I’m putting together a new portfolio for the first time since graduation—the key being that this will primarily be professional work. My current thinking is to format the book as 8.5x11 portrait to take advantage of the tall pages, which allows the flexibility to include wall sections and accompanying details.
Now this might be a silly (and vague) question, but what expectations do others have for viewing wall sections and details in portfolios? In terms of scale, text size, linework, etc?
For instance, of course to fit it on an 8.5x11, a typical wall section usually needs to be scaled by at least 50%. Likewise, the accompanying details also get scaled 50%, so linework quality takes a slight dip. I think it’s important to make sure that text size for both drawing types’ callouts is consistent, but I don’t think the text callouts necessarily need to match the portfolio's standard text size? I’ve seen some portfolios include larger scale details, and they save page space by removing text callouts in favor of numerical callouts with a legend. Personally, I’m not a huge of that except for maybe floor plans, so I’d prefer not to go in that direction.
All this in mind, I also don’t want to overthink, because it often gets said that anyone viewing portfolios will often flip through instead of carefully examining, but obviously some legibility and linework quality needs to be maintained.
If this isn’t too vague, I’d be curious to hear others’ thoughts on incorporating wall sections, details, and other linework drawings into portfolios. I can browse portfolio samples on websites like Issuu, and while there are plenty of stunning graphics and layouts, successful incorporation of simple, clean linework drawings can be scarce.
It depends on the type of position you are looking for - do you want to emphasize your design talent and just include enough CD examples to show you can do production, or are you trying to sell yourself as a technical/production whiz?
The portfolio will include a bit of everything, though heavier on the design side with renderings, stylized elevations, diagrams, etc. Any future position I'd be applying for would be Designer.
That said, at this stage, I do think it's important to include the aforementioned wall sections and details to show technical competency and well-rounded skill.
"Scale to fit" sheet into 11x17 page, not 8.5x11. Fold the 11x17's into 8.5x11's and then put them into a three ring binder. You can create 1/2 size pdf plots (in ACAD - not sure how you would do that in Revit) so that everything including text, line thicknesses, and hatches scale properly. If you get to the interview stage, put pdf sheets into you laptop so that one can zoom in and out onto the details during the interview to show you technical abilities.
Portfolios don’t mean anything if you can’t backup your work with ability.
What do I mean?
I have reviewed hundreds of portfolios. Many look great. I generally divide the portfolios into “types”: design and technical.
On the design end: I have seen many renderings that look great, during the interview, the candidate seems to have the abilities to do the job, the references check out (checked by others), BUT: when the candidate starts the job, design work takes FOREVER. From schematic design to renderings, not only do layouts don’t work but the quality in the portfolio does not appear to match reality.
On the technical end: I have seen wall sections and details in portfolios, and when they start seem to know nothing about how to put together the same. It’s almost as if they worked on a different part of the CD set, but borrowed the exterior drawings and slapped them on a page in the portfolio.
Moral of the story:
For Job Candidates:
1) Only put work in your portfolio you are proficient in and can demonstrate knowledge and experience in/with when hired.
2) Proficiency and efficiency and directly proportional. Ultimately, it boils down to how quickly you can do a task. You can show a beautiful rendering in your portfolio that took you an entire month to do, whereas a visualization studio in China can accomplish it for a few days at half the cost.
3) You may be able to fool your way into getting the job, but beyond the risk of getting fired for not meeting expectations, you have also wasted your time and your employees time. Just be honest and don’t harm your reputation.
For Employers:
1) Ask candidates to clarify (if not apparent in portfolio), what firm certain work was done at.
2) Ask for references (former employers only) and firms at which the candidate produced work shown in portfolio.
3) When contacting the references, ask them if work you are interested in the candidate’s portfolio was actually produced or managed by them...
That's why people should always have enough solo work to support the position that they did a good job with the team work. Never was that concerned because I think if you really did a good job in a team project the portions will be hard to separate, but the addition of solo work should give a sense of how your contributions added to the project.
Jan 2, 21 1:14 am ·
·
BulgarBlogger
I am surprised at how many employers don’t know how to do a reference check properly and how that reference check works with the preliminary screening and interview...
You can’t tell how long a candidate worked on a certain task that ended up in a portfolio, usually the time available in an office to do the same tasks is very limited...I generally work slow but precise myself, not all offices can handle that...
Jan 2, 21 12:24 pm ·
·
thisisnotmyname
When real practicing architects taught design classes, some notion of speed and efficiency of process would be imparted as part of the teaching. I haven't seen that in recent years.
Nope thank god I wasn’t, actually just got a new job this September. So far it works out well. I am not working for unrealistic clients, fast paced but in a good way...
Do yourself a favor by using a larger paper size for your folio. Have you ever seen any good design/architecture book in this size ?
From my past folios , in some of the details I had to re-assign the lineweight and re-position the texts, especially on a big scale drawing ( 1:5 ). It's a trial and error process really and you want to make sure that the texts dont look out of proportion or too big/small (I dislike big texts / Powerpoint-esque even more).
Expectations for Wall Sections / Details in Portfolios
I’m putting together a new portfolio for the first time since graduation—the key being that this will primarily be professional work. My current thinking is to format the book as 8.5x11 portrait to take advantage of the tall pages, which allows the flexibility to include wall sections and accompanying details.
Now this might be a silly (and vague) question, but what expectations do others have for viewing wall sections and details in portfolios? In terms of scale, text size, linework, etc?
For instance, of course to fit it on an 8.5x11, a typical wall section usually needs to be scaled by at least 50%. Likewise, the accompanying details also get scaled 50%, so linework quality takes a slight dip. I think it’s important to make sure that text size for both drawing types’ callouts is consistent, but I don’t think the text callouts necessarily need to match the portfolio's standard text size? I’ve seen some portfolios include larger scale details, and they save page space by removing text callouts in favor of numerical callouts with a legend. Personally, I’m not a huge of that except for maybe floor plans, so I’d prefer not to go in that direction.
All this in mind, I also don’t want to overthink, because it often gets said that anyone viewing portfolios will often flip through instead of carefully examining, but obviously some legibility and linework quality needs to be maintained.
If this isn’t too vague, I’d be curious to hear others’ thoughts on incorporating wall sections, details, and other linework drawings into portfolios. I can browse portfolio samples on websites like Issuu, and while there are plenty of stunning graphics and layouts, successful incorporation of simple, clean linework drawings can be scarce.
Thanks
It depends on the type of position you are looking for - do you want to emphasize your design talent and just include enough CD examples to show you can do production, or are you trying to sell yourself as a technical/production whiz?
The portfolio will include a bit of everything, though heavier on the design side with renderings, stylized elevations, diagrams, etc. Any future position I'd be applying for would be Designer. That said, at this stage, I do think it's important to include the aforementioned wall sections and details to show technical competency and well-rounded skill.
"Scale to fit" sheet into 11x17 page, not 8.5x11. Fold the 11x17's into 8.5x11's and then put them into a three ring binder. You can create 1/2 size pdf plots (in ACAD - not sure how you would do that in Revit) so that everything including text, line thicknesses, and hatches scale properly. If you get to the interview stage, put pdf sheets into you laptop so that one can zoom in and out onto the details during the interview to show you technical abilities.
Should have added that you can also do videos and pop them into your laptop.
A good set should be legible at 11x17 anyway
Portfolios don’t mean anything if you can’t backup your work with ability.
What do I mean?
I have reviewed hundreds of portfolios. Many look great. I generally divide the portfolios into “types”: design and technical.
On the design end: I have seen many renderings that look great, during the interview, the candidate seems to have the abilities to do the job, the references check out (checked by others), BUT: when the candidate starts the job, design work takes FOREVER. From schematic design to renderings, not only do layouts don’t work but the quality in the portfolio does not appear to match reality.
On the technical end: I have seen wall sections and details in portfolios, and when they start seem to know nothing about how to put together the same. It’s almost as if they worked on a different part of the CD set, but borrowed the exterior drawings and slapped them on a page in the portfolio.
Moral of the story:
For Job Candidates:
1) Only put work in your portfolio you are proficient in and can demonstrate knowledge and experience in/with when hired.
2) Proficiency and efficiency and directly proportional. Ultimately, it boils down to how quickly you can do a task. You can show a beautiful rendering in your portfolio that took you an entire month to do, whereas a visualization studio in China can accomplish it for a few days at half the cost.
3) You may be able to fool your way into getting the job, but beyond the risk of getting fired for not meeting expectations, you have also wasted your time and your employees time. Just be honest and don’t harm your reputation.
For Employers:
1) Ask candidates to clarify (if not apparent in portfolio), what firm certain work was done at.
2) Ask for references (former employers only) and firms at which the candidate produced work shown in portfolio.
3) When contacting the references, ask them if work you are interested in the candidate’s portfolio was actually produced or managed by them...
Also a red flag: team school projects. Gota be very specific to what part the applicant was responsible for.
Two of the recent grads we have hired have been disasters for the reasons mentioned above.
That's why people should always have enough solo work to support the position that they did a good job with the team work. Never was that concerned because I think if you really did a good job in a team project the portions will be hard to separate, but the addition of solo work should give a sense of how your contributions added to the project.
I am surprised at how many employers don’t know how to do a reference check properly and how that reference check works with the preliminary screening and interview...
You can’t tell how long a candidate worked on a certain task that ended up in a portfolio, usually the time available in an office to do the same tasks is very limited...I generally work slow but precise myself, not all offices can handle that...
When real practicing architects taught design classes, some notion of speed and efficiency of process would be imparted as part of the teaching. I haven't seen that in recent years.
Randomised- were you laid off this year?
Nope thank god I wasn’t, actually just got a new job this September. So far it works out well. I am not working for unrealistic clients, fast paced but in a good way...
Do yourself a favor by using a larger paper size for your folio. Have you ever seen any good design/architecture book in this size ?
From my past folios , in some of the details I had to re-assign the lineweight and re-position the texts, especially on a big scale drawing ( 1:5 ). It's a trial and error process really and you want to make sure that the texts dont look out of proportion or too big/small (I dislike big texts / Powerpoint-esque even more).
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