Some of my favourite graphic and web design projects over the last few years – with a pinch of packaging!

I’m often asked by design students “what should I include in my portfolio”? Or “how varied should I be with the work I show”?

The best way to answer that, is to show you what I’ve decided to include in my own portfolio.

If I had to describe my style or niché it would definately be luxury brand identity, or clean, minimalist websites. That said, I’ve often taken on projects that fall outside that specialisation; albeit these tend to be hidden from my portfolio.

A good portfolio can reassure prospective clients and create the correct expectation. If a client is looking for a strong, luxury brand, and they see countless strong examples successful luxury brand identity; they will feel very confident they can expect the same result. On the other hand, each piece which doesn’t fit, doesn’t feel ‘right’, or isn’t strong enough – will raise alarm bells in your client’s minds… what if they receive one of the ‘bad’ examples? Curating your portfolio for success is very important for this reason.

At the same time, if you set your target niché too narrow; there may not be sufficient demand to fill your diary with bookings – and you could be potentially losing work you’re more than capable of doing, just because you decided not to show it! Look for complimentary pairings; for example I’ve found luxury doesn’t clash with high end corporate work. Brand Identity works well alongside web or print design, even packaging.

Show your specialisation, but try not to come across as jack of all trades… that said; if you are equipt to meet a large range of your client’s needs, they’ll find this to be a huge advantage.

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