What do you do if your graphic design portfolio lacks diversity? (2024)

FAQs

Why is diversity important in graphic design? ›

Representation matters in graphic design. By featuring diverse characters, voices, and experiences in their designs, designers can create a sense of inclusivity and belonging for all audiences. This includes representing people of different races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and body types.

As you're scouring your work for knock-em-dead samples, try to include a diversity of projects. For example, instead of displaying five websites you designed for five different sporting goods companies, add in the website you created for a regional bank or the print ad you designed for a non-profit organization.

In 1991, the AIGA put on a symposium that asked: “Why is graphic design 93% white?” Almost 30 years later, according to its 2019 Design Census, 61% of designers polled were women; 71% identified as White, 36% as Asian, 8% as Latinx or Hispanic, 5% as multiracial, 3% as Black, and less than 1% as Native American.

Use inclusive imagery

Infographics are highly visual, so it's important to use photos, illustrations, and icons that help your audience connect with diverse experiences. Use images that represent diverse identities, but not in a way that enforces stereotypes.

Your graphic design portfolio should include a curation of your best work, the disciplines, brands, sectors, or industries you specialize in, your design process, and a method for contacting you. ‍Best work — Your portfolio website is an online introduction or first impression to site visitors.

A successful portfolio might contain up to 20 pieces of your best work, provided that the display doesn't overwhelm or confuse your viewer. Keep in mind that as your gain experience in graphic design and complete more projects, you'll need to update your portfolio to highlight new abilities and styles.

A winning portfolio demonstrates excellent work and an ability to present process, strategy, and various design styles. Design managers want to dive deep into projects and are interested in the details. Most of them will spend 5-10 minutes reviewing a design portfolio, some more than 10 minutes.

For example, in graphic design, around 20-30 pages might be the norm. But in architecture, a portfolio might be much larger. So, it's important to know what's typical in your industry.

The perfect number of projects to have on your portfolio website at any time should be between 3-6 projects. This allows you to clearly communicate the type of work you enjoy doing while also making it easy for the viewer to remember your design work by not overwhelming them with too much.

How can I make my portfolio more creative? ›

Whether it's race, sex, gender, or neurodiversity, diversity in the workplace is vital for every industry to flourish, particularly in the creative industry. Diversity contributes to an inclusive workplace culture, market appeal, and adaptability.

And they found, these researchers, that juries that were more diverse, they were more deliberate. People came more prepared and better able to argue their ideas, and outcomes generally reviewed as being better when there are these more-diverse groups.

Diversity in Art Enriches Society

Diverse art fosters empathy, challenges stereotypes, and sparks dialogue. It makes our communities richer, more inclusive, and more connected.

Creative diversity inspires creative outcomes. Conformity discourages innovative thinking, while diverse perspectives encourage new ways of looking at problems. Therefore, more diverse design teams tend to produce a bigger impact when building solutions.