5 tips for great pattern design portfolios

During the years we have gone through a high pile of pattern design portfolios. Here we give some advice for creatives on how to create great pattern design portfolios that will be remembered.

1. A portfolio is an abstract of the skills of the person who has created it

Nobody is a master of absolutely everything – neither in pattern design. In your portfolio show the skills that you master, and leave out things that you are not so confident about. Don’t forget that a pattern design portfolio is not just about single patterns – it is also about the combinations, compositions, and colors that you use.

2. Show your style

Has someone given you feedback about your works? Fill your portfolio with the works or styles that have received good feedback. No feedback? Do you have a favorite technique or a theme you enjoy working with? Show your professionalism, and show different elements in your works. Your passion should show on your portfolio, so make your passion visible. If you are fed up with a style or technique you have been working with for a longer time, change it, to find that passion again.

3. Highlight true customer references

The works that have been out in the public are of course the most interesting ones. Fill your portfolio with those, but please check with the customers in advance that referring to them is ok.

4. Keep your portfolio short and simple

The purpose of a portfolio is to draw attention and raise interest in you and your skills. If you are approaching a person in the home textile business with your own portfolio, show him or her your home textile collection rather than patterns that you have designed for scarves. You may end up doing dramatic changes to your portfolio, but it is all worth it.

5. Have your portfolio available

As a creative, you should have your portfolio available at all times. There is lots of traffic online these days, and people keep searching for, yes, inspiration, but also professionals to possibly work for their upcoming projects. If your portfolio is not online, keep it updated and quickly available if someone asks to see it. It is truly frustrating to collect a portfolio for each inquiry separately, so work with one that you feel comfortable sending out at all times. If transferred as an email attachment, please do send out files that are small in size, otherwise, send a link via one of the down-/uploading sites. Don’t forget to add your contact information to your portfolio.

Do you still wonder something about your own portfolio? Book a time to meet us personally for business coaching! We have been coaching several pattern designers over the years. Will you be the next one to get a boost for your own career?