September Portfolio Review: Finding the Direction to Lean Into

This month’s portfolio review takes a look at Melody’s work as she studies textile design at North Carolina State University College of Textiles and begins thinking more intentionally about where her strengths might fit within the industry.

Melody asked for help understanding whether her work feels on trend and what direction she should practice and develop further.

Because she’s still a student, this review is less about having a finished, pitch-ready portfolio and more about learning to look at your own work objectively—recognizing what’s working, understanding the market you’re designing for, and identifying the areas where you may have a natural strength.

During the review, we talk about:

• Recognizing the difference between the colors you personally love and the colors that work for a particular market
• Understanding how color expectations change between residential, hospitality and more trend-driven markets
• Building a collection around a strong hero pattern and supporting coordinates
• Knowing when a hero pattern needs more impact
• Studying brands you admire to better understand how they use color
• Thinking about the end consumer while you’re designing
• Recognizing patterns in your own portfolio that may point toward your strongest direction

One of the biggest things that stood out in Melody’s work is her strength with modern geometrics, stripes and unexpected color combinations. While some of the more traditional patterns felt like they needed color adjustments to better fit the residential market, her bolder geometric work felt much more natural—and may be a direction worth exploring further.

And that’s an important part of developing as a designer. Sometimes the work that comes most naturally to you can tell you something about where your strengths are before you’ve consciously decided what your “style” is.

The takeaway: You don’t have to have your entire creative direction figured out before you begin. Pay attention to where your work feels strongest, learn the market you want to design for, and give yourself room to develop from there.