<aside> 📢 All VCD students are required to use (Adobe or others) Online Portfolio to document all class projects for end-of-year reviews.
[XMD students are also required to set up your online portfolio starting year 2.]
*We recommend Adobe primarily because it is free for design students and is considered an intuitive platform for portfolios. However, you are welcome to use any portfolio platform you prefer, or even create your own HTML website, provided your website is accessible to everyone online and follows the requirements explained below.
Other popular portfolio platforms: **Squarespace, Framer, Wix, Cargo, ReadyMag, Webflow** [”7581ad0f” is the edu code for Cargo.]
AI-enabled vibe code website building tools: **Lovable, bolt.new, Cursor, + Stitch from Google Claude Code from Anthropic Codex from OpenAi**
If you want to build your site yourself:
It’s easier than you think!
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Although an ideal portfolio should highlight your best and most impressive work, the department will require students to include all the projects they did in their design classes and design internships for the yearly assessment. You may customize the visibility of the projects for other purposes (e.g., applying for jobs in different industries).
Although small class assignments, freelance work, or self-initiated work are not required for the assessment review, you may also include them if you like.
For the end-of-year assessment, please organize your navigation with the following structure:
<aside> 💡 Year > Class (title of the class)> Projects Example: Autumn 2022 > Symbols & Meanings > Project 1 Symbol Family: 5 Senses Example: Autumn 2022 > Internship > OSU Students Life Event Flyer
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Use the project titles provided by your instructors.
A good portfolio item should not only show the beauty shots but also explain the project goal and the process. Some of the suggestions below may or may not apply to all the projects you do in class, so please consider them carefully. Also, people who review your portfolio probably won't spend more than 1 minute on it. Therefore, highlight key points, explain things clearly and concisely, and consider usability and user experience.