Dale Bohnert, manager of design and

communications for 3M Brand Identity

at 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota, says that

while portfolio presentations have

become more electronic or virtual in

nature, he prefers portfolio presenta-

tions in person, rather than via email.

“The digital age has made it all too

easy, too impersonal,” Bohnert says. “I

design, and interaction design require

different kinds of portfolio representa-

tion than traditional portfolios—say,

for graphic design, industrial design,

or interior design. “The purpose

of the portfolio is simply to rapidly

demonstrate competency and quality

of creative thinking,” Eckersley says.

“It shouldn’t be lorded over and turned

into the equivalent of a fetish object.

ferent situations, for different people.”

As Michael Eckersley, principal at Human Centered, a U.S.-based team of affiliated designers, social scientists, and

planners, explains, most design today involves plenty of teamwork; the portfolio presentation must be descriptive of that

process and credit others on the project. He believes that portfolios today are most useful and accessible online. “Imagery

must be contextualized as to project profile, role descriptions, and project outcomes,” Eckersley says. “Effective portfolios

I deal with today involve video and storytelling, not simply static imagery.”