Portfolio review

The DISH portfolio review is designed to give you – a student about to embark on a career in the design industry – advice, insight, and useful information about how to present yourself and your work. Here is your chance to have a professional look at your portfolio in a no-risk, non-competitive environment. You can practice your interview skills and get honest feedback about your portfolio and resume.

Why you should attend
You will receive thoughtful, constructive, one-on-one evaluation of your work by an array of design professionals—art directors, media producers, educators, and hiring managers – from the Nashville area. Their goal is to help answer your questions and offer completely honest advice about your portfolio based on their creative perspective and experience. While this event is not a job fair, some reviewers may be looking for potential employees or interns. It is a great way to network and become aware of who’s who in the Nashville design community.

Who should attend
The DISH portfolio review is open to design students at the junior and senior undergraduate level.

What you should expect
You will have table space to set up your work. Reviewers will rotate around the room, and every effort will be made to maximize the number of reviewers who will sit with you and discuss your work. Keep in mind that reviewers will be asked to limit their critique time to 10 minutes, so be prepared to present your portfolio and get feedback within this time constraint. Dress appropriately—it is a creative field but make sure that you look professional. Although this is a non-competitive event, this Portfolio Review is designed to prepare you for the actual interview process. Be mindful of how you present yourself and your work.

What you should bring
Come with 8 to 12 of your best portfolio pieces. These can be in a book, binder, individual sheets, on a laptop or pretty much anyway you think will best display your work. It’s not a fashion show, so there aren’t any awards for the fanciest case or computer, the focus is on your work. However, we encourage students to use their display space to express their full design personality, so don’t feel limited. If you have three dimensional pieces, promos, or creative “flair” (37 pieces, to be exact) to add to your space to reflect who you are as a designer (without impeding on your neighbor’s space), go for it.

Also, unlike last year, we are not asking students to mount their work on a large mat board for display on an easel. You will have table space in front of you and should size your presentation accordingly.

Additionally, it is a smart idea to bring 10–15 copies of your resume with 3 or 4 photocopies or printouts of your best work attached so interested reviewers can take your information away with them. If you plan on showing interactive or dynamic work, come prepared with a fully charged laptop—we cannot guarantee that power will be available to every table in the room—and bring along an extension cord just in case.

Wireless Internet is installed in the space, but we cannot vouch for its reliability or latency, so we advise against relying upon it. Play it safe. If you have no access to a laptop, we suggest you present your multi-media projects as screen shots mounted on boards.

As always, if you have any questions about the review, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. This is your time to shine and we want to help!