12.3 | Portfolio Curation

Key Terms

Portfolio: A curated collection of a designer’s best work, organized and presented to show range, growth, and skill to an audience such as a client, employer, or admissions reviewer.
Curation: The deliberate act of selecting which pieces belong in a portfolio (and which don’t). A strong portfolio is chosen, not simply everything a designer has ever made.
Project Description (Artist Statement): A short written summary accompanying a portfolio piece that names the project’s goal, the designer’s process, and the tools/techniques used. Context a viewer can’t get from the image alone.
Presentation: The formal act of showing and explaining design work to an audience, including the poise, pacing, and structure of how it’s delivered, not just the work itself.
Constructive Criticism: Feedback that is specific, objective, and kind. Naming exactly what works and what could improve, rather than vague praise or unfocused negativity.
Plus/Delta: A two-column critique format, Plus (+) for what’s working, Delta (Δ) for what should change, used to structure peer feedback into something specific and actionable.
Poise: Confidence and composure in how a presentation is delivered. Steady pacing, eye contact, and clear language, developed through practice and repetition.

You’ve made a lot of work this year. Comps, artboards, a self-portrait, a stained-glass piece, a poster, a sticker pack, a brand package, and more. Today’s job is turning all of that into one coherent portfolio that actually represents you as a designer.

Bell Ringer (~10 min)

Without looking anything up yet, list every FDD project you can remember making this year, oldest to newest. Then check your Google Drive folders and Google Sites Portfolio. How close was your memory?

Direct Instruction (~10 min)

Guided notes: a strong portfolio isn’t “everything I’ve ever made”. It’s curated. Look for range (different skills, not five versions of the same thing), your genuinely best work (not just your most recent), and pieces relevant to whatever you want the portfolio to say about you. You can organize chronologically (showing growth over the year) or thematically (grouped by skill or project type). Either is valid, but pick one on purpose. Every piece needs a short project description: what was the goal, what was your process, what tools did you use?

Would you rather a portfolio show your growth over time, or only your best final work with no weaker early pieces visible? Why?

Guided Practice (~23 min)

As a class, critique a sample portfolio page together. What’s missing, what works well. Then, with a partner, draft one practice project description together before working independently.

Studio/Project Work Time (~30 min)

Publish your work to your Google Sites Portfolio

Create a new page on your Google Sites Portfolio to catalog your work.
- Your work should be exported in a web-safe format in a manner that allows for the work to be embedded without requiring Google Drive permissions
Your work should be accompanied by a detailed project description
Submit the published portfolio page to your LMS (Schoology)
Review your own year of FDD work. List every project.
Select and rank your strongest pieces. Aim for range, not just quantity.
Draft a project description for at least 3 of your selected pieces.

Which piece almost didn’t make the cut, and why did you include it anyway (or leave it out)?

Exit Ticket / Wrap-Up (~5 min)

🗂 Organize: Put your ranked shortlist of portfolio pieces and draft project descriptions for at least 3 pieces in your binder. Save a screenshot of your in-progress portfolio page in the Photos folder of your Digital Design project folder on Google Drive.

📤 Exit Ticket: Emoji Meter. On a scrap of paper, draw ONE face that matches how confident you feel about today’s skill: 🙁 (not yet), 😐 (getting there), or 🙂 (got it). Then explain why in at least 3 sentences (aim for 5), connecting your answer to something specific from today, not just a general feeling.

Stuck on how to start? Try: “I drew ___ because ___. Specifically, when I tried to ___, I ___. Next time I want to ___.”