Sequence / Portfolio practice
Make the first few pages count
A reader should be able to understand the brief, your role and the main design idea without reconstructing the story from disconnected images.
Open with a clear proposition
Use the first spread to identify the project, its context and the architectural question. Give the reader a reason to continue. A powerful image can help, but it should be supported by an informative caption.
Build a legible progression
Arrange the material so that site, concept, spatial organisation, development and outcome can be followed. This is not a rule that every project needs the same number of pages. Give more space to decisions that reveal your contribution.
Use drawings as evidence
Plans and sections often explain relationships that renderings cannot. Label them clearly, indicate scale where appropriate and direct attention to the design decisions they demonstrate.
Try this on your next draft
Print the portfolio or view it at the size a recruiter is likely to use. If the main idea is unclear in the first minute, revise the opening sequence.