Preparing Your First

Architecture Portfolio

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Your architecture portfolio gives you

the opportunity to illustrate the design
skills that you have set out in your CV.
It substantiates and proves that you
can do what you say you can, while also
expressing your own particular creative
flair. What you choose to show in your
portfolio should reinforce your CV,
highlighting what you are capable of,
and also supporting how you present
yourself in an interview.

Preparation

Starting out, as a student or graduate, your portfolio

will most commonly consist of speculative projects
that you have completed at architecture school,
unless you have gained additional work experience
in a practice outside of your course.

Prepare your portfolio in such a way that it can be

submitted separately from your CV. Remember you
may need to produce both an electronic and a hard
copy portfolio – depending on the requirements of the
potential employer. 

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Electronic and hardcopy

For the electronic version, ensure your portfolio is

created in a graphics layout program, such as
InDesign, with a consistent layout and typeface.
This will keep the file size lighter and give more
uniformity in the presentation.
Individual JPEG, PNG or PDF images in a mixture
of styles can look unprofessional and messy if
submitted individually. Try to keep the file under
5MB, otherwise, it may not get through your
potential employer’s server.
For a hardcopy portfolio – ready to take to an
interview – use a size such as A3 so it is easy to
print out and sufficiently portable, while still
readable.

Design ideas
Include a timeline of experience that
doubles up as a contents page
Graphically indicate degree of
competency for different skills - think dials,
bar charts or beginner/intermediate and
advanced gradings
Consider including a drawing of your own of
a favourite building by a notable architect. As
an immediately recognisable building, this
image will spark interest

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Curating your portfolio
Use your CV as the starting point for deciding on the skills that you want to emphasise when
selecting work to include in your portfolio. You need to show the diversity and range of
techniques that you have been able to develop so far. It is not just about exhibiting your mastery
of various software programs. It is important to showcase your ability in other media, such as
hand-drawing, photography and physical model-making. You also need to include work that
encompasses the full range of architectural design conventions from the concept sketch to site
plans, complex axonometrics, cross sections, final visualisations and construction details.

Practice type
Pay attention to the type of practice that you are applying to. If, for instance, you are seeking a
job with a small practice that specialises in residential projects ensure that your portfolio
includes domestic floor plans and elevations. Consider how best you can communicate these
skills in a project-related context. Ideally, try to include them in relation to a realised project.
Use any relevant work experience that you may have been able to undertake. Or, if this is not
possible, then relate the images to a particular university project assignment with
the Plan of Work design stages in mind.

Design ideas
Think of your portfolio as a challenge in graphic legibility and storytelling. Tell a
brief story of the essence of each project and support this with compelling
imagery, which connects with your passions and the value and design profile of
the practice that you are applying to.
Create a factsheet at the beginning of each new project sheet in your portfolio.
This factsheet could include key information on the project, such as: location,
client, budget, RIBA stages and your role on the project. This can help to inform
your employer of the breadth of your knowledge across stages.

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Highlighting skills and connections to your CV

If you have been able to carry out relevant work experience, what skills and experience did you
state you had gained in your CV? Are you able to illustrate them visually? For instance, with
images that highlight the solving of a design problem, construction detailing or architectural
visualisation.

Consider the best type of image to use and ensure that it is of the highest quality. Remember
that the skills you demonstrate in your portfolio will be those for which you’ll be hired.

Remember to organise your portfolio in chronological order – start with images that illustrate
your university work first, and then those from any relevant work experience. Make the
connections to your CV clear. For each image, include a focused narrative – a short paragraph
or 2-3 bullet points indicating the purpose of that image and what you are intending to
illustrate. The images should be easy to read – but also illustrate your creativity and design
ability. Think carefully before using anything other than a simple white background.

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Portfolio presentation

A practice needs to be able to refer to your portfolio as a standalone document, so include

your name, your college or university, your current status and contact details on an
introductory first page or front cover. A simple font and a representative image are all you
need by way of a cover sheet to give a positive first impression.

Final finessing

If in doubt of whether to include an image or not leave it out. Less is most often more. It is
important that you edit your portfolio, so it represents only your best work that is the most
relevant work for a specific application.

You are telling the story of your career so far, so ensure that you have led the reviewer through
that story with clear signposts. As with your CV, show it to a colleague or peer and get their
feedback.

RIBA Jobs Portfolio Tips

Focus on the particular parts of projects on which you worked yourself. Try to
demonstrate your specific skills, e.g where you solved a design problem, or where
you solved a technical issue
Try not to include images of a project simply because you like them – they need a
purpose for being in your portfolio. Offer images in a variety of media and formats,
e.g. hand drawings, perspectives, plans, 3D, photographs
Focus on the most recent projects on which you have worked. Prospective
employers will want to know where you are now.
You may have to email your portfolio, so use a simple format such as PDF and try to
keep the file under 5MB, otherwise it may not get through the server of the potential
employer.

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