Want to build an impressive interior design student portfolio? It might be difficult to put up an interior design portfolio, whether it’s for future employment or a customer. You can find yourself wasting many hours browsing through the portfolios and designs of other designers. But in the end, you need a subject and composition that sophisticatedly reflect you and your job.
While this article focuses on portfolios for interior designers, the ideas emphasize presentation and offer basic design advice that may be applied to any kind of visual portfolio. This article will help you learn different portfolio decoration ideas and help you develop an interior design student portfolio as well if you have just started your career.
What is Interior Design Portfolio?
We have frequently gone into great detail on the many universities, degree programs, and design approaches you may use to realize a client’s goals utilizing the philosophy you study. One factor, nevertheless, does have an impact on how you convey your interior design expertise to clients. How successfully you can implement this straightforward phenomenon will determine if your longtime ambition comes true.
It is your portfolio for interior design. Now, many of you are already aware that you must submit a portfolio together with your bachelor’s or master’s application. It includes some of your interior design projects (it doesn’t have to be your greatest work, but it must be unique), an “about me” area where you may expressly discuss your design inspiration and passion, and it starts off by showcasing your abilities.
However, when we talk about an interior designer portfolio, we mean the official portfolio book or portfolio website that showcases your greatest work in the industry. When you want to secure a significant design assignment, you give customers or design companies a copy of your professional interior design portfolio. Modern styles in a historic home are also acceptable in your portfolio. You may design it to display endorsements and indicate your area of expertise using certain design elements. Basically, you may publish your greatest work with prospective clients and recruiters in any style, or forum, using any graphic design program, and through any exposure method.
8 Tips to Build an Interior Design Student Portfolio
These are the 8 tips to build an interior design student portfolio:
- Pick an Appropriate Format
- Only Include Your Best Work
- Include Your Design Process
- Use Stunning Interior Renders or Professional Photos
- Show, Don’t Tell
- Embrace the White Space
- Establish a Theme & Keep it Consistent
- Pick the Right Typography
1. Pick an Appropriate Format
The goal of a portfolio is to effectively present your work to potential employers. Whether you choose to show it physically or digitally, choosing the display format comes first. In order to serve a larger range of clients and circumstances, it is best to produce both, which is what we do.
You’ll probably observe that some folks like to own a physical object and that they adore the appearance and feel of designs printed on paper. Others, who value ease and mobility more, choose the digital format. Busy clients may instantly share your portfolio with coworkers or browse it while they’re on the go, such as on their commute to work. As a result, you must make sure that your digital portfolio is as easy to understand on a laptop as it is on a tablet or smartphone. Replace any links that are present in the digital edition with QR codes in the printed version. Having both gives you the freedom to distribute it to a large audience and then use the printed version’s impact for face-to-face meetings. Additionally, clients are likely to keep high-quality physical copies at their offices for future reference.
How do digital interior design portfolios compare to physical portfolios?
Digital portfolios
- Convenient and quick to access
- Can be easily created and distributed
- Portable
- Low cost
Physical portfolios
- Stronger impact
- High production value
- Gives the client something tangible
2. Only Include Your Best Work
You want the customer to see the greatest examples of your interior design abilities, and this is true for any portfolio. Consider your portfolio to be the responses to the interview questions. In order to present yourself in the best possible way during an interview, you should highlight your most notable and pertinent accomplishments rather than detailing everything you have ever done. You want to do this here by showcasing just your greatest work.
Your profile is not being viewed by the customer in order to see how many tasks you have done. They want to see your abilities and the kind of job you are capable of doing for them. Show them quality rather than quantity as a result! Additionally, if your customer is time-constrained or receives a lot of design portfolios, they will want to see an overview of your skills. So, make the most of their time, hold their interest, and highlight your greatest successes!
3. Include Your Design Process
You should outline the creative process you used to develop your final designs in your portfolio. You have the option of doing this for each project or just showing it for one. The demonstration of your artistic prowess will provide them with a deeper understanding of how you generate your ideas and how each item is accomplished. There are some items, nonetheless, that you ought to omit from your portfolio. A CAD layout or too many technical drawings might become tedious and burdensome. Therefore, it’s wise to utilize them in moderation. When you do incorporate them, attempt to make them more interesting by using some colors or textures.
To showcase your design journey:
- The first thing you should do is introduce the brief your customer gave you-but try to keep it brief! Just list the primary specifications and objectives they established.
- Second, here is your opportunity to take them on a visual tour. Include drawings, floor plans that have been colored in, mood boards, material suggestions, color schemes, etc.
- To complete the design process and flawlessly display your abilities, demonstrate your design with expert renderings or photos.
4. Use Stunning Interior Renders or Professional Photos
You must “wow” potential clients with each job you display in your portfolio. CGI renderings and top-notch photos are the ideal tools for this. They not only appear professional, but they also give you a clear way to showcase your interior design successes.
If a project isn’t quite finished, you may visualize the design using a CGI render rather than the finished images. Since interior renderings may depict a design proposal in a photorealistic manner. They are really beneficial for expressing your ideas and are quite thorough.
5. Show, Don’t Tell
Even though you might want to write several paragraphs that go into great depth about your work, it’s preferable to let the images speak for themselves. The person looking at your portfolio will typically skim through lengthy passages of text. After all, interior design is a visually-based field in which a design’s appearance and feel tell a narrative. It shouldn’t need a lot of language to describe the situation.
You may, of course, add a few lines of supporting text. But keep it succinct and direct. Additionally, if you decide to incorporate text, make sure it is well-written and has a strong message. The content needs to aid in showcasing your effort to its fullest. Bullet points, small print, and brief paragraphs all improve reading. When producing prose for your project, it’s easy to get carried away. But keep in mind to keep it brief and utilize language wisely!
6. Embrace the White Space
Using white space to properly display your work is a great strategy. Websites with a lot of white space are a good illustration of this. The white backdrop of the homepage, together with the carefully chosen pictures and content, leads the viewer and keeps them interested. Thus, from top to bottom, their eyes are taken on a thrilling trip. As a result, they’ll swiftly assimilate the information they want as opposed to a messy website that makes them think of “Where’s Wally”!
7. Establish a Theme and Keep it Consistent
Have you ever observed that all major brands have a set of defined brand guidelines? Google has a whole section of resources devoted to it. They spend a lot of time and money on this for a good reason. The voice, tone, and message that they wish to be consistently identified with are spelled out in these standards. It draws attention to their identity and principles.
In this case, consistency is crucial. To establish a recognizable tone of voice for your brand—in this case, you—consistency is essential. Along with your job, your “brand” will be what people remember you for. Additionally, it will assist you in gaining popularity within the interior design sector. Consider your topic carefully since, in an ideal world, you would stick with it for all subsequent portfolios. Choose a look that you like. One that will honor your efforts and you as a designer. So make a commitment! Consider reflecting your work style in your theme, for instance, if it is modern and minimalist with sporadic pops of color.
8. Pick the Right Typography
In addition to picking the ideal subject for your work, typography is quite important. A minimalist interior design would go well with a minimalist modern san-serif font style. You may carry the concept of your work via the type. If typography is used correctly, it has the power to improve your design and subtly direct the observer. Effective use of type will provide a strong visual hierarchy and help your portfolio flow. It’s simply how your work is presented to the public.
Importance of Having an Interior Design Portfolio
Students of interior design should understand how important it is to document their actual interior design work. Make careful to capture photographs both before and after the design process. Make sure you bring your camera with you when you visit a customer so you can document the entire interior design process. Never be reluctant to request client testimonials once your task has been well completed. At the end of the day, you want happy clients who are delighted with your interior design work and beautiful photographs of your interior design work. Potential clients must understand the value of collaborating with you. This message must be communicated through your online portfolio.
Interior Design Portfolios Examples
These are some interior design portfolio examples:
1. Carlos Mota
A well-known interior designer is Carlos Mota. He was once the International Style Editor for Architectural Digest and Editor for Elle Decor, both of which were very significant roles in the interior design industry. Mota is renowned for his extraordinary talent at utilizing a stunning array of accessories and flowers to fill empty spaces. Mota has written pieces for well-known publications with a focus on design, such as Vanity Fair, House and Garden, and even Vogue. Leading figures in the design industry, as well as companies like Isaac Mizrahi, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Clinique, are among his clientele.
2. Hailey Roberts
Eight years of experience are required for this interior designer. She boasts about completing upscale house renovation projects. Roberts is renowned for her ability to oversee several interior design projects, including furnishings, drawings, research, construction, and selections.
Conclusion
Before you even share your job goals with others, your portfolio already showcases your skills as a decorator. You must make sure that it is excellent and conveys your professionalism. Your creative methods, eye-catching images, a distinct brand statement, and ultimately your greatest work are all essential components of a successful interior design portfolio. If you implement our top 8 portfolio-building suggestions, you’ll have everything you need to stand out from the crowd. Your portfolio, whether it be digital or tangible, must, above all, be visually appealing. Therefore, bear this in mind while you develop it. Each element is equally crucial as the others, and they all come together nicely to present your work in the best possible light. As a student everything mentioned in this article will help you build an impressive interior design student portfolio.
