Portfolio Development Studio
This 6-week, 12-hour online course aims to help you understand the critical elements needed to have a portfolio that's right for the projects or jobs you're seeking. Each week, group crits and activities will help you improve your work and the presentation of your work so that you can put your best foot forward.
About the Course
How do you show the work that you've done to get the kind of work you want to do?
Portfolios are windows into our creativity. They grab attention and open up new opportunities.
Crafting our portfolios is a deeply personal process that can stir up all sorts of insecurities.
The Portfolio Development Studio from AIGA will help you curate and present your best work. You’ll get:
- Guidance and feedback from industry experts
- Support from your fellow designers and
- Confidence in telling your story
Our next quarterly cohort runs during the following dates:
- Fall: September 20 to November 1 (No session on October 11)
Each cohort will meet weekly with synchronous online sessions on Wednesdays from 3 to 5 pm Eastern, along with approximately 4 hours of asynchronous content to help you build on your work between sessions.
Course Pricing + Registration
AIGA member rate $679.00
Non-member rate $879.00
Registration closes September 13
*Note: you will be directed to log into your AIGA account to purchase
Thank You to Our Partner
.design
For aspiring and established design freelancers, agencies, and design-driven brands, .design (“dot design”) is the domain name that matches exactly what you do. It improves your branding, looks great on resumes or business cards, and it adds professionalism when you use .design as part of your email address.
AIGA members receive their first 12 months of web hosting on .design free! Learn more
AIGA Members Save More
AIGA members get $200 off the non-member price.
Register early for even more savings.
Meet the Instructor
Lee-Sean Huang
Lee-Sean Huang is the Director of Design Content & Learning at AIGA. He also co-founded Foossa, a design and strategy consultancy focused on social innovation and transformative learning. He has taught courses in design and innovation at New York University, the Parsons School of Design, the School of Visual Arts, and the College of Staten Island. He has also developed and taught courses for online learning platforms like CreativeLive, Knowable, and Highbrow. He earned a bachelors in Government from Harvard and a masters in Interactive Telecommunications from NYU.
Explore the Course Syllabus
Understand your target audience
Tell your professional story
Curate your best work
Present your work in different formats & media
Communicate your unique value
Give and get actionable feedback
Past Guest Experts
Talia Cotton
Talia Cotton is a designer and coder who specializes in the intersection of branding and technology. She currently leads the design and development of data-driven and algorithmic brand identities at Pentagram with Michael Bierut and Giorgia Lupi, and teaches Advanced Interaction at Parsons School of Design. In 2019 she founded Intro to Coding for Designers, a workshop catered to boost the advancement of the study of code-as-design for the design community. Previously she led her own independent design & coding practice, working with clients such as Google and MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, and led digital brand design and development at Champions Design (formerly OCD Agency). Recently, she was a main stage speaker at the 2021 International Google Visual Design Summit and a speaker at Design Museum Week 2022, and has been recognized by D&AD Awards and TDC Awards.
Jo-Nell Sieren
Jo-Nell Sieren is a photographer, designer, educator, and career advisor. Currently, she is the Assistant Director of Industry Relations for Columbia College Chicago and has advised students majoring in Photography, Design, Art, Art History, and Interactive Arts Media. In addition to this role, she is Adjunct Faculty for both Design and Photography departments. She directs a multidisciplined team of students each semester who create FRANK Magazine, a digital publication now in its twelfth issue. Jo-Nell holds a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City and a MA in Interaction Design and Columbia College Chicago. Jo-Nell’s professional background includes; working as a Photographer, Designer, Assistant Gallery Director, Curriculum Director, and Instructor for a children’s art program.
Seth Johnson
Seth Johnson is a design leader in IBM’s CFO organization, overseeing design teams for integrated enterprise data and customer relationship management. He is particularly adept at leveraging design, designers, and design thinking within deeply technical and bureaucratic organizations to deliver business outcomes. Prior to his current role, he led a team to pioneer the infusion of design thinking into IBM’s myriad sales organizations, realizing $100m in new opportunities in the first 12 months by increasing the effectiveness of dozens of the company’s most strategic client-facing teams. As a recognized leader in the practice of design thinking facilitation, Seth has developed many of the standard facilitation practices in use across IBM today and authored the IBM Design Thinking Field Guide. Before joining IBM, Seth founded a Minneapolis-based consultancy focused on improving the patient product experience for healthcare and pharmaceutical brands. A former president of AIGA Minnesota and a long-time educator and mentor, he currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Parsons School of Design and a visiting faculty member the at ArtCenter College of Design.
Jessica Gardner
Jessica Gardner is a communication coach who specializes in working with creatives. Many struggle to find their voices and tell their unique stories with pride. She uses her experience and expertise in art, design, and teaching English to support designers in advancing their careers. She holds a BA in Fine Art and an MA in teaching ESL (English as a Second Language). Jessica was a faculty member in the English department at both the Academy of Art University and California College of the Arts. She started her private coaching business, Artglish, in 2017 and has worked with clients at Google, Uber, and Yelp. She has given workshops on portfolio storytelling for art and design organizations, such as AIGA, ArtSpan, and Design Buddies. Her most recent project is a YouTube channel featuring creatives who write effective portfolio stories.
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