Building a portfolio for games design using Artstation

Hey all!

When you're on a coursework-based course like games design, one of the many “fun” little things you’re going to have to do is put together a portfolio to showcase your work to potential employers (and also of course just to show off). It’s a real hassle, but if you’re hoping to get a job within your field it really is a MUST.

Some universities require you to put together a portfolio before applying, thankfully Huddersfield never requested that from me which is a huge relief considering the closest I came to games design before this was making collages from leaves. However, if you’re already on a games design course in college I’d say it’s definitely worth including a few examples of your work in your application.

When it comes to making a game art portfolio, your best and easiest bet is to use Artstation’s portfolio creator. Its super easy to use and with a bit of tweaking can provide you with a nice professional looking layout. I simply started by uploading renders of my work to my gallery and added a few brief descriptions for each one.

Uploading your work to your portfolio takes little to no time at all, however making sure your work is ready to be presented is key. I spend a good few hours putting together each of my renders to ensure I’m presenting my work in the best light possible.

Tutors are always happy to take a look at your portfolios and give you honest critique, which really helped me display my work in a professional manner.

Another helpful little tip for you, you should always display only your best work. One thing a lot of employers do is immediately look at your worst work and judge you from that. Presenting a few pieces of high quality work is better than displaying a lot of child-like scribbles.

When it comes down to it, the more time you put into developing a nice-looking portfolio the higher the chance that you’ll stand out from the rest. Ensure you’re always putting 100% effort into all the work you do. It may be soul-crushing at times but it’s so worth it in the end.

If you want to check out my portfolio you can find it here.

https://callumpogson.artstation.com/

See you next time!