✅ General Recommendations

Some general rules apply when selecting what to include in any portfolio, regardless of role.

Choosing What to Showcase.

• Aim to showcase 4 or more projects. Anything less and it might be difficult to gauge your ability to reliably create a consistent quality of work in a repeated and predictable manner.
• As a rule of thumb, you will be judged on the weakest work in your portfolio. So it is generally better to have fewer strong projects, than many of mixed quality.

<aside> 💡 A 'project' is not necessarily a single game, but moreso a collection of closely related work tied together by a strong common thread. For example, one 'project' could be a set of all of your best Achievement Icons created over multiple games.

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<aside> 💡 If you want want a second opinion on what to showcase, drop by and ask in the #share-your-work or #level-up channels on the We Can Fix It In UI Discord.

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The Portfolio Sandwich.

Across many disciplines, particularly succesful portfolios tend to follow a format colloquially referred to as ‘The Portfolio Sandwich’, which outlines both the content, as well as the sequence in which elements are presented within a project showcase. The ‘Sandwich’ is typically composed of the following:

🍞 Hero Intro in the form of the strongest high-fidelity visuals of the final product. This serves to draw the viewer in. 🧀 Design Process outlining the context of the work, and allowing space to show off your approach, strategy, and method of working. This also allows stage-setting for the following layer of the sandwich… 🥩 Static Images of the results of your work, allowing readers the opportunity for closer inspection of the bulk of the pieces. These can also be complemented by motion pieces. However, static imagery is essential as video content can sometimes be difficult to review at the desired level of detail. 🥬 Technical Breakdown of the work. This is used to showcase technical understanding, and as a demonstration of system-level thinking throughout the project. This could include typography specimens, colour palettes, ‘under the hood’ asset deconstruction samples, among others. 🍞 Hero Outro in the form of a different set of high-quality, high-fidelity visuals of the final product. This serves to end the showcase on a high note, rewarding the reader for their time, but most importantly, serving as a parting reminder of project quality.

Portfolio 'No-No's.

• You should not be using another person's assets of the same discipline as you. For example, as a UI Designer, it would be acceptable to source a 3D character model as you are not expected to be able to make 3D assets. However, you should under no circumstance purchase stock UI widget kits, and claim them as your own 'designs'.
• You should generally avoid showcasing other people's work in your portfolio. This would for example include showing images of an Interface you derived your style from to make your own UI. It can sometimes backfire against you to include such an obvious comparison point with similar work, and takes attention away from the most important part of the portfolio: your work.
• Unless you receive prior permission, do not post professional work that would breach any NDAs you are under, such as for UI for upcoming content that has not yet been revealed to the public.

🎩 Discipline-Specific Recommendations

Expectations from portfolios tend to vary quite a bit from discipline to discipline. Below, you can find some guidelines on best practices for various areas of focus.

UI Art & Design.

• View/Hide Design Recommendations