Clare McNally once again got students from the Visual Communication courses at DMJX pumped about their portfolios — a super important topic for all young creatives starting their professional journey into the advertising and graphic design industries.

👆🏽 Austin Kleon still has some of the best advice about putting yourself out there as a creative (and sure, your 'website' could now be tiktok or insta — times and tech change, but many of the core principles of sharing your work don't).
Read his book "Show your work" and anything else he's written.

One of the key points Clare highlights is that student portfolios should be packed with personality. This is especially important for young creatives as they're often hired just as much on personality and potential as work. Her interactive talk gets students thinking about what they really like and what makes them unique and interesting.

And, while personality is vital, she also stresses that creatives shouldn't go too wild and forget about their work. Great portfolios get the balance right — feedback from peers and pros can help you find your personal sweetspot. 🎯

Clare McNally has taught portfolio classes for the Danish School of Media and Journalism and Miami Ad School, and has been a mentor for D&AD New Blood and The One Show Young Guns for a few years.

She has also written for Creative Review about her experience of reviewing portfolios, and has created an instagram platform about portfolios @missionportfolio 🚀

Hopefully some of her obsession rubbed off on the students, and their upcoming portfolios will get them the dream jobs they deserve! 🙌🏽

Tags: advertising, Creative portfolios, Creativity, Students, teaching, The future