Your portfolio is a visual story that reveals your dedication, creativity, and process. It demonstrates how you think, how you build, and the ideas that drive your work. It may show a range of media or a few skills done exceptionally well, but what matters most is that it captures your unique design voice.
In this guide, you’ll get practical, design portfolio tips that help you build, polish, and submit your portfolio with confidence to NJIT’s School of Art + Design. You’ll learn what to include, how to present your portfolio, and how to get feedback before you hit submit.
What a Graduate Design Portfolio Is and Who Needs One at NJIT
For NJIT art and design applicants, a graduate design portfolio is a curated, multi-page PDF that showcases your best work and your thinking as an aspiring designer.
The portfolio is one part of your application. Your transcripts, recommendations, and statement of purpose also matter. Still, a strong portfolio can make a difference, especially when reviewers are deciding between strong candidates.
Examples of accepted work:
- Visual media (e.g., drawings, paintings, digital illustrations, photography, graphic design)
- Interactive media (e.g., UX/UI design, web design, game design)
- Time-based media (e.g., animation, motion graphics, video—linked within the PDF)
Each portfolio piece should have a short description and clear images. Review the requirements for School of Art + Design graduate programs and certificates here.
Why we require portfolios, and what review committees look for
We want to see your visual awareness, your craft, and your potential for success in a design program. Portfolio reviewers, who are also members of our faculty, look for creativity, problem solving, iteration, and how you communicate ideas through visual storytelling or curated experiences.
Get Feedback Before You Submit: Virtual Portfolio Reviews
Virtual portfolio feedback sessions are optional, informal, and focused on helping you strengthen your portfolio before you submit. Feedback does not determine admission. It helps you refine your portfolio, if necessary, so you can show your work effectively and submit with confidence.
Sign up early, bring your draft PDF ready to screen share, and ask focused questions. These 15-minute sessions welcome all levels. You will leave with clear next steps, which might include sourcing additional work, removing or reordering projects, or tightening captions, for example. Use this opportunity to increase clarity and impact. Sign up for a virtual portfolio feedback session here.
What to bring to your review, and what to ask
Bring your digital portfolio, a list of 2 to 3 questions, and any pieces you feel unsure about. Ask for feedback on:
- Project order and variety
- Clarity of captions and labels
- Image selection and hierarchy
- Fit for your target program and goals, including design challenges in project complexity
Revise fast, then finalize your submission
After your portfolio review, be sure to thank the person taking time to provide feedback. Implement the feedback you received, then re-export, recheck links, and test the file again. The final PDF should flow well, read easily and have good navigation.
Design Portfolio Tips to Build and Submit a Standout PDF
Embrace quality over quantity in your portfolio. Clarity, consistency, and quality beat volume. Your goal is not to show everything. Your goal is to show who you are as a designer through a tight selection and a clear sequence that makes it memorable.
Use strong image quality, readable typography, and simple layouts with open white space. Keep captions short. Use a consistent grid and style for headings. More tips for design portfolio below.
Suggested structure:
- 5 to 10 projects, each with a brief description. Descriptions often include:
- The medium or software used
- Dimensions of the project, if it’s a physical piece
- Key details about the work
- Whether it was an undergraduate class assignment or a passion project
- What inspired the work
Design portfolio software you can use:
- Adobe InDesign for precise layout
- Figma for layout and linking
- Keynote or Google Slides exported to PDF
- Photoshop or Affinity Photo for image prep
Your website is helpful, but the required submission is a multi-page PDF. Do not expect reviewers to automatically look at your website.
Pick projects that show range and/or depth
Aim for variety with a clear focus. Mix academic work and/or personal projects. It’s helpful to include at least one project that shows the design process, from early sketches to the final outcome. Avoid repeating too many similar projects. If your work is cohesive in one medium, that can be fine.
Examples of case studies that fit:
- A product sprint that answers, what to include in a product design portfolio
- A UX case study with research, wireframes, and UI
- Infographics you created that visually communicates complex ideas or data
- A design system for branding with logo, type, and applications
- A small built prototype or installation with documentation
- A motion piece with storyboard and final frames
- Screenshots showing time series of gameplay from a game you designed, coded, or built
Document each project clearly with short captions
Help reviewers scan fast. For each project, include:
- Title and 1 to 2 sentences on the concept and goal
- Medium and tools or software used
- Measurements and dimensions wherever possible
- Your role if it was a team project
- A brief note on outcomes or impact if relevant, such as small metrics or a wall of love with praise
Use captions to connect images so the story is easy to follow. In a ux design portfolio, for example, call out things like user insights and how they shaped the design.
Lay out a clean, readable PDF (multi-page file)
Keep the format simple:
- Keep type styles consistent.
- Use high-resolution images, but compress the file to a reasonable size.
- Insert clickable links for any videos or reels.
- Use a simple file name, like lastname_program_portfolio.pdf.
If your program allows it, include a link to your online portfolio on the back page. It can show more breadth than the PDF.
Use a simple preflight checklist
Before you submit, run a fast check:
- Proofread captions and headings
- Click every link
- Confirm image quality
- Verify page order and page numbers
- Re-export to reduce size without losing definition
- Test the PDF on a laptop, tablet, and phone
- Back up your files
- Submit before the deadline
Submit your portfolio, confidently
Start curating your projects today, schedule a feedback session soon, and finalize your PDF with care. Your future program is ready to see your best work in your portfolio, advancing your design career. If you're ready for the next step, apply now.
