PORTFOLIO CONVEYS MESSAGE ?

For making a portfolio one must know exactly what you want to show and why. As an architectural student you will need a portfolio for different occasions.

What you decide to edit out and what you decide to keep in the portfolio will depend on how you want to be seen and what the portfolio is for. What kind of a message are you trying to get across? By this we do not mean a verbal message, although you will almost certainly want to use words to emphasize your focus in your work.

A portfolio message should clearly communicate what kind of architectural interests and skills you have. For example, the portfolio you will use to apply to graduate school may emphasize your creativity and ability to work through challenging ideas and unusual forms, whereas a portfolio you use to apply for a professional job in an office may need to include construction drawings, site photographs and schedules to emphasize your technical competence.

Even more specifically, if you are applying to a graduate school because you want to join that schools specialization in community architecture or activist practice, you will need to select documents from your vast archive or work which show both a breadth of creativity and your special interest in community architecture.

You might include photos of work you have done in community gardens, essays you have written on collaborative practices or public art, and highlight those projects you did as an undergraduate which show that you have an ability to respond to the needs of others.

If you are applying to a school where you wish to pursue design and robotics, say, make sure that you include in your portfolio any moving objects you have made, or research essays and reports on the subject. Occasionally this may mean that you might have to make a new project just for the portfolio.

If your education to date has not provided you with the kind of work you think you will need to go to the next phase of your career, you may need to take extra evening classes or make additional drawings to show just how committed you are to the direction you want to pursue.

For example, if you have a very technical undergraduate portfolio and you want to get into a diploma or graduate school that is very artistic, you may need to take an evening class in sculpture or drawing. Making a portfolio means you are making an identity for yourself, through the work that you select to show.

The third rule for making a portfolio therefore is to be very clear about THE MESSAGE.