Project 5 - PDF Portfolio

Due

• Your own, uniquely designed, PDF Portfolio
• E-mail me your PDF portfolio at kuncec@westerntc.edu

Your PDF Portfolio

Design your own digital portfolio (PDF) with 5–7 of your best portfolio samples

A PDF portfolio is a powerful and useful marketing piece during your job search.

When applying for jobs, you may need to send a potential employer your portfolio samples electronically. These 5–7 samples give the employer an idea of your skills and talents. You will still show your entire portfolio during a face-to-face interview.

A horizontal layout fits best on a screen when opened and viewed in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. These samples have been reduced, the actual size is 11" wide x 8.5" high. You may label each sample if you want.

Project 10 will show you how to build a PDF portfolio and e-mail it as a test. You can e-mail or upload this to potential employers.

Suggested Guidelines:

1. Create your multiple page portfolio in InDesign
   
2. Choose only your best samples
   
3. Choose a variety of samples to show your range of skills and abilities
   
4. Size: 8.5” x 11”, Horizontal format (landscape)
   
5. Title page should include your name, address, phone, e-mail, and portfolio Web site URL if available.
   
6. Sample pages should be on a black background (unless you must use white for aesthetics)
   
7. Include 5–7 samples, show one per page
   
8. Keep your layout simple and focus on your samples
   
9. Simple files and layouts will transfer the most efficiently
   

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Create a multiple page file in InDesign
   
   • You will need one page for each sample, plus one page for your title page
     
   • Make your pages landscape (horizontal)
     
   • Draw a black box to fill the entire background with a “built” black (60c 60m 0y 100k)
     
   • Put all contact info on your title page - design this page to be original and match your brand
     
   • Next, place one sample on each page
     
   • You may label each sample
     
2. Place each sample on the page (one per page)
   
3. Be sure all samples are at least 72ppi at the full size you are using them on your page
   
4. Save as a PDF file in InDesign (File > Adobe PDF Presets > Smallest file size)
   
5. Your file size should be about 1–2 MB
   
6. Open your PDF portfolio file in acrobat and make sure everything looks good
   
7. E-mail your PDF portfolio file to your instructor for grading
   
8. Be sure to keep your original InDesign file to make updates when needed
   

You now have a digital portfolio to use in your job search. Many companies only allow you to apply for jobs online. Be sure to make PDFs of your cover letter and resume to send to them with your PDF portfolio.

The PDF format keeps your unique design intact so your potential employer sees what you want them to see. Remember, your cover letter, resume, and PDF portfolio are being evaluated on their design as well.

Student PDF Samples

Here are examples of how your PDF portfolio could look—draw inspiration from them.

Like the portfolio, the PDF portfolio has a simple design—each sample is on a plain black or white background. You want your samples to stand out and get noticed.

(Click the image to download)

 

Sample 1