Architecture portfolio checklist (2026)

A reviewer at a busy studio gives your portfolio about 30 seconds on the first pass. This is the structure, the file specs, and the 20-point checklist to make those seconds count — built for the application (sample) portfolio, not the academic archive.

The two portfolios (send the small one)

The sample portfolio is what you attach to applications: 10–15 pages, 2–4 projects, curated for the studio you're writing to. Thefull portfolio is everything you've done — it lives on your site or comes to the interview. The single most common mistake is sending the archive when they asked for the sample.

Page-by-page structure that works

• p.1 — cover: name, contact, one image of your strongest work. No table of contents theatre.
• p.2 — your best project, best image: reviewers often decide here. Lead with the project most relevant to the studio's work, not your chronologically-latest.
• pp.2–12 — 2–4 projects, 3–4 pages each: for each, one hero image, one drawing that proves technical ability (plan, section, detail), one line stating the brief, your exact role, tools used, and year. Group work is fine — say precisely what you did.
• last page — skills & contact again: software (be honest about levels), languages, licensure status.

File specs studios expect

• PDF, under 10 MB — HR inboxes bounce bigger; compress images to 150 dpi, don't paginate a WeTransfer link into the void.
• Landscape A4 or A3, consistent grid, generous white space — the layout itself is judged as design work.
• Filename: Lastname_Firstname_Portfolio_2026.pdf. Ten "portfolio.pdf"s arrive every day.
• Drawings over renders: European studios repeatedly say a beautiful section beats a Lumia-sunset render. Show you can draw a building that stands up.

The 20-point pre-send checklist

• ☐ 10–15 pages, not 40
• ☐ Strongest project first, tailored to this studio
• ☐ Every project: brief, your role, tools, year
• ☐ At least one technical drawing per project
• ☐ Group projects credit your exact contribution
• ☐ Under 10 MB, opens on a phone
• ☐ No pixelated images at print zoom
• ☐ Consistent typography (one family, two weights)
• ☐ Page numbers; no orphan captions
• ☐ Contact details on first AND last page
• ☐ Filename carries your name
• ☐ Spelling checked in the application language
• ☐ No confidential client material from past employers
• ☐ Software list matches what the ad asks for
• ☐ Links (site, LinkedIn) actually work from the PDF
• ☐ Exported PDF fonts embedded (open on a machine without them)
• ☐ One-page CV attached as a separate file, same design language
• ☐ Email body: 5 sentences, names a project of theirs, no "Dear Sir/Madam"
• ☐ Sent to a named person where findable
• ☐ Tracked in your application tracker

Free tools for the job

InDesign is the studio standard, but Scribus (open source) andAffinity Publisher (cheap, one-off) produce identical PDFs — see the free software guide. Compress with your exporter's 150 dpi preset, not a random website you're uploading your work to.

More guides: the September hiring wave · working in English · free architecture software.