Being a designer, I know how important a portfolio is for a career in the creative field.
And being able to make your own portfolio book gives you freedom to customize and make
it your own.
For all you student or professional designers, artists or photographers out there — I'm
going to share with you my process on how I made my own...
In this tutorial, I'll show you an alternative way to make your own portfolio book.
I won't be showing you how to layout your work on the pages, I'll leave that up to you,
but I will mainly focus on the cover and binding which will provide a professional look and
an easy way to update your pages without having to make a whole new cover.
You are free to use this tutorial as inspiration for your own book.
Feel free to alter some things, like the colors, materials or size, to suit your own style.
Here's a list of materials and tools I'll be using.
So for the sake of this tutorial, these pages will be blank because I'm focusing on the
construction of the book.
First, I'm going to get the inside pages in order and build my cover around their size.
This portfolio book is basically a booklet saddle stitched to the outside cover.
I decided to make my booklet 12 pages.
To make the inside booklet, you can design it yourself in Adobe programs and print it
on your own or work with your local print shop to print the spreads for you.
Another way you can do it, is to find a printer to make the entire booklet for you.
There are some print services online that can do this, just do a search for "saddle
stitch book printing service".
Their sizes and prices may vary, but it is an option.
You can then remove the staples, or see if they can make it without staples and then
bind it to your handmade cover.
For me, it's convenient to use my home printer.
So I've decided to make my spreads 12x18 which will be printed double sided on 13x19 paper,
then scored, trimmed out
and folded into a 9x12 booklet.
I like this size, but of course, it's up to you.
You can adjust the size to suit your preference.
You can then trim the ends of the booklet so they're even.
And make sure you've adjusted your layout for this, so you aren't cutting off an important
part of your artwork.
If you get a rough edge, you can use a file or sandpaper to lightly smooth it out.
Then prepare the book for binding.
Start from the middle and pierce holes on the spine.
Make them about 1.5" or 4cm apart.
Now it's time to make the cover.
To learn more about board you can use, check out this video here.
You can also find the link in the about section below.
I'm using the back of 2 11x14 drawing pads for my board.
I recommend using thick board, that is at least 2mm thick.
First, take the measurement of the booklet and add 1/8" (3mm) to the width, and add 1/4"
(6mm) to the height.
This will be the size for both front and back covers.
For the spine, use the same height and make the width 1/2" (13mm).
Then cut all the board pieces out.
For the cover material, I'm using this black vinyl that I bought from a local fabric store.
You can use thick paper too.
If you want to use fabric, check out this tutorial here to learn how to make it into
book cloth.
This will prepare it so the glue doesn't seep through or cause wrinkles.
You can also find this link in the about section below.
I chose vinyl because I like that it can easily be cleaned and it's pretty durable for when
you need to carry your portfolio around to a lot of places.
Because my vinyl already has a backing, It's fine to use as is.
Cut out a good size piece so there is a border of at least 1" (2.5cmm) around the edge and
glue one cover down.
Flip it over to smooth out.
Then measure 1/4" (6mm) plus the thickness of your board.
Use this measurement to make a gap on both sides of the spine.
And glue on the remaining board pieces.
Flip it over and use a bone folder to smooth out any air bubbles and press in the creases.
Then place heavy weights or books on it and let it dry.
This is a good time to rinse off your glue brush while you wait.
After it's dry, make sure the edges are trimmed with an even border all around, and cut the
corners like this, leaving a small gap at the tip.
Then glue the edges over.
It helps to have a paper towel handy to wipe spilled glue off.
For the corners, press the little gap in.
This is hard to do with vinyl, but I found if you use a binder clip to press it for about
10 seconds, it helps it glue better.
Just don't leave them on because it will leave a dent.
Now, measure the whole flat cover and subtract 1/2" (13mm) from the width and height.
Use this measurement for the inside material.
Measure and cut it out.
Then glue this piece centered onto the inside.
Use a bone folder to smooth out and press the material into the creases.
If you're using black vinyl like I am, make sure you wipe away extra glue from the sides.
Dry glue is more visible on black vinyl.
After all sides are glued down, put some scrap paper over it to soak up extra moisture and
place heavy weights or books on it to let it dry.
I let the whole thing dry overnight so that overall cover would dry flat.
After the cover is dry, it's time to make the holes for binding.
Using the booklet as a guide, center it on the outside spine, and mark where the holes
will go.
Then you can use an awl to pierce through.
This is optional, but I like to use eyelets on the holes.
If you choose to use these, make sure the holes are big enough for them to fit.
You can either press and lightly tap them in so they are snug.
Or you can put a little glue on them.
Once those are set, saddle stitch your booklet in.
To learn more about thread you can use, check out this video here.
You can also find the link in the about section below.
Whatever thread you choose, keep in mind, it will show in the center of your book.
I'm using a large needle, single threaded with craft thread to saddle stitch my booklet
to the cover.
If you want to learn more on how to saddle stitch bind with thread, check out this tutorial
here, or see the link listed below.
After all that hard work, you are now ready to show off your projects in your new portfolio
book.
Then when you want to refresh your pages, just cut off the thread, and saddle stitch
your new pages in.
I hope you found this tutorial helpful.
Feel free to like, share and leave your comments below.
If you end up making one of your own, I'd love to see it, so feel free to post a pic
on my Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram.
For more tutorials, be sure to subscribe and check out my channel.
You can also find direct links and more information listed in the about section below.