Portfolio Advice That Actually Matters.

I've looked at a lot of portfolios. Like, a truly ridiculous number. And whilst every designer has their own style and approach, there are some things that make the difference between a portfolio that gets you interviews and one that gets a polite "thanks, but not right now."

So here's what I tell every designer I work with, based on what actually lands well with Creative Directors and hiring managers.

Put Your Name On It

Sounds obvious, right? You'd be surprised how many portfolios I receive with no name anywhere. Yes, your CV has your contact details, but your portfolio should have your name on it too. Contact info is optional if you're sending both together, but your name? Non-negotiable.

Keep It Clean and Easy to View

Your portfolio should absolutely reflect your personality and design style. But here's the thing: if I can't easily see your work because the typography is impossible to read, the colours are fighting for attention, or the layout is so clever it's confusing, you've lost me.

Don't let the container overshadow the content. Your projects should be the star, not the way you've designed the portfolio itself.

Quality Over Quantity

Your showcase portfolio, the one you send to recruiters and potential employers, should be 20 pages maximum. Think of it as your highlight reel. Pick your top three to five projects that directly connect to the role you're applying for.

Applying for a retail position? Don't send a portfolio that's entirely hospitality work. Show them you understand what they need and that you've done it before.

Bring the Full Story to Interviews

Your presentation portfolio, the one you take to interviews, should be longer and more comprehensive. This is where you include all your favourite projects, the ones you're genuinely excited to talk about.

Digital is fine, but please, pre-download it or bring a hard copy as backup. I've sat in too many interviews where someone's scrambling with Wi-Fi or file sharing. Technology is great when it works, but always have a plan B.

Show Your Process, Not Just the Pretty Final Shot

Each project in your portfolio should tell the whole story. Start to finish, every step in between. Hiring managers and Creative Directors want to see that you understood the brief, how you responded to it, what your specific role was, and the input you provided along the way.

The glossy final render is great, but the journey to get there is what actually shows your thinking.

Make It Easy to Follow

Structure matters. Your portfolio and the individual projects within it should have a logical flow that's easy to navigate. This helps hiring managers move through your work without getting lost, and it helps you when you're presenting or discussing your projects in an interview.

If someone has to work hard to understand what they're looking at, you've already lost some of their attention.

Show Off Your Hand Sketching If You've Got It

Not every brief explicitly asks for hand sketching skills, but clients absolutely love seeing it. If you're strong at sketching, include samples in your portfolio. It's almost always seen as a major positive and sets you apart from designers who only work digitally.

Have Both a PDF and a Website

A website portfolio is brilliant for showing the full breadth of your work. But employers still prefer a PDF they can easily save, share, and review. The smart move? Use your PDF to showcase your three to five best projects, then direct people to your website if they want to see more.

It gives you control over the first impression whilst offering depth for anyone who's genuinely interested.

Only Include Work You Actually Love

This is the big one I see all the time. Designers include projects they don't even like, and then when we talk about them, they spend the whole time explaining what went wrong or why it's not their best work.

If you don't love it, don't include it. Your portfolio should be full of projects you're genuinely excited to discuss. That enthusiasm comes through in interviews, and trust me, Creative Directors can tell when you're proud of something versus when you're just filling space.

The Bottom Line

Your portfolio is doing one job: getting you into the room for a conversation. It needs to show your best work, tell a clear story about what you can do, and make it easy for someone to see why they should meet you.

Keep it tight, keep it relevant, and only show work that makes you think "yes, I want to talk about this."

If you're putting together a portfolio and want a second pair of eyes on it, or if you're wondering whether what you've got is landing the way you think it is, I'm always happy to take a look. I've seen what works and what doesn't, and I'm more than happy to share that with you.

Need portfolio feedback or advice on how to position your work for the roles you're going after? Get in touch. I'd love to help.

How to Prepare for an Interview at a Creative Studio.

You got the interview. That's worth a moment.

But here's the thing: creative studios don't evaluate candidates the way corporate environments do. The preparation you do beforehand matters just as much as your portfolio. Sometimes more. And the studios worth working for? They notice whether you've put in the work.

We've supported hundreds of candidates through this process over the years and heard feedback from Creative Directors and hiring managers across London's design scene. Here's what actually makes a difference.

Do the Research

Most candidates glance at a website and call it done. Studios can tell. They know the difference between someone who's genuinely engaged with their work and someone who skimmed the homepage on the tube that morning.

Start with their portfolio. If it's an interior design practice, look at how they handle residential versus hospitality. Notice the materials, the spatial flow, whether they lean minimal or layered. For architecture, pay attention to how they navigate planning, their relationship with site and context. At a branding agency, think about strategy. Do they lead with visual identity or positioning?

Then go further. Look for press coverage, awards, team activities or projects they share on Instagram, recent hires on LinkedIn. Check their social to see how they present their culture. If they've written anything or spoken at events, read it.

You're not doing this to recite facts in the room. You're doing it to understand whether the way they work aligns with the way you work. And to be able to say, honestly, why their work resonates.

Know Who You're Meeting

Find out who's interviewing you and look them up. Not to gather ammunition. Just to calibrate the conversation.

A Creative Director wants to understand your thinking, your influences, how you approach a brief. A Studio Manager cares about deadlines, collaboration, how you handle competing priorities. An HR lead will focus on culture, motivations, how you work with others.

Knowing who's in the room helps you bring the right examples. It shapes the conversation before you even walk in.

The Small Things That Aren't Small

Arriving flustered undermines everything that follows. Plan your route. Add fifteen minutes. If you're early, find a coffee shop, settle yourself, review your notes. Walk in composed.

Punctuality matters in creative industries. Studios run on tight timelines. Showing up late, even once, raises questions about reliability. Don't let that be you.

Dress for the Environment

Creative studios aren't corporate, so a formal suit can feel off. But too casual undermines your credibility.

If in doubt, smart-casual is the answer. Intentional, put-together, context-appropriate. Check their website and social for cues. A luxury interiors practice expects something different from a young agency with a relaxed studio culture.

For creative roles, your appearance says something about your visual sensibility. For operational roles, it signals you can read a room. Either way, aim for clean, considered, confident.

Connect Your Experience to the Role

Re-read the job description before you go in. Identify the skills and attributes they've emphasised. Then map your background against them.

If you're going for a creative role, be ready to talk about process, not just output. How you interpret a brief. How you develop concepts. How you handle feedback. Interior designers should be prepared to discuss material choices and spatial decisions. Architects should expect questions about planning, contractors, RIBA stages. Brand designers need to speak to strategy alongside execution.

For operational roles, you probably don't have a portfolio in the traditional sense. That's fine. Prepare concrete examples instead. How you've managed complex timelines. Handled difficult client situations. Improved processes. Supported creative teams to do their best work. Be specific about tools, scale, outcomes.

Be Clear About Why This Studio

"Why do you want to work here?" is one of the most common interview questions. It's also one of the most poorly answered.

Vague things about liking the work or wanting to grow don't land. Before you go in, think genuinely about what draws you to this particular place. Is it their approach to a certain project type? The clients? Their reputation for craft? The scale? The culture?

Be honest and specific. If you struggle to articulate it, that's worth sitting with. Some candidates exit interviews quickly because they can't explain why they want to be there.

Prepare Your Materials

If you're in a creative role, your portfolio is the centrepiece. Make sure everything is downloaded, your device is charged, navigation is smooth. Don't rely on WiFi. Have a backup on your phone or a printed book.

Physical materials still land well. For interior designers and architects, printed samples or material boards can be powerful. They let interviewers engage with your work tangibly and show your attention to finish.

Edit ruthlessly. Six to eight strong projects tells a better story than fifteen mediocre ones. Lead with work that's relevant to what the studio does.

For operational roles, bring a clean CV. Consider a one-page summary of key projects with scope, team size, budget, outcomes. If you've built processes or systems that improved things, be ready to talk about them.

Prepare Questions to Ask Them

Creative interviews probe beyond technical capability. Expect questions about collaboration, handling critique, managing ambiguity, working under pressure. Have stories ready.

But also prepare questions to ask them. Silence when you're invited to ask something comes across as disinterest. Ask about current projects, team structure, how work gets briefed and reviewed, what success looks like in the role.

Show genuine curiosity about how things actually work.

Why This Matters

Studios evaluate candidates holistically. Your work might be excellent. But if you arrive unprepared, can't explain why you want to be there, or seem disconnected from how the place operates, it raises doubts.

Preparation isn't about impressing people. It's about respecting the opportunity and giving yourself the best chance to show who you actually are.