Portfolio
Origin
Italian portafoglio, from portare to carry (from Latin) + foglio leaf, sheet, from Latin folium
Definitions
- 1: a hinged cover or flexible case for carrying loose papers, pictures, or pamphlets
- 2:[from the use of such a case to carry documents of state] : the office and functions of a minister of state or member of a cabinet
- 3: the securities held by an investor : the commercial paper held by a financial house (as a bank)
- 4: a set of pictures (as drawings or photographs) usually bound in book form or loose in a folder
- 5: a selection of a student's work (as papers and tests) compiled over a period of time and used for assessing performance or progress
Description
- Art
An artist's portfolio is an edited collection of their best artwork intended to showcase an artist's style or method of work. A portfolio is used by artists to show employers how versatile they can be by showing different samples of current work. Typically, the work reflects an artist's best work or a depth in one area of work.
Historically, Portfolios were printed out and placed into a book. With the increased use of the internet and email however, there are now websites that host online portfolios such as Pippa. They are also available to a wider audience.
A key component is the editing of work. Regardless of the depth of an artist's, the editing process allows for a clean, concise presentation to the intended audience. You can add from basic knowledge of your art in your visual like resume in portfolio. Sometimes, an artist portfolio can be referred to as a lookbook.
When creating a portfolio, it is vital to consider your audience. You must consider who will see it, why they are looking at it, and what you are trying to accomplish with it.
- Career
Career portfolios are used to plan, organize and document education, work samples and skills. People use career portfolios to apply to jobs, apply to college or training programs, get a higher salary, show transferable skills, and to track personal development. They are more in-depth than a resume, which is used to summarize the above in one or two pages. Career portfolios serve as proof of one's skills, abilities, and potential in the future. Career portfolios are becoming common in high schools, college, and workforce development. Many school programs will have students create, update, and use a career portfolio before moving on to the next level in life.
Career portfolios help with a job or acceptance into higher education institutes. A career portfolio should be personal and contain critical information. Items that should be included include (but are not limited to) personal information, evaluations, sample work, and awards and acknowledgments. Career portfolios are often kept in a simple three-ring binder or online as an Electronic portfolio and updated often. A career portfolio is used as a marketing tool in selling oneself for personal advancement. In some industries, employers or admission offices commonly request a career portfolio, so it is a wise idea to have an updated one on hand.
- Finance
The term portfolio refers to any collection of financial assets such as stocks, bonds, and cash. Portfolios may be held by individual investors and/or managed by financial professionals, hedge funds, banks and other financial institutions. It is a generally accepted principle that a portfolio is designed according to the investor's risk tolerance, time frame and investment objectives. The monetary value of each asset may influence the risk/reward ratio of the portfolio and is referred to as the asset allocation of the portfolio. When determining a proper asset allocation one aims at maximizing the expected return and minimizing the risk.
