The 3 Portfolio Tips I Wish I Could Tell My New Surface Designer Self
When I first started designing patterns, I thought the hard part was making the art. Turns out? Creating is only half the journey. The other half, putting those designs into a portfolio and actually pitching them, was where I got completely stuck.
I remember staring at my files, asking myself:
Do I need 100 pieces before I’m ready?
How do I even organize this stuff?
What if it doesn’t look professional enough?
That stuck place cost me opportunities. Which is why I want to share the 3 portfolio tips I wish I could go back and whisper to my younger self, so you don’t waste time in the same spiral.
1. Curate With Confidence
You don’t need a massive portfolio to start pitching. What you do need is clarity and cohesion. Choose your strongest pieces, even if you only have a handful, and let your unique style shine. One polished, cohesive collection will take you further than a messy folder stuffed with everything you’ve ever made.
2. Organize Like a Pro
Art directors don’t want to dig. If your portfolio feels chaotic, they won’t stick around to make sense of it. Use a clear, simple structure that makes browsing easy. Think of it like designing the experience of looking at your work, clean, intuitive, professional.
3. Polish It to Pitch-Ready
Here’s the truth: perfectionism will keep you waiting forever. Instead, focus on avoiding common portfolio pitfalls, presenting your work cleanly, and packaging it in a way you’d feel proud to send out tomorrow. Pitch-ready doesn’t mean flawless, it means clear, confident, and professional.
Ready to Take Your Portfolio From Stuck to Polished?
If you’ve been creating designs but keep hitting a wall when it comes to building your portfolio and actually pitching, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
That’s why I created The Polished Portfolio Method, a step-by-step course to help surface designers build a portfolio that not only looks professional but gets noticed.
You’ll leave with a clear, organized, and pitch-ready portfolio, one you’re excited to share (instead of hiding on your hard drive).
The Polished Portfolio Method is for new and emerging surface pattern designers who:
Have artwork but no idea how to present it in a way that feels professional.
Already started a portfolio, but it looks messy and doesn’t feel pitch-ready.
Feel overwhelmed by the tech, the tools, and all the “shoulds” they’ve read online.
Want to stop waiting until everything is perfect and start getting their work in front of brands now.
The 3 Portfolio Tips I Wish I Could Tell My New Surface Designer Self!
Struggling to build a surface pattern design portfolio? Discover 3 essential portfolio tips every new surface designer needs, plus a step-by-step method to create a polished, pitch-ready portfolio that gets noticed.
