the most common art form(s) in your portfolio should be the one(s) you plan on studying in college.

However, even if you are only submitting work from one art form, you can show a great deal of variety within it, both in technique and subject matter . An example of variety in subject matter is if you are submitting 15 photographs for your portfolio, those pieces can include photos of people, landscapes, still life, interiors, etc... You can make sure your portfolio shows variety in technique by using multiple mediums within one art form. For example, if you are only submitting drawings, you can include color as well as black and white work, as well as drawings made with different tools, such as graphite, pastel and charcoal.

As mentioned earlier, having a portfolio that contains a lot of variety shows that you possess multiple skill sets and will be more likely to succeed in the different classes you will be taking in art school.

Include Pieces From Direct Observation

Many art programs require or highly recommend including pieces created from direct observation. These are pieces created by observing real things around you. Direct observation work can include portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, still life, rooms in your house, really anything you can see. Direct observation does not include work you created by looking a photograph or a copy of another artist's work. Direct observation is more challenging and requires more skill , so art schools are more interested in it. They also want to see how you depict the world around you.

Many students don’t include direct observation pieces in their portfolio, so doing this can really help you stand out . Clara Lieu , a professor at RISD says that including pieces from direct observation "[W]ill distinguish your work from the crowd, and put you light years ahead of other students."

Unless the submission requirements state otherwise, you should try to include at least several examples of direct observation in your portfolio . Most of these pieces are done as drawings, but other art forms can be used as well. Try to make these pieces as true to life as possible.

Show Your Originality

The art you produce should not just be copies of another artist’s work. It should reflect your interests and talents. You want your portfolio to show what makes you special and to convince schools that they should accept you over other applicants. Producing original work is a great way to stand out from the many portfolios art schools receive.

There are multiple ways to show your personality and uniqueness in your portfolio. One way is to have your work showcase a theme or technique that you are passionate about. Hopefully by now you have completed enough pieces that you know whether you prefer creating abstract sculptures, collages that depict landscapes, portrait photography, or something entirely different. Not every piece you submit has to follow that theme, but having a particular style will help your portfolio be memorable .

You should also try to think outside the box while you create your portfolio. As a creative type, this is probably something you are used to, but remember to continually push your boundaries when you are creating your portfolio. Taking a common subject and portraying it in a unique way is a great way to show your originality. Below are some examples of creative interpretations of the drawing of a bike all students applying to the Rhode Island School of Design must submit.

Source: Anna Maria

Source: abussard

Source: james303

Final Steps

Before you submit your portfolio, you want to be sure that all your pieces are finished. Each piece should appear neat with no smudges, rips, or wrinkles. The piece should also go all the way to the border of the canvas or paper it is on. You generally do not want to include a lot of white background unless you are submitting a rough sketch. Also be sure to include your name, school, date of completion, and title of the piece on the back , as well as any other information the school requests, such as a short description of each piece.

Once all the pieces are ready, prepare them for presentation. Most art schools require you to submit images or videos of your work online , but some schools require applicants to mail slides with images of the pieces or present their work in-person.

If submitting your portfolio online:

If you are submitting online, this will likely involve taking photos or videos of your work, unless you are submitting work created on the computer, such as graphic design pieces, or are submitting pdfs of written work like poetry. Spending time to take quality pictures and videos of your work is almost as important as creating quality art itself. These pictures or videos will often be the only images admissions committees have of your work, and if they are poor quality, they may assume the work itself is poor quality as well . If the piece is a stationary work of art, a photo, as opposed to a video, is usually sufficient.

Follow these guidelines to take high-quality pictures of your work:

Use a high-quality camera and natural lighting to ensure your photos resemble the original pieces as much as possible. It’s not necessary to hire a professional photographer to do this, but you shouldn’t be taking the photos from your phone either. If you don’t own a high-quality camera, ask your art teacher if they have one you can borrow.

Make sure the lighting is even ( there should be no shadows in the background).

The picture should be cropped appropriately, so that it shows the entire piece, but without a lot of extra background space. Some schools require you to show the edges of each piece in photographs, so again, read requirements carefully.

The background should be a neutral color, such as black, white, or gray.

The picture should be in focus, and the detail of the work should be visible. (Some schools allow a few additional detail shots to be included if there is a detail you particularly want to highlight.)

No glare should be visible (remove works from frames if necessary).

The colors in the picture should look like the colors of the original piece.

If presenting your portfolio in-person:

• Make sure the work can be transported without being damaged.
• Make sure paintings are completely dry before transporting them.
• Remove any frames so the artwork can be viewed more easily.
• Use clear covers to protect artwork, if needed.

If mailing artwork or slides

• Mailing original work is a less common option, and is generally only used if the school requires you to create a piece specifically for them (such as RISD's bicycle drawing requirement).
• If the school requests this, follow the above guidelines for ensuring pieces can be transported without damage, and make sure you understand if and how the pieces will be returned to you.
• If mailing slides, always leave yourself a master set that you can duplicate later if you need to, and follow the above guidelines for submitting work online for tips on how to take the best pictures of your work.

Asking for Feedback

Your portfolio can benefit greatly when you ask others for their opinions on your work and the pieces you have selected for your portfolio. You should ask for feedback throughout your portfolio-making process. Two of the best sources for getting feedback are listed below.

Your Art Teacher

One of the first people you should ask for their opinion on the pieces you should include in your portfolio is your art teacher. They often have a lot of experience developing portfolios, and they can help you choose the pieces that will best impress admissions committees. The questions you ask can range from having them look over the pieces you’ve chosen for your portfolio to having them make suggestions on the type of work you should create in order to finish your portfolio.

National Portfolio Days

National Portfolio Days are events held around the country where art students can learn about different art programs as well as bring their work to receive feedback on it from representatives of top art schools and colleges. No admissions decisions are offered on National Portfolio Days; instead, they are a way for schools to look at your portfolio-in-progress and give advice. They are an excellent opportunity to get feedback from schools you are considering applying to and to ask them specific questions about their portfolio requirements.

It is a good idea to attend first as a junior and get some early feedback on your work, then attend again as a senior when you have made more progress on your portfolio. You should definitely stop by the tables of schools you want to apply to, but consider stopping by the tables of other schools as well, as a review from any school gives you valuable feedback.

Points to Remember

Read application requirements carefully for each school you plan on applying to.

Ideally, give yourself at least a year to develop pieces for your portfolio.

Make sure your artwork is original and represents your skills and personality well.

Try to attend a National Portfolio Day to get valuable feedback on your work.

• Take time to produce high-quality photos or videos of your work if submitting your portfolio online.

What's Next?

How's your contour line drawing skill? Learn the basics of how to draw without shading with this guide .

Now that you know how to create a portfolio, are you wondering what art programs you should apply to? Check out our guide on the best art schools in the United States!

For a complete overview of the college search process , read our comprehensive guide on how to choose a college .

Worried about paying for college? Read our step-by-step guide to getting a student loan .

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Sample Portfolios

Resources for creating an eportfolio.

• Using Google Sites to create your portfolio
• Making a portfolio with Wordpress.org
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Here are some recent portfolios of students who achieved Certification:

College of Arts & Letters

Lucie Lecocq-Aussingnargues (French Language and Literature)

College of Social Science

Katy Meyers Emery (Anthropology)

Tania Iqbal (Neuroscience)

College of Natural Science

Natalie Vandepol (Microbiology & Molecular Genetics)

Kateri Salk (Integrative Biology)

Ahlam Soliman (Neuroscience)

College of Engineering

Ahmed Okasha (Electrical Engineering)

Pedro Nariyoshi (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Molly Good (Fisheries and Wildlife)

College of Education

Sisi Chen (Department of Kinesiology)

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How to make an art portfolio for college or university (the ultimate guide)

Last Updated on September 14, 2023

What should be in an art school application portfolio? How do you present a portfolio? What gives you the best chance of being accepted by the art school of your dreams? This article explains how to make an art portfolio for college or university and is packed with tips from leading art and design school admissions staff from around the world. It is written for those who are in the process of creating an application portfolio for a foundation course, certificate, associate or undergraduate degree and contains advice for specific art-related areas, such as Architecture, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Animation, Game Design, Film and other creative, visual art-based courses. It is presented along with art and design portfolio examples from students who have recently gained acceptance to a range of art schools from around the world, creating a 9,000 word document that helps guide you through the application process.

What is an art school application portfolio?

In addition to meeting academic requirements, Art and Design Schools, Universities and Colleges typically require a practical art portfolio as part of the application process (this is often accompanied by a personal statement and/or an art school interview – more on this soon). So what  is this?

The University of the Arts London gives the following definition of an application portfolio:

A portfolio is a collection of your work, which shows how your skills and ideas have developed over a period of time. It demonstrates your creativity, personality, abilities and commitment, and helps us to evaluate your potential.

Just as every art student is different (with individual strengths, experiences, passions and ideas) every art school has different requirements and expectations. While some universities and colleges have strict criteria when it comes to preparing a portfolio, others are open and flexible. This variation in expectations can leave students uncertain about how to proceed. Even when criteria is clear, applicants may feel overwhelmed and wonder what to draw/paint/make/create, which mediums to use and how to best select and present their work.

Producing an art portfolio is not to be taken lightly. Top art schools often accept very small percentages of applicants. Understanding how to produce a great portfolio is crucial. Although it is impossible to generate a list of criteria that are appropriate for all applicants in every circumstance (there is unfortunately no guaranteed magic formula for creating a winning art portfolio) this article highlights tips from experienced admissions staff and makes general recommendations to help you produce the best university or art college application possible.

A step-by-step guide to creating an art portfolio for college or university

1. research carefully and record the art portfolio requirements for a number of courses that interest you.

Deciding which art or design school is for you is a big decision (our upcoming article ‘how to find the best art school in the world’ will help with this). While you consider your options, it is advisable to apply to a number of different schools, in case you are not accepted into your first choice. There is no shame in applying to college or university and not getting in (many highly successful individuals are not accepted into their university of first choice); but being left with no place to go because you didn’t apply to enough schools is an easily avoidable circumstance!

Create a list of art or design schools that you would be prepared to attend and find their admissions criteria (you can search for art schools in California and New Zealand  on this website – more areas coming soon). All university and college art portfolio requirements are different. Record the exact admissions requirements carefully, well in advance, as deadlines can be earlier than you expect and portfolios take a long time to prepare. Print these out, highlight key information and keep on-hand, so that you can refer to them as needed throughout the application process.

In particular, keep careful records of:

• Open Day times
• Application and Portfolio due date/s . If you are currently studying Art at high school, check how the portfolio due dates compare to your own coursework deadlines and exam timetable. In some cases there may be issues with work needing to be in two places at one (i.e. submitted for assessment at high school and delivered to an art school in hardcopy at the same time). This occurs particularly for students studying international qualifications or applying to art schools in different countries, so you need to prepare for this in advance. Mark the deadlines of the schools that you are applying to clearly on your calendar.
• Size and format of work required
• Whether only finished pieces are expected, or whether sketchbooks, development and process work are also welcome (some schools require only finished pieces, particularly in the US; others love to see development work as well).
• Whether submissions are digital, hardcopy reproductions or original artwork . If copies of work must be sent in, find out whether these should be colour photocopies, slides or photographs etc. Find out whether there are specific criteria for time based media (animation/moving image/video/interactive website design and so on).
• Labelling and presentation requirements . Many art schools have precise portfolio presentation requirements, with work labelled or identified in certain formats, with details about titles, dates and materials used, for example. Digital portfolio submission may use online tools such as SlideRoom.
• Whether there are special requirements for international or out-of-state applicants . If you are applying from another location, there may be special application criteria for you. For example, some colleges may accept international portfolios via email, instead of delivered in person.
• Whether supplementary material is needed , for example, a personal statement or written essay (more on this soon). Art schools typically have academic requirements set by the university or college as a whole, which may require a separate application form and a different deadline. You may also be asked to submit images of work or objects that have influenced your work or teacher recommendations, testimonials or reports (only include these if specifically requested).
• Requirements about what to draw / include . Many art and design schools leave applicants free to select what to include within their portfolio. Unless specifically stated, the portfolio should contain primarily visual artwork, not art history assignments, artist analysis or extensive annotation. You may have to submit a combination of personal artwork, work produced in high school classes and/or ‘home tests’, exams or assignments set by the art school you are applying to. In the RISD application portfolio , for example, applicants must respond to three set assignments, such as ‘observe and draw a bicycle, or an interior space’. Some stunning RISD bicycle drawings completed as part of this application portfolio process are shown below:

READ NEXT: How to make an artist website (and why you need one)

As another example, Parsons the New School for Design asks applicants to submit a portfolio as well as the ‘Parsons Challenge’. In the past, this challenge has included instructions such as:

Using any medium or media, explore something usually overlooked within your daily environment. Choose one object, location, or activity. Interpret your discovery in three original pieces. Support each piece of art with an essay of approximately 250 words.

Once you have collected the requirements for the particular degrees you are interested in, the next step is to seek out existing portfolio examples.

2. Look at recent student art portfolio examples to gain a visual understanding of what is expected

Seeing examples of real portfolios is one of the best ways to understand the standard you are aiming for (and to gain your own art portfolio ideas). Many university and college art portfolio examples can be found online or in campus libraries (some art schools retain hardcopy examples to help students the following year – these can be invaluable) and a large number of varied student art portfolio examples are featured in this article below. These illustrate the range of different portfolio styles that are possible and help to show how submissions for particular specialisations or degrees might differ from one another.

If you feel daunted looking at other portfolios, it is worth stressing that is usually the best candidates who display their work (this is indeed the case within this article). Do not despair if your technical skill is not as strong as the work you see: remember art portfolios are assessed upon a wide range of criteria (more on this below). If you have a great academic background, innovative ideas and a passion for the subject, you can trump someone with technical skill who is lacking in creativity and personal drive. You might be surprised to realise how many famous artists do not have flawless observational drawing skill. Showcase your strengths and back yourself.

A portfolio for art school by Grace Camille Lee :

Gray’s School of Art publish a document containing examples of sketchbook pages from student portfolios (some of which are shown below):

A Kingston University application by William Govoni :

A university application portfolio by Kirsty Mackenzie :

A Kingston University application by Lily Grant :

3. Attend Open Days

Open days are the ideal time to find out whether an art school is the right place for you (read more about this in how to find the best art school in the world – coming soon). Open days are also a great opportunity to find out more about the admissions process and what is expected by a school in terms of application portfolios. (As mentioned above, some art schools have past portfolios on display at the school permanently – in the campus library, for example).

4. Plan your art portfolio, aiming to demonstrate a range of artistic skill and experiences, creative ideas/originality and passion/commitment

This is the most important section of this article, because it is the area where people are most confused. All over the internet applicants beg to know: ‘what should I include in a college art portfolio?’ The answer is this: include a range of recent visual work (completed within the last year or two) that best communicates your artistic skills and experiences, creative ideas/originality and passion/commitment.

The detailed recommendations below explain this further:

a) Emphasise observational drawing

Most art and design courses require applicants to have a certain level of observational drawing skill. This is essential not just for Fine Art specialities, but for many others, such as Architecture and Fashion Design. Even degrees that do not seem to obviously focus upon drawing usually welcome the inclusion of this within an application portfolio. For example, Ringling College of Art and Design states:

For majors without as much drawing involved, the submission of drawing in your portfolio is always welcome but not required.

An observational drawing is a realistic representation of an object or scene that has been viewed directly in real life (as opposed to something that has been imagined or drawn from a photograph) – read more about how to produce great observational drawings . It can be produced using any medium or combination of mediums such as graphite pencil, charcoal, pen, ink and/or paint. For the majority of applicants, it is highly advantageous to demonstrate the ability to observe something in real life and draw it accurately. It is recommended that observational drawing (or painting) from first-hand sources form a substantial part of your portfolio.

The aim is that you:

• Prove to admissions staff that you are able to competently record shape, proportion, tone, perspective, surface qualities, detail, space and form
• Draw in a personal, sensitive way, rather than in a mechanical way (i.e. not a laborious copy of a photograph – drawings from photographs are specifically discouraged). This might involve more creative, expressive, gestural mark-making or the addition of non-realistic elements, textures, materials. In other words, communicate a strong sense of realism, but in a way that also capture an essence of the subject, rather than an exact, rigid copy of a scene. It can help to think about ideas and meanings behind a drawing – selecting a subject that holds meaning or relevance for you, rather than just selecting any random object to draw.

Clara Lieu , Visual Artist and Adjunct Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, explains the importance of including original observational drawings in a university or college portfolio like this:

Create original work from direct observation. This is hands down the number one, absolutely essential thing to do that many students fail to do. Just doing this one directive will put you light years ahead of other students. Accomplished drawings are above all else, the heart of a successful portfolio when applying at the undergraduate level. You might be a wizard in digital media, but none of that will matter if you have poor drawings.

Szivesen , a portfolio reviewer, explains:

Most schools emphasize drawing from direct observation as their primary basis for the portfolio, no matter what aspect of art you want to study. That’s because basic drawing skills are fundamental and because drawing is a little more likely to be a uniform measure than other areas of art and design.

Examples of observational drawings from a university Foundation course application portfolio by Sinead Kirby :

It is worth remembering that you don’t need to attend a formal life drawing class to complete observational figure drawing (although attending such a class can be an excellent experience for artists and art students and is highly recommended if available). The drawings below by Curelea Loana Andreea (part of a university Foundation course application) show captivating examples of observational figure drawings that could take place in a home or classroom setting:

Observational portraits in a university Foundation portfolio by Emma Hooper :

b) Explore a range of subject matter – make art about (and of) lots of interesting things If you are wondering what you should draw: the possibilities are limitless. You may, for example, draw a landscape, still life, portrait, animal, human figure, interior or exterior environment, hands and feet, or any other interesting everyday object – focusing, perhaps, on subject matter that is relevant for your degree (see more about tailoring your application to your particular focus area below) and, more importantly, subject matter that has some meaning and relevance to you. You should try and avoid common or cliché approaches and include a range of different interesting objects and scenes – and do not exactly replicate the work of another artist.

Dorian Angelo , of Ringling College of Art and Design, suggests:

…if you’re not sure what to draw, draw the things in your room. Draw your hands, draw your feet, draw your dog. That’s perfectly fine. Try not to get into any clichés or any traps of drawing all the same thing. We don’t want to see a sketchbook full of horses. We don’t want to see a sketchbook full of just cartoons or anime. Show that you are looking at real life; that you’re looking at different subject matter…

In Ringling College of Art and Design’s Game Art & Design portfolio requirements , they state:

Please do not copy directly from another artist, or include such things as anime, tattoo designs, dragons, unicorns, etc.

In the words of Clara Lieu , Rhode Island School of Design:

Do not copy your work from photographs or other sources. This means no fan art, no anime, no manga, nothing from another artist’s work. Admissions officers have seen hundreds, probably thousands of images from student portfolios. They are well trained to quickly spot artworks that have been copied from photographs or that have been lifted from other resources. It is never, ever good to have fan art in any portfolio. By fan art, I mean drawings of celebrities and other characters that are not your own. That’s basically the kiss of death, and will immediately cause people to see you as nothing more than a hobbyist.

If you are stuck for observational drawing ideas, these examples by students in portfolio preparation courses at Ashcan Studio of Art may trigger some ideas.

Artwork by Suyeon Moon (shoes, top left) (accepted into the Parsons AAS Graphic Design program), Soojin Lee (crumpled clothes, top right), accepted into Parsons Fashion Design program with a 4 year scholarship, Insuk Kang (shelving scene, upper middle), accepted into Parsons Fashion Design with a 4 year scholarship, Kalene Lee (bottom left) accepted into Pratt, Industrial Design, with a 4 year scholarship and Jiwon Hwang (bottom right), Parson’s Fashion Design with a 4 year scholarship:

For more tips about what to draw, read how to come up with great ideas for an art project .

c) Use a range of mediums, styles, art forms and techniques

Your art portfolio should show a diverse range of skill and visual experiences. Demonstrate that you are able to use and experiment with a range of styles, mediums and techniques and can control, apply and manipulate mediums in a skilful, appropriate and intentional way. Someone who is able to create acrylic paintings, sculptures, prints and pencil drawings, for example, is infinitely more flexible than someone who is only able to sketch only with a pencil. The former applicant demonstrates growth, diversity and a breadth of skill, as well as an interest in learning new things. The latter may be a ‘one trick pony’.

Recommendations:

• Choose a range of mediums that highlight your artistic strengths. Use wet and dry mediums (graphite, charcoal, ink, pastel, acrylic, watercolour, oil, ceramics, film etc and other mixed mediums) and paint / draw upon a range of different surfaces (see here for great ideas about things to draw or paint on if you are looking for new ideas), but don’t include weaker work, just for the sake of covering a greater range of mediums .
• Explore a range of appropriate styles . Choose artistic styles that showcase your skill, interests and strengths. Don’t try and guess what the university of art school would prefer (despite common misconceptions, they rarely favour one style of art-making more than another); choose those that align with your strengths.
• Experiment with a variety of tools, techniques, processes and art forms . Unless otherwise specified, an application portfolio may include drawings, paintings, photography, digital media, design, three-dimensional work, web design, animation, video and almost any other type of artwork. This does not mean you should endeavour to include every different technique or art form possible (this would create a scattered and incohesive portfolio) but that you demonstrate that you are willing to experiment and try new art-making experiences, focusing on areas that interest you and highlight your strengths.

A portfolio by Kisa Sky Shiga , completed as part of a portfolio preparation course at Ashcan Studio of Art:

Printmaking in a university Foundation application by Henry Richardson :

A university Foundation application portfolio by Aqsa Iftikhar :

A university Foundation application portfolio by Ayse Kipri :

e) Include a range of varied, well-balanced compositions – show an ‘eye for aesthetics’

All work – even observational drawings – should show that you understand how to compose an image well, arranging visual elements such as line, shape, tone, texture, colour, form and colour in an pleasing way. Compositions should be well-balanced and varied – with a range of viewpoints/scales included throughout the portfolio.

• Avoid drawing items floating in centre of a page unless this is an intentional, considered decision (see our Art student’s composition guide (coming soon) which explains more about how the formal visual organisation of artwork. Think about the shadows, spaces and surfaces in and around objects. Think carefully about cropping of images and positions of items within each work.
• Select and use appropriate colours, making sure that if multiple works are arranged on one page, the colours work well together too (more on this in the portfolio presentation section below)
• Make sure the proportions and spatial relationships between different elements in graphic designs (such as text, images and space) are carefully considered

f) Include process / development work if permitted

Some art schools – particularly in the US – require that every piece in your application be a finished, realised work. Others – particularly those in the UK and NZ – love to see process, development or sketchbook work. If an art or design school specifically states that this material is permitted, this is an excellent opportunity to flaunt your skills, commitment and depth of knowledge. The research and processes undertaken to develop your work are often as important as the final work itself and allow the selection panel to understand your work in context and see how it has been initiated and developed. Process and development work helps colleges and universities to understand how you think (the ideas and meanings behind pieces, for example) and see that you are able to take an idea from concept and develop it through to a final resolution. It provides evidence that you are able to analyse / experiment / explore and trial different outcomes and make sound critical judgments.

We want to see how you generate and develop ideas from your visual research. It is important that we see how they progress from the starting point right through to the conclusion of your ideas / project. – Grays School of Art , Scotland.

Images of pages from your workbook/s can be very helpful to the selection panel. This could include: evidence of ideas, thinking processes, experimentation and analysis. – Elam School of Fine Arts , University of Auckland, New Zealand

Development work might include sketchbook or workbook pages that show:

• In depth investigations into subject matter (sketches / photography and other visual documentation of first-hand sources)
• Investigations into mediums, materials and techniques and technologies
• Development of concepts, compositions or details
• Written analysis alongside visual work and annotation discussing ideas behind your work
• Evidence of links to the historical, contemporary and/or social context in which works have been made – i.e. connections to artists and real world issues
• Annotated screen captures, contact sheets, and documentation of digital processes

A university Foundation application by Lola :

A university Foundation application by A Level Art student Heather Meredith :

A university Foundation application portfolio by Violet Volchok , who was offered a place on courses at Kingston and Ravensbourne, United Kingdom:

This video contains a good overview of what a portfolio might contain, particularly for universities that request process / development work:

For more tips about producing great process work, you might find it helpful to read our guide to producing an outstanding high school art sketchbook or how to develop ideas in an art project .

Note: If development work is not permitted as part of the portfolio itself, it is usually appropriate to bring this to the interview.

g) Communicate creative ideas: be original

It is important to remember that artistic skill must be accompanied by creativity, original ideas and some form of visual curiosity. In other words, technical skill is no use if you are unable to think of how to put this to use in a unique, interesting way. Someone who is able to generate original and captivating ideas that rip into your heart and soul is far more appealing than someone who produces dull, predictable, yet technically excellent artwork. Although skill is an excellent asset – and a certain level is necessary – applicants to colleges and universities and art schools should not aim to be glorified ‘photocopiers’, but rather the creators of exciting, unexpected visual outcomes. To achieve this within your portfolio, it may help to:

• Be experimental – try different things and push techniques, materials and technology in innovative and unexpected ways
• Make art about something (visually communicate ideas) rather than just laboriously depict a scene – demonstrate your intellectual potential.
• Be yourself – reveal your personality and interests . Never submit art that is an imitation of someone else’s. Aim for artwork that is new, fresh and about something that matters to you. Don’t replicate any of the portfolios you see on this page or elsewhere. Your portfolio should be individual to you. Let your portfolio reflect your strengths, interests and experiences and represent who you are.

On the whole, greater emphasis is put on evidence of your visual curiosity, idea generation and exploration, and your energy, engagement and contextual awareness, than on high level technical skills and finish. – Edinburgh College of Art , Scotland

…[A good portfolio] demonstrates how you can think in innovative and contrasting ways, and shows originality, inventiveness and commitment to being creative. – Massey University , New Zealand

… stand out from the crowd by pushing the boundaries of a prescribed curriculum, personalising a theme or project to demonstrate their invention and creativity. Work that reflects an applicant’s own enthusiasms, thought processes and ideas is always of interest to the selectors. – University of Dundee , Scotland

It’s no good promoting house styles, as that makes all students’ work look the same. If a student is showing a piece of work from a course, it’s important that it also shows a personal theme. – Helen Heery , University of Salford, United Kingdom

A portfolio assignment by Amelia Eaton :

A Fine Art portfolio by Karen Park , completed during a course at Ashcan Studio of Art:

A university Foundation application by Anna Clow :

A Fashion Design portfolio by Halim Ki , completed during a course at Ashcan Studio of Art:

Some great tips are contained in this video by the University of the Arts London about the importance of ideas, enthusiasm and creativity – providing some excellent thoughts, especially for those who might not have gained a strong Art education at high school:

h) Communicate passion, commitment and enthusiasm

Universities want people who will represent their school well – who will go on to do great things that will reflect positively upon their place of study. They want passionate, keen students who will cope with the workload and who intend to actually go on and make use of their degree. This means that you must convey a sense of passion, commitment and enthusiasm within the portfolio (as well as during the interview – more on the art school interview soon). To do this, you can:

• Ensure that work from classroom projects is thorough, personalised, self-motivated  (goes the ‘extra mile’).
• Include some personal, independent, self-directed work that has been completed outside of the classroom. This helps to give an indication of your current involvement and interest in the arts.

During the process of reviewing portfolios, the Ruskin staff always look for work that goes beyond the mere fulfilment of School curricula. We search for highly motivated activity, over and above any project-based work, and for a breadth of engagement, a sense of purpose and a strength of opinion in the way the portfolio is edited. Important for us is to be able to discovering a sense of the temperament laying behind the work, and sense the deeper interests that inform the portfolio. We are not interested in finding a particular formula or a specific style, but in signs of energy, ambition, critical reflection and creativity. – Ruskin School of Art , United Kingdom

Personal art is the work done outside of a classroom situation and reflects the artists’ unique interests in use of materials, subject matter and concept. Work can be completed in any media including (but not limited to) drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, digital/computer art, film/video, ceramics, sculpture, animation and performance art. – Kavin Buck , School of Arts and Architecture at the University of California Los Angeles, United States

Involvement in art must be more than casual. – Tom Lightfoot , Rochester Institute of Technology, United States

Emma Rose, who works in the faculty of arts and sciences at Lancaster University, advises that students include some self-generated work – not just the projects that have been assigned on courses. “We want someone with that extra spark – perhaps you’ve gone off with a camera to take interesting photos.” – The Independent

Self-initiated projects (artwork created independent of classroom assignments/exercises) are especially encouraged. – UCLA Department of Art , United States

Ultimately, it’s all about passion and ideas, and so if you include the kinds of things that you’re most excited about, that you’re most proud of, then chances are your portfolio submission will make a strong impression. – Ringling College of Art and Design , United States

i) Tailor your application to suit your degree

Portfolio guidelines for different areas of Art and Design are often similar, but it can be wise to modify your portfolio so that it is appropriate for the degree you are applying for. Rather than creating a completely different set of images for each specialisation or major, however, a submission can be tweaked slightly, so that it showcases relevant strengths and an interest in the area you are applying for (for example, submitting observational drawings of city scenes or building interiors for an architecture application etc ( although this is not necessary – more on architecture portfolios below).

As an example, digital based degrees may like to see evidence of technological awareness and capability and the ability to work with a range of digital platforms, alongside traditional non-digital techniques. This might include time-based interactive work (film, animation, video, website design).

The following list gives some guidance about the sort of material that may  be helpful for specific areas, in addition to the items discussed above, such as observational drawing. As with all recommendations in this article, you should refer to the university or college you are applying to for precise requirements.

Graphic Design Portfolios:

• Graphic design print work or web graphics
• Font design or use of typography
• Graphic illustrations
• Video graphics
• Interactive web media and any other related projects

A university Foundation application portfolio by Jacob Wise :

Architecture Portfolios:

• Many students assume that an architecture application portfolio must be filled with drawings of buildings or architectural designs. This is almost always not  the case (as with all other recommendations made in this article, you should check the requirements of the particular course you are applying for). Admissions staff typically wish to see evidence of creativity with a range of media and strong observational drawing skill (as described in the first part of this article), including the ability to represent space, perspective and 3D form. This can be achieved through exploration of completely unrelated subject matter, such as still life, landscapes and human form. If you have a choice, however, drawing buildings, manmade structures, interior/exterior spaces, furniture and/or mechanical parts and so on, may help to demonstrate an interest in architectural design.
• Architecture schools usually do NOT require formal technical drawings (instrumental or computer generated plans / orthographic projections etc) and if these are accepted as part of the application portfolio, they are often limited in quantity, so that you include a sufficient range of hand-generated work. You are not  expected to understand how to design a building – this is what you learn upon the course.
• Three-dimensional sculptures, installations, casts and/or model constructions can be great to include, as these communicate spatial awareness and an interest in working with 3D form. These might include conceptual models made from cardboard, paper, wire, wood and other found materials, for example.
• Artwork in a wide range of mediums (printmaking / photography etc) are typically accepted.
• Note: Some universities and architecture schools specifically request that the portfolio is not  filled with Design Technology work, preferring to see work that has been produced as part of high school Art courses. (Although some high school Design Technology courses provide excellent preparation for architectural degrees, Art courses typically offer a stronger grounding in observational drawing and composition).

Examples of observational drawings submitted as part of an application to the University of Auckland , School of Architecture, New Zealand:

Images from an architecture application portfolio by Irence K , completed while studying at Ashcan Studio of Art:

An architecture portfolio example by Ken Liang , completed under the guidance of Evangelos Limpantoudis from the Architecture School Review who helps students gain admission to top architecture schools from around the world:

Fashion Design Portfolios

• Figure drawings – for example drawings of clothing on models
• Documentation of original sewing, textiles or fashion design projects

Part of a Kingston University Art Foundation application portfolio by Annabelle Holden :

A Fashion Design portfolio by Jinsoo Choi , prepared during a course at Ashcan Studio of Art:

Game Art Portfolios:

• Storyboards
• Original character designs

Product Design Portfolios:

• Subjects like product design often require strong practical, analytical and communication skills, as well as the technical and conceptual ideas and self-motivation required by other art-related degrees. This means that evidence of working with materials and in both 2D and 3D can be beneficial.

Film School Portfolios: Filmmaking may combine many different skills including performing arts, music, literature and writing. As a result, portfolio requirements may be quite different from a traditional art school application. Applications may include:

• Screen shots from original films, animations, videos or digital applications with video excerpts embedded (make sure these are short as admissions staff will not have time to view long reels of footage, and/or captured as a storyboard with screenshots). These may be submitted on DVD or flash drives or as URL links to YouTube, Vimeo or embedded on a personal website or blog (see why Art students should have their own website and how to make one )
• Fashion, costume or set design
• Website design and multimedia work
• Evidence of involvement in theatre or performing arts
• Screenplays and creative writing may also be appropriate

5. Take time to create new artwork and/or improve existing pieces (if required)

Once you have planned what you will include in your portfolio, you should set aside a period of time to produce this. If you have not taken high school Art classes, preparing a folio will take a lot of work – about 6 months to complete a portfolio from scratch (remember it is ideal to create more work than is needed, so that you can carefully edit and remove the weaker pieces). See if your high school Art teacher can help (even if you don’t take Art). An experienced teacher will often have a long history of helping / observing students apply and may have a good knowledge of what helped successful candidates in the past. If your own art teacher is not experienced with helping students apply to university – or you feel you need more help preparing your portfolio – find out if there are local courses or workshops that address how to make a portfolio for art school. Portfolio preparation classes are often run by the universities / colleges themselves. These may be relatively inexpensive weekend workshops or be yearlong, such as Foundation or Art portfolio courses. Making a portfolio can feel less daunting when you produce work with a class of others and seeing others produce work can be motivating and inspirational.

You will likely have to use a considerable portion of your holiday and vacation time to create work or improve existing pieces – as well as generate personal work outside of your curriculum or complete ‘home tests’ or assignments if required.

The most important detail of preparing your portfolio for college admissions is to remember to give yourself plenty of time and have fun with it. It is almost impossible to create quality work if you are nervous and under a time constraint. Don’t wait until the last minute, and make enough work so you can edit together the best portfolio for each school you plan to apply to. – Kavin Buck , School of Arts and Architecture at the University of California Los Angeles, United States

When it says put together a portfolio of 12 pieces, it doesn’t necessarily mean just make 12 pieces. It’s easier to just make, make and make and then narrow it down to 12 pieces. Not only will you have more to choose from, an admissions counselor during a portfolio review can help you decide what to submit for a final application. So don’t limit yourself, just create! Katie , Admissions Counsellor, Parsons, United States

A University Foundation application portfolio by Nina Cavaviuti :

6. Select and Review Work

Once you have completed a significant body of work, seek feedback and modify / improve / redo pieces. Don’t leave this until the last minute, because you will run out of time if changes are needed. Build in reflective time – time to set it aside and come back to it with fresh eyes.

This excellent video by Paul Stanford, Head of Department of the Foundation Course in Art and Design at Kingston University, shows the evaluation of an average student portfolio to be offered a place. It highlights the importance of editing a portfolio carefully and eliminating weaker work, as well as ending a portfolio well, so that the final impression is a good one.

Towards the middle of the portfolio, Paul begins to notice technical deficiencies – ‘ a bit of a boring drawing, you might say ’ – ‘ it’s not a great life drawing, is it? ’ – a reminder that students should only submit work that plays to their strengths. The student’s skill set as a whole and estimated potential is evaluated, with observational drawing skill only one part of this equation.

Most people become too close to their own work and cannot see it objectively. Bring an unbiased person (not friends or family) to assist with your final portfolio selection, ideally someone who has a background in art or design. When selecting work, aim for quality over quantity, avoid repetition and include variety of subject matter, skill and medium.

Read the school’s suggestions for portfolio submission carefully. Most will say “10 to 20 pieces” and I can tell you that more is often not better. If you have ten really strong works to submit, and then the quality level noticeably drops, better to show ten uniformly good works than a whole range. – Anonymous answer on Yahoo

Be selective. …don’t submit work that you are not proud of just for the sake of having variety. – Virginia Commonwealth University

Select projects that show a range of media and subject matter, while still emphasizing your strongest work. – Carnegie Mellon University

It’s good to start with lots of work and then be super selective with what you put in the portfolio… – Charlotte Cook

Some institutions offer the opportunity to have your portfolio reviewed before submission (a ‘preliminary portfolio review’). US students are also able to attend National Portfolio Day , where they are able to receive feedback on their portfolio-in-progress from university and college representatives. These are held all over the US and are highly recommended. Lines are long and you should arrive early to ensure that you are able to speak to the schools of your first choice.

At this event, brace yourself for harsh words. It’s not uncommon for students to be told at National Portfolio Day that they essentially have to start over from scratch because their portfolio is headed in the wrong direction. Reviewers will be candid and direct about the quality and type of work that their school is looking for, so don’t be discouraged if you get a tough critique. Rather, be glad that you got the feedback you needed to get yourself headed in the right direction. – Clara Lieu , Rhode Island School of Design, United States

Accept constructive criticism and advice – don’t be offended (you’ll need to get used to this if you want to go to art school!) – Virginia Commonwealth University , United States

What Should be In a Portfolio? This video from the University of Arts London explains how a good portfolio should have a sense of journey or ‘story unfolding’. It is a good video that helps you understand which pieces to select. It is a good reminder to show a range of creative skills and techniques and well as communicating your personality, interests and a sense of your own experiences.

7. Organise, photograph and present your art portfolio

Presentation of your portfolio is very important. The organisation and arrangement of your portfolio has a direct impact upon the way the work is perceived. A good layout helps to communicate an eye for composition, a professional approach, shows your commitment and desire to attend a university or college: it leaves a positive, memorable impression. Poorly cared for work that is thrown together in a sloppy, thoughtless layout, or is overly decorative and laboured in presentation, significantly detracts from the quality of the artwork. Admissions staff may spend less than five minutes looking at your portfolio, so first impressions count.

This video about preparing a portfolio by University of the Arts London contains some great reminders about presenting a portfolio. In particular, they suggest that you should ‘ put nothing in your portfolio that you can’t talk about’ and organise it so that it is easy to navigate. It also explains that while a portfolio should not be crammed full of everything a student has produced, it should not be over-edited: ‘ pared down so much that we can’t actually see little glimpse of potential ‘.

Carefully photograph work for digital submissions and any work that is three-dimensional/sculptural or that exceeds size specifications for hardcopy submissions (see our guide to photographing art like a pro – coming soon). Reread portfolio presentation requirements carefully to make sure that you present exactly what is required by the admissions departments of each of the schools that you are applying to (especially size and weight restrictions).

Here are some general portfolio presentation tips:

a) Select a simple, professional format that allows your work to be viewed easily.

If a portfolio size isn’t specified, choose something that works well for your own work and that can be transported easily. A3, A2 or A1 is usually fine.

From my own experience, I find A3 is the most ideal (both in education and beyond). A3 marks the perfect balance because you can sufficiently display your artwork effectively, while making it easier to transport. – Recent UK art school applicant from the StudentRoom .

Choose a flat type of art portfolio case or folder that opens and close easily, while protecting work so that it doesn’t get creased. (Avoid rolling work up, as it will be hard to get it to lie flat). The portfolio case may be a spine-mounted leather art portfolio (usually found in all good art retailers – see examples on Amazon) or a clear non-reflective clear file folder, for example. It doesn’t need to be overly expensive: avoid extravagant folders and choose one that is simple, clean and practical.

Although presentation is important for your portfolio, don’t spend loads of time and money buying flashy folders advises Wendy Rochefort, who is studying a foundation degree in Fine Art at Cornwall College. “Simple mounts and a tidy finish are fine.” – The Independent

Have all sheets securely bound in such a way as to allow all sheets to lie flat when the portfolio is open. Be able to be easily and safely handled. There should be no exposed metal binders, staples or similar fittings. Sheet metal or other heavy or sharp materials should not be used for portfolio covers. – School of Architecture , University of Auckland, New Zealand

Choose plain, neutral portfolio colours (black, grey, white etc) and avoid busy, decorative or patterned presentations (you want emphasis to remain on your artwork). Similarly, avoid reflective surfaces that hamper vision (for example, glazing paintings or clearfiles with shiny plastic).

Keep the presentation format uncluttered and relevant. Avoid over decorating your portfolio as this can detract from the content. – University of the Arts London , United Kingdom

b) Order the work in a logical and aesthetically pleasing way .

Start and end with a great piece of work, so that you create a great initial and final impression. Space other great work evenly throughout your portfolio (avoiding a clump of weaker work). Think about grouping similar work together, by medium, subject or style – perhaps as a series of projects – or chronologically. An assessor must be able to ‘understand’ your portfolio and see any connections between pieces (for example, show the creative journey between development work/sketchbook pages and final outcomes). Aim to make it appear coherent, rather than a whole lot of scattered, disconnected pieces.

Narrative is an important element to consider when preparing a portfolio. How work is laid out and displayed changes how it is read, meaning the placement of pieces is vital to showing tutors your best ability in the shortest amount of time. – The Guardian .

Think about the composition of each page – which images are facing each other, whether the colours work well together etc. Consider the relationships between pieces, especially the relationship between sizes, colours and format of work.

Add greater contrast, crop tighter to make more dramatic compositions. Add a little more intense color. You’d be surprised how much stronger your work can look with just a few careful additions. – Karen Kesteloot , a portfolio development coach from PortPrep

c) Avoid unnecessary repetition

If you are asked to submit a specific number of images, ensure that each of these is a different piece of work. Where a certain number of sheets are asked for, it may be possible to mount smaller works onto a single sheet. If you want to submit different angles of one piece of work, it is usually best to digitally submit these on one sheet, or as one image. Read the guidelines of the particular university or college you wish to apply to carefully to find out what is expected.

There is no virtue in quantity alone and candidates should not include multiple colour variations of prints, for example. Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design , United Kingdom

Do not include detail photos of work in your portfolio unless you consider them absolutely necessary. Under no circumstance should more than two detail shots be included. – Yale School of Art

d) Trim / crop everything in a clean environment and attach to the portfolio (if submitting in hardcopy)

• Make sure work is thoroughly dry and that pages will not stick together
• Make sure work is secured well, with no loose work falling out when pages are opened
• Use fixative to stop charcoal, chalk or graphite drawings smudging and ensure that these are not directly facing other artworks in the portfolio. Existing smudges can be erased from drawings using a putty rubber, prior to spraying with fixative.
• Avoid fold out flaps, and other irritating formats that may distract or irritate the viewer
• Make sure photographs are focused, free of fingerprints, printed on matt (non-reflective) paper and are large enough to see details clearly
• Don’t mount things with distracting borders (it is not usually necessary to mount or mat your work); faming work is unnecessary. Let the work stand on its own. A clean, professional and minimal style is usually ideal, as described above.

e) Presentation of digital work (if submitting online or upon DVD or memory stick)

• If you wish to include digital material with a hardcopy submission, ensure that the art school you are applying to is able to view work digital material in particular format (video / CD etc). Check carefully what type of new media presentations they accept and accompany this with a printed hardcopy version (screenshots etc) and a note about the programmes used, in case difficulties arise.
• Label all digital files sensibly, such as firstname-lastname-application.pdf rather than 4690243fxz.pdf
• Ensure images reflect the true colour and appearance of the artwork and are cropped correctly, without unrelated, disctracting background items
• Ensure moving image or video footage is cropped to a sensible length (admissions staff usually have tight time limitations)
• Consider embedding videos upon your own website, rather than as a link to youtube / vimeo. This creates a much more professional backdrop to your application (see how to create your own website ).
• As with physical submissions, think carefully about the organisation and grouping of images.
• Save a record of all digital submissions as a backup!

f) Label work clearly but unobtrusively

• Use small, clear writing to label work in a way that doesn’t detract from the artwork. If labelling guidelines are not given (sometimes a separate sheet containing details of each image is required), label work in the corner or on the reverse with the title, mediums, dimensions, dates and additional info as required. Avoid decorative font and excessively large headings.
• Proof for spelling errors and inaccuracies (get someone else to check this too). Make sure all links to digital moving images work.

Want more help with applying to Art school?

This article is accompanied by our Guide to the Art school interview (coming soon) – packed with advice from those who have recently applied. To make sure that you don’t miss out on this article, please make sure that you are subscribed to our newsletter using the sign up form below!

Amiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

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Center for Teaching

Teaching portfolios.

Print Version

What Is a Teaching Portfolio?

Why assemble a teaching portfolio, general guidelines, components of a teaching portfolio, sample teaching portfolios, electronic teaching portfolios, what role do teaching portfolios play on the job market, other resources.

• Portfolios provide documented evidence of teaching from a variety of sources—not just student ratings—and provide context for that evidence.
• The process of selecting and organizing material for a portfolio can help one reflect on and improve one’s teaching.
• Portfolios are a step toward a more public, professional view of teaching as a scholarly activity.
• Portfolios can offer a look at development over time, helping one see teaching as on ongoing process of inquiry, experimentation, and reflection.
• Teaching portfolios capture evidence of one’s entire teaching career, in contrast to what are called course portfolios that capture evidence related to a single course.

Portfolios can serve any of the following purposes.

• Job applicants for faculty positions can use teaching portfolios to document their teaching effectiveness.
• Faculty members up for promotion or tenure can also use teaching portfolios to document their teaching effectiveness.
• Faculty members and teaching assistants can use teaching portfolios to reflect on and refine their teaching skills and philosophies.
• Faculty members and teaching assistants can use teaching portfolios, particularly ones shared online, to “go public” with their teaching to invite comments from their peers and to share teaching successes so that their peers can build on them. For more on going public with one’s teaching, see the CFT’s Teaching Guide on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning .
• Start now! Many of the possible components of a teaching portfolio (see list below) are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain after you have finished teaching a course. Collecting these components as you go will make assembling your final portfolio much easier.
• Give a fair and accurate presentation of yourself. Don’t try to present yourself as the absolutely perfect teacher. Highlight the positive, of course, but don’t completely omit the negative.
• Be selective in which materials you choose to include , though be sure to represent a cross-section of your teaching and not just one aspect of it. A relatively small set of well-chosen documents is more effective than a large, unfiltered collection of all your teaching documents.
• Make your organization explicit to the reader. Use a table of contents at the beginning and tabs to separate the various components of your portfolio.
• Make sure every piece of evidence in your portfolio is accompanied by some sort of context and explanation. For instance, if you include a sample lesson plan, make sure to describe the course, the students, and, if you have actually used the lesson plan, a reflection on how well it worked.
• A reflective “teaching statement” describing your personal teaching philosophy, strategies, and objectives (see Teaching Philosophy ).
• A personal statement describing your teaching goals for the next few years
• A list of courses taught and/or TAed, with enrollments and a description of your responsibilities
• Number of advisees, graduate and undergraduate
• Course descriptions with details of content, objectives, methods, and procedures for evaluating student learning
• Reading lists
• Assignments
• Exams and quizzes, graded and ungraded
• Handouts, problem sets, lecture outlines
• Descriptions and examples of visual materials used
• Descriptions of uses of computers and other technology in teaching
• Videotapes of your teaching
• Summarized student evaluations of teaching, including response rate and relationship to departmental average
• Written comments from students on class evaluations
• Comments from a peer observer or a colleague teaching the same course
• Statements from colleagues in the department or elsewhere, regarding the preparation of students for advanced work
• Letters from students, preferably unsolicited
• Letters from course head, division head or chairperson
• Statements from alumni
• Scores on standardized or other tests, before and after instruction
• Students’ lab books or other workbooks
• Students’ papers, essays, or creative works
• Graded work from the best and poorest students, with teacher’s feedback to students
• Instructor’s written feedback on student work
• Participation in seminars or professional meetings on teaching
• Design of new courses
• Design of interdisciplinary or collaborative courses or teaching projects
• Use of new methods of teaching, assessing learning, grading
• Preparation of a textbook, lab manual, courseware, etc.
• Description of instructional improvement projects developed or carried out
• Publications in teaching journals
• Papers delivered on teaching
• Reviews of forthcoming textbooks
• Service on teaching committees
• Assistance to colleagues on teaching matters
• Work on curriculum revision or development
• Teaching awards from department, college, or university
• Teaching awards from profession
• Invitations based on teaching reputation to consult, give workshops, write articles, etc.
• Requests for advice on teaching by committees or other organized groups

The website from University of Virginia provides sample teaching portfolios from a variety of disciplines. As you look at these portfolios, ask yourself,

• “What components did the author choose to include and which ones are most effective at describing their teaching?” and
• “What structural and organizational decisions did the author make as they assembled their portfolio?”

Sample Portfolios from the University of Virginia Teaching Resource Center

How do electronic portfolios differ from print portfolios?

• Increased Accessibility: Teaching portfolios are intended, in part, to make teaching public. Distributing a portfolio on the web makes it even more accessible to peers and others.
• Multimedia Documents: Technology allows for inclusion of more than just printed documents. For example, you can include video footage of yourself teaching, an audio voiceover providing context and reflection on the portfolio, or instructional computer programs or code you have written.
• Nonlinear Thinking: The web facilitates nonlinear relationships between the components of your teaching portfolio. The process of creating a portfolio in this nonlinear environment can help you think about your teaching in new ways. For example, since readers can explore an e-portfolio in many different ways, constructing an e-portfolio gives you an opportunity to consider how different audiences might encounter and understand your work.
• Copyright and Privacy Issues: While examples of student work can be compelling evidence of your teaching effectiveness, publishing these examples online presents legal copyright and privacy issues. Talk to someone at the VU Compliance Program before doing so.
• 585 include the words “teaching philosophy,”
• 27 include the words “teaching statement,” and
• 28 include the words “teaching portfolio.”
• 388 include the words “teaching philosophy,”
• 5 include the words “teaching statement,” and
• 8 include the words “teaching portfolio.”
• write a meaningful teaching philosophy statement and
• to discuss your teaching more effectively during interviews.

The following books on teaching portfolios are available for check-out in the Center for Teaching’s library.

• Seldin, Peter, The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions , 3rd edition, Anker, 2004.
• Cambridge, Barbara, Electronic Portfolios: Emerging Practices in Student, Faculty, and Institutional Learning , American Association for Higher Education, 2001.
• Hutchings, Pat, ed., The Course Portfolio: How Faculty Can Examine Their Teaching to Advance Practice and Improve Student Learning , American Association for Higher Education, 1998.
• Murray, John P., Successful Faculty Development and Evaluation: The Complete Teaching Portfolio , ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, 1997.
• Anderson, Erin, ed., Campus Use of the Teaching Portfolio: Twenty-Five Profiles , American Association for Higher Education, 1993.

The following web sites offer additional resources and strategies for creating effective teaching portfolios:

• Developing a Teaching Portfolio , from the Center for Instructional Development and Research at the University of Washington
• Developing a Teaching Portfolio , from the Office of Faculty and TA Development, The Ohio State University
• The Teaching Portfolio , an Occasional Paper from the University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
• What is a Teaching Portfolio?, from the Office of Instructional Consultation, UCSB.
• Curating A Teaching Portfolio , from the Center for Teaching Effectiveness at the University of Texas-Austin
• The Teaching Portfolio , from the Center for Teaching Excellence at Duquesne University
• “The Teaching Portfolio,” an article published by the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education

Teaching Guides

Quick Links

• Services for Departments and Schools
• Examples of Online Instructional Modules

The dos and don'ts of perfect portfolios

How to avoid – or fix – classic portfolio site mistakes.

If you’re creating a design portfolio, it’s safe to assume you know at least the foundational rules of good design. Yet when we work in isolation on our own portfolio, it’s easy to forget the common rules we would apply to any other client project. Sometimes we’re just too close to our own work, which almost blinds us.

As a designer, a portfolio is essential to your success. But at the end of the day it’s not about the portfolio – it’s about you and your work. Instead of focusing on building the perfect portfolio, focus on finding the perfect way to share the work you’ve already created. Everything else will fall into place from there.

As co-founder of Semplice, I see plenty of design portfolios every day. In this article, I'll share what I've learned through my day job, and offer you my top tips for ensuring you don’t get in your own way, and instead create a portfolio that sets you up for success. Want more? See these top tips for content to include on your portfolio website .

• The best laptops for graphic design

01. Make first introductions count

DO: Introduce yourself immediately with a quick paragraph that says who you are, where you’re located (if that matters to your work) and what kind of work you like to do. Show your personality but be straightforward, so the first glimpse at your website gives your viewer the context they need.

DON’T: Write some generic rubbish intro that says you 'craft meaningful experiences' or 'push pixels'. Aside from being overused, phrases like this don’t mean anything to anyone and won’t help your potential employer or client understand what you do.

02. Choose the right work to include

DO: Curate your portfolio to show only your best work. More importantly, pick the kind of work you want to do in the future.

DON’T: Fill your portfolio only with spec work or unsolicited designs. Of course the occasional unsolicited design can help show your skill when you don’t have the client work to prove it yet. But too many only shows that you’re good at working in isolation without any restraints, which is almost never the case on a paid project.

If you do choose to do some unsolicited work (if you’re a young designer trying to start fresh in a new field, for example), don’t do the typical Fortune 500 redesign for a company like Nike or Apple . These companies already have fantastic assets, so it’s not showing much skill to design for those brands. Choose a smaller company that you admire instead. Show what you can do when you’re working with nothing, and that will impress.

03. Make it easy and enjoyable to look through

DO: Think of your portfolio as space in a museum. Make it clean, easy to navigate and fully focused on the work itself. Design for the end user who might be viewing hundreds of portfolios a day. Make it easy for them to learn who you are and what you can do.

DON’T: Design your portfolio like a work of art in itself. When we think of our portfolio like a personal project or creative outlet, we can overcomplicate or make it too playful – to the point where it becomes unusable for the person who has to view it.

For example, a fancy horizontal scrolling feature might seem unique and interesting to you as the designer, but no-one clicks blindly on next/prev arrows without knowing where they lead. We tend to browse portfolios in a visual way, by clicking on what interests us. Don’t make the user work to view your portfolio.

04. Create a standout About page

DO: Spend time making the perfect About page. Your About page is the most important page on your portfolio. I’ve reviewed hundreds of portfolios and always navigate here first to get context before I browse. The numbers on my own website confirm it too: The About page gets more hits than any other page on my site. Do something different and memorable here that offers a real glimpse into who you are.

DON’T: Get too cutesy and leave out the important information we need to know. Don’t forget your name (yes, I’ve seen portfolios where I couldn’t find any first or last name anywhere), a picture of you (a nice personal touch that makes a difference) and your main skills. And please, don’t forget to list your email address.

All the portfolios you see on this page were built with Semplice . 

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Final Portfolios: Ending the Year with Meaning

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“All in all, this year was tough but I made it through. I learned a lot about culture, society, and religion. Society shouldn't determine who you are as a person because who [can] judge us? We as individuals can only judge ourselves.” —Excerpt from Long Nu's final portfolio

One way that I attempt to help make meaning of a year, give students the final word about their learning, and achieve a collective sense of completion is by assigning a portfolio project as the final major assignment of the year.

Portfolio Overview

With or without access to technology, final portfolios are opportunities for students be creative as they reflect on, describe, analyze, and interpret their own work and learning from the year. Instead of being told what they should know, students have an opportunity to articulate their learning and their realities in their own words as they create a product of personal and emotional value.

“This class has really made me think about where I fit into the world, and how I can use my position in the world to incite change.” —Excerpt from Ruby’s final portfolio

“At first I never knew stepping out of my comfort zone would make me feel like a new person.” —Excerpt from Monisha’s final portfolio

The Process

I begin the process by having students read over their work from the entire year. Each student sits, claiming a section of table to her/himself. Spread in front of them is their work from the year -- papers spilling out of graded work folders, worn journals overflowing with entries, large pieces of chart paper, and many open tabs on their laptops display assignments, docs, and websites that they have created. This first stage reminds students of all that they have accomplished. "Remember this? I forgot all about it!" is a frequent refrain. At times students are impressed by their work, and at other times disappointment is clear: "Ugh. I didn’t do so well on this."

I want them to read through their work and notice multiple things that they may not have previously realized. For this reason, I don't tell them all the details of the project at the outset. Instead, I ask them first to record at least 15 quotes of interest from their own work. The quotes must be from different assignments and significant to them for some reason. (Maybe one quote contains a powerful idea, another is something they now disagree with, a third is a quote where they appreciate the style of the writing, etc.) By completing this first assignment, they are beginning to develop larger ideas and insights into their learning from the year.

The next day, with their collection of quotes in front of them, I ask them to sit in groups and create a list of General Understandings that begin to summarize their learning from the year. I make it clear that they can think about both whatthey learned and how they learned. I give examples to get them started:

• Multiple perspectives help develop different understandings of reality.
• Discussions can lead to insights and learning not possible for an individual.
• Struggle is a necessary part of transformation.

I am intentional about modeling with complex and varied General Understandings. For each General Understanding, I have students take notes about units, assignments, projects, and memories of class activities that can be used to support the statement. During this stage, each student contributes ideas, and group wisdom helps develop individual ideas farther. Ultimately each student will choose his or her own General Understandings based on the wealth of ideas and possibilities that each group has generated on the chart paper hanging in different parts of the room.

Incorporating Creativity and Individualization

The next step is for students to draft and write the portfolio essay, the introduction to their selected body of work from the year. For my high school version of the project, students write 500 words focusing on two to three General Understandings. Each General Understanding must be supported by quotes from their own work throughout the year. By using their own work as sources, students continue to review, acknowledge, and accept the authority, power, and connections in their work from the year, while also identifying where there is room for growth.

If technology is available, portfolios can be created as blog posts. Quotes from student work can link directly to pages with those assignments. I require that students include links to at least five different examples of their collected work.

With or without technology, artwork can be a powerful element in portfolios. I have had students use a word cloud generator to create word art that represents their learning from the year. Students can create many different expressions this way.

Final Thoughts

Every year, final portfolios give my students a structure for evaluating themselves and articulating the most important aspects of their learning and growth. The day that the portfolios are due, we sit in a circle and hear an excerpt from each student. The range and variety of essays is a poignant reminder of the value of creating individualized learning experiences.

Final portfolios can be a reflective tool not only for students, but also for teachers. Reading portfolios rejuvenates me, helps me realize and understand things that I had not realized about different students and their experiences in my class, and helps me to identify my own areas for growth as I continually work to refine and improve my teaching practice. Creating structure that encourages students to develop individual, insightful voices can provide a powerful reminder of why the work of teaching matters.

“There’s different sides to ourselves that we don't really see at a first glance. Those parts of us can be brought out when we create poetry and view things about the world in different lenses. We not only learn about ourselves, but we learn sides to people surrounding us and people who are thousands of miles away. Throughout the year, I've been able to see parts of myself that I haven't seen before. Some parts surprised me and some parts led me to believe that there is something inside of me worth searching for and worth continuing beyond [the] classroom.” —Excerpt from Symone’s final portfolio