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Steps to Making a Professional Custom Portfolio Book

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In the ever-changing job market, it can be hard to leave a lasting impression with a potential employer, customer, or client. One sure-fire way to make sure that you are remembered is with a custom portfolio book. Not only will a well-made portfolio book showcase all of your qualifications in a neat and professional way, but it will cause you to stand out in a sea of generic candidates.

What are Portfolio Books?

A portfolio book is a visual representation of you or your business’ abilities, skills, knowledge, outstanding projects, and more! It tells of your potential and the value that you will bring. Individuals can use portfolio books to demonstrate their tangible qualifications for a position. Companies also use portfolio books to educate their consumer base about what they can do for you. These are also called company biography books.

Do I need a Portfolio Book?

Portfolio books are great tools to accurately showcase the results that you brought to your other clients and are a more in-depth showcase of your services. If you are a company looking to record the history and value of your business, a company biography book is a great way to stand out among the competition.

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It is important to include the right information and to make sure that your book is well-designed. Remember, this book is going to be a reflection of your business, so it has to demonstrate your professionalism and your organization. If you are a seasoned worker and are looking for a job, you need a portfolio book. This is especially true if you have a career in graphic design, architecture, technology, etc.

How to Create a Professional Portfolio Book

It can seem a little bit daunting to compile your portfolio book, but don’t worry! We have created a simple list of all of the information you should include in your portfolio:

Portfolio-Book-Table

What Information to Include in a Company Portfolio Book

  • Table of Contents: Make it easy for potential customers and clients to find the information that they’re looking for.
  • Company Biography: A short blurb on what your company does and the values that your company practices.
  • Key Workers: Recognize the key cogs in your business; give each person a photo and short description on what they do at your company and why they love it.
  • Overview of Your Services: Give a short description on all of the services or products that you offer. Include pictures!
  • Case Studies, Photos, Examples: Include a couple of pages or a spread showcasing your best work.
  • Customer Testimonials: Include some of your best reviews from your customers!

What Information to Include in a Personal Portfolio Book

  • Work Samples: Include some of your best work. For example, any reports, studies, projects, presentations, or anything else that you were particularly proud of.
  • Career Summary and Goals: This is a great opportunity to show your work ethic, ambitions, and management philosophy.
  • Resume: Be sure to include your traditional resume as a summary of your education, work experience, accomplishments, and honors.
  • Skills and Marketable Qualities: Time to really sell yourself! What do you bring to the table? Create a detailed examination of your abilities, how many years of experience you have in that skill, and specific experiences that demonstrate an application of that skill.
  • Accomplishments: Include a list that highlights any notable accomplishments you have had in your career to date.
  • Testimonials of Service: Include letters from prior co-workers, managers, or customers that recommend you for that position.
  • Awards, Honors, Degrees, Certifications: Include evidence of certificates, awards, licenses, or degrees.

Designing Your Portfolio Book

The content of your Portfolio Book is only half of what you need to focus on. Once you have your collection of work that you want to present, you have to focus on the presentation. Portfolio books are recommended to be between 20 – 40 pages, so how are you going to make all the pages interesting?

Be sure to include relevant images! These can be of you working on a project or the results of a project. You don’t want to bore your potential employer or customers with a mass amount of text and no pictures. Make sure you use high-resolution photos so that your pictures are as clear as your potential. Imagine if you were reviewing a graphic designer’s portfolio book and they had blurry images. Would you trust them to do good work? Consider dedicating an entire page to a beautiful photo to break up your text. If you only have a digital file of a work sample that you want to use, consider creating a mockup to creatively showcase your work.

Types of Portfolio Books

The goal of your portfolio book and your career will influence how your booklet looks. Are you in an artistic field with lots of pictures and graphics? Or are you in a mathematical field with charts and numbers? This will influence the type of binding, paper, and size you will want to get.

Make sure you choose a portfolio printing company that will be able to offer you the creative liberty and guidance to execute your vision. At PrintingCenterUSA, our easy online platform makes it a breeze to create your perfect custom portfolio book. PrintingCenterUSA offers 4 different binding options, shown in the image to the right (from top to bottom): wire-o, spiral, perfect bound, and saddle stitch. We would recommend saddle stitch or perfect bound because they are the most popular options. Wire-O is also a professional option.

Depending on the type of portfolio book you are creating, we have different types of paper to beautifully showcase your work. If your portfolio has lots of images like for a graphic design portfolio or photo book, we would recommend using 100# Gloss Cover and Insides to make your images shine! If you are creating a portfolio that is more text-heavy, we would recommend using a 100# Gloss Text for the Cover, and 100# Matte Text for the insides. Matte paper will have a minimal glare, making it easier to read the text on the page. Many people also enjoy 70# uncoated paper.

So, what size should you make your portfolio? You can order your Portfolio Book in a variety of sizes at PrintingCenterUSA. PrintingCenterUSA offers your traditional 8.5 x 11, but don’t feel like you have to be limited to that. PrintingCenterUSA can print portrait, landscape, and square books ranging from 4.5 x 11 to 12 x 12! Large portfolio books can easily impress and smaller, more affordable, books are great for leaving-behind after an interview or meeting.

If you are looking to stand out from the crowd, create a portfolio book with PrintingCenterUSA. PrintingCenterUSA’s top-notch customer service is happy to help you create your perfect Portfolio book. Use PrintingCenterUSA’s photo book maker to easily create your book!

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