A professional portfolio tells a story about what you do and how you do it, often tailored for a particular audience. Think of your portfolio as a tool for visualizing and managing a dynamic collection of samples and problems solved.

Your portfolio should consist of more than a series of examples, however. Ideally, it would comprise a systematic method you use to demonstrate to potential clients or employers that you have the expertise to solve their problems. In this way, your portfolio can illustrate the process you use to achieve your results, as well as a selection of your products.

A technical communicator's professional portfolio may contain a variety of textual and visual design specimens represented in a hard copy format, digital format, or both.

• You might use a hard copy format to have ultimate control over interviewing situations. When you maintain possession of your portfolio, you can direct attention to a specific progression of accomplishment.

• You might use a digital format to facilitate remote interviewing and informal networking. Sharing your work electronically can enable your clients, colleagues, or prospective employers to peruse your work in an independent mode, or see examples of multimedia projects.

Regardless of the form or format, knowing your audiences' expectations is key. Determining their preferences can help you choose the color, organization, pace, and mood of your portfolio design. After deciding which items each audience would want to see, you can include selected elements such as a résumé, project plan, tailored examples, measurable results, product ads, industry reviews, testimonials, awards, and more.

Ideal navigation within a portfolio depends on who is "driving." When using a hard copy portfolio, you may wish to take charge of revealing the contents in a particular sequence. In the case of a digital portfolio that would be viewed independently, you might offer various ways of accessing the information. You could group samples by category as well as provide navigational threads that illustrate end-to-end solutions.

The collection below represents a rich source of tips and advice on portfolio design from several experts. Within each article are numerous links for downloading presentations and related materials. Our chapter will continue to add to the material in the form of articles and further information. In the meantime, we welcome your ideas and comments!