Guest Portfolio Review

Over the past few weeks, I have been building up my portfolio to showcase my projects and stand out to employers. I haven't found this task too challenging as I enjoy using InDesign and playing with different layouts. While doing this, I have been researching design practices I'd be interested in working for to create an appealing portfolio.

Koncept is an award-winning interior design practice based in Manchester. The well-established company prides itself on their 'aesthetic ingenuity'. I have followed this practice since my second year of university. Today we had the fantastic opportunity of meeting with Director Jenny Denton to discuss our portfolio and other personal branding documents. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to finish my portfolio before the review. However, I understood that presenting what I had so far would allow me to gain essential feedback and advice to teach me what employers are looking for in this document.

The review with Jenny was very constructive. She pointed out a few pieces of my work which she liked but found that the overall document lacked a narrative. Jenny advised that I add more precedents and buzz words so employers would get an insight into my concepts at first glance. I completely agreed with her observation, as you wouldn't know the context of my work without my verbal explanation. Jenny also suggested that I create recordings that employers could play to describe my projects in more detail. I've never thought about doing this before and believe that this would make my portfolio stand out amongst other graduates. Lastly, Jenny highlighted how early developmental sketches could enhance my document and help explain my thought process behind my designs. I don't think my drawings are aesthetically pleasing; however, I could always redraw some of my development sketches to add to my portfolio.

I found the guest review with Jenny, really beneficial and I am thankful for the opportunity. I have begun working on her feedback and hope to look into how I can attach recordings to PDF documents. I love when we have sessions with guests from the industry as it gives me an insight into things I could be doing post-graduating. It is also lovely to speak to some new friendly faces, mainly since lockdown has limited our opportunity to interact with different people.