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Portfolio: The Latest Architecture and News

The Best Architecture Portfolio Designs

When applying for an architecture job, you need to make sure you have the perfect portfolio. While a clever and attractive business card might help you initially get a firm's attention, and a well-considered résumé or CV might help you prove your value, in most cases it will be your portfolio that makes or breaks your application. It's your portfolio that practices will use to measure your design sensibilities against the office's own style and to judge whether you match up to the talents claimed in your résumé.

After launching a call for our readers to send us their own portfolios so that we could share the best design ideas with the ArchDaily community, this selection below shows the best of the nearly 200 submissions we received, which were judged not on the quality of the architectural design they showed (though much of it was excellent) but instead the design quality of the portfolio itself. In making the selection, we were looking for attractive graphics, a clear presentation of the work itself, the formulation of a visual identity which permeated both the architectural designs and the portfolio design, and of course that elusive and much-prized attribute: "creativity."

Architect-US: How To Get a Job at a Top US Architecture Firm

© Annie Spratt. Image Courtesy of Architect-US

Looking for a job isn’t fun. It’s nerve-wracking for the applicant and it’s often time-consuming for the potential employer as well. It can be even worse if you’re job-seeking internationally, hoping for a position with a top firm in the United States. For an applicant from another country hoping to make the move to an architecture career in the US, the process can seem overwhelming: rules and regulations, visa issuance processes, and loads of supplementary documentation necessary for immigration.

Top Architecture Firms enrolled in the Architect-US Programs. Image courtesy of Architect-US. 

How To Create An Architecture Portfolio in Virtual Reality

A portfolio is the standard way for architects to show their work  and their style, process and brand. Over the last decade, portfolios have evolved from paper to digital, primarily because it is more time and cost efficient to maintain a digital portfolio and keep it up-to-date.

Within the realm of digital portfolios, choices can range between an app, a PDF, to a web-hosted portfolio. Architects usually choose to use JPEGs as the main element of the portfolio and may add text or other digital media like video or audio.

However, with the increasing use of new technologies like Virtual Reality to present architectural work - there is a strong case for creating and maintaining an immersive VR portfolio of your work to differentiate your brand in front of your audience and embrace newer technologies.

Architecture Portfolio Hacks: How To Create A Recruiter-Approved Portfolio

The following article, originally published by the self-titled "Portfolio Queen," Stephanie Gleeson, gives you an insider's perspective into what recruiters are looking for when they open your portfolio. Gleeson, a Senior Consultant at boutique recruiting firm Bloomfield Tremayne & Partners, offers her top tips on everything from hierarchy tips, software and formatting, and how to present your portfolio in the interview.

When it comes to individuals pursuing architectural or interior design there is the added concern of the portfolio.

Your portfolio can tell a potential employer so much about you as an individual:

  • Are you organized?
  • Do you understand the progression of your own projects?
  • Who are you as a designer?

We want you to ace the portfolio, so here are my top hacks from having gone through the grueling process myself and what I’ve seen as a recruitment consultant. And trust me – I’ve seen a lot.

Call for Entries: The Best Architecture Portfolios

Given the hearty success of our architecture resume/CV post, we understand that there's a demand for inspirational information that will help you land the job, grant or school admission you've always wanted. But portfolios, though a basic requirement in many creative fields, can be very tricky to master. How do you select the work you want to feature? How will you present it visually? Most importantly—how will you make it memorable enough that it won't be cast aside after a three-second glance? In an age where more and more portfolios and CVs will be viewed exclusively on a screen, how have you, our readers, developed portfolios that you are proud of? We would be honored to share the most innovative, inspirational, well-designed portfolios, so submit your designs!

If you think your portfolio has what it takes to be featured in a top-10 list, then send it over. (But please read the rules and guidelines!)

5 Easy Steps to Improve Your Portfolio

In this article, originally published as "¿Qué es un portafolio de proyectos y cómo se hace?" (What is a portfolio and how do you make one?) from blog Enlace Arquitectura, the author shares a series of suggestions and steps on making a suitable and convenient portfolio for when you’re job hunting. The basis of these recommendations is to correctly understand what a portfolio is and what it should contain. It also details how to maximize creativity in the representation and execution of architectural projects when included in a portfolio.

How to Ensure that Your Online Architecture Portfolio is On Point

Why should I even have an online portfolio?

A portion of working in architecture includes having to market yourself and your skills. "One minute networking" is a skill that many architects learn in order to be successful in the creative field, but having the gift of gab requires you to put your money where your mouth is. If you have an online portfolio which is accessible with just an internet internet connection and a digital device capable of viewing it, your work is always conveniently available during your networking conversations. It's also helpful for sharing your work in online conversations: while a pdf of your print portfolio can really only be sent by email, practically every messaging app or direct messaging service built into social networks will allow you to send a link, allowing you to take advantage of an opportunity even when you weren't expecting one to arise. Finally, if you make it right your website can even do some of the advertising and networking for you.

The most important thing to remember is that like your resume or print portfolio, an online portfolio is a tool to help you advance your career, so it must be useful towards your goals. Therefore instead of asking yourself why you should have an online portfolio, you should ask yourself what those goals are, and how your online portfolio can be optimized to help you achieve them.

Now that we've gotten that question out of the way, here are 8 other questions to ask yourself:

12 Tips For Making an Outstanding Architecture Portfolio

Getting a job or internship at an architecture firm doesn't only depend on your skills as an architect (or student). The way you present your skills plays an essential role. At a time of great professional competitiveness and with resumes becoming more globalized, assembling a portfolio may seem like a chore and often very involving: Which projects do I list? What personal information do I add? Should I include my academic papers in professional portfolios?

Brazilian architect Gabriel Kogan has shared with us a list of twelve tips on how to build a good architectural portfolio, ranging from graphic design to the type of personal information and content that should be included in your resume. Read his guidelines after the break, and if you have any other tips share them with us in the comments section.

Columbia GSAPP Showcase Award-Winning Student Portfolios on Instagram

Earlier this year the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation and Planning (GSAPP) at New York City's Columbia University took to Instagram to showcase a collection of their "award-winning" student portfolios across a week of posts. Nineteen stop-motion films highlight the highly individual nature of the architectural portfolio, demonstrating a wide range of graphic styles and methods of book-binding. From hardback-bound theses to gold foil embossing and 'box-in-box' constructions, you can get a taste of some of what the school considers its finest work from 2015 graduates, after the break.

How to Stand Out in an Architecture Job Interview: The STAR Portfolio

In his previous articles, Brandon Hubbard has discussed how to create the perfect short portfolio to get the attention of your future employer, and how to prepare for some of the most common interview questions. In this post, originally published on The Architect's Guide as "4 Reasons Why You Need a STAR Portfolio," Hubbard discusses the architect's key tool at an interview, and how to maximize its potential to impress.

Perhaps the most important component of any architecture job application is the portfolio. The key is to tailor the portfolio not only to the position to which you are applying but also to the correct stage in the application process.

As I covered in a previous article, The Two Page Architecture Portfolio, your first contact with an architecture firm should include a “sample portfolio” as a part of your application. This is usually two to five pages long and just like the resume it is a snapshot of your greatest work and experience. This is the approach I recommend at the outset, while at the other end of the application process - the interview - I advise a different approach.

This is where the STAR Portfolio comes in.

6 Tips on Creating the Perfect Two-Page Portfolio to Win a Job Interview

When it comes to applying for a new job, in any field, often the most difficult part is standing out from the crowd at the first stage. Fortunately for architects, in our field we have a tool that can help you to do just this: the portfolio. Unfortunately, according to Brandon Hubbard, many architects are getting it wrong when it comes to application portfolios. In this article, originally published on his blog at The Architect's Guide, Hubbard outlines six tips on how to create and submit a two-page portfolio that will increase your chances of getting a callback.

When applying to any architecture job I advise applicants to use the shortest portfolio possible. I have successfully applied to the top firms in the world with only a resume and a TWO PAGE portfolio. Most people are surprised by this, since the typical portfolios I see are in the 20-40 page range. To be clear I am only talking about the initial introduction to a firm, not the in person interview. For that I recommend a full length traditional portfolio.

For the first contact architecture application I recommend a “sample portfolio”, usually two to five pages long. Just like the resume, it is only a snapshot of your greatest work and experience.

Getting into a portfolio discussion is difficult because a lot of the final product is creativity based. Yet, I will cover several general guidelines to follow below when preparing and submitting a sample portfolio.

Readers! Do employers put a lot of weight on what university you attended or on your portfolio?

Readers! Do employers put a lot of weight on what university you attended or on your portfolio? - Featured Image
ArchDaily Facebook Poll

A few weeks back, we at ArchDaily conducted a poll on Facebook to get a feel for what our readers think about their architectural educations. The question we asked: "Do employers put a lot of weight on what university you attended, or is it mostly about your portfolio?" had some promising results. There is a lot of cynisicm ciruclating in the professional world about what a degree from a particular university means. There are circles were some universities or some degrees are valued over others. Really though, we hope that it comes down to what each candidate can bring to a potential employer.

Follow us after the break for more.