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14
Self-Editing Checklist
Before finalizing your portfolio, conduct a systematic self-audit across two levels: individual project quality and overall portfolio coherence. Use this checklist to identify areas for refinement.
Project-Level Audit
Portfolio-Level Audit
Visual and Production Quality
Narrative and Content
Final Production
Common Narrative Failures
If your portfolio feels off but you cannot pinpoint why, revisit the five common narrative failures described in Section 4: The Greatest Hits Portfolio, The Process Dump, The Beautiful Mute, The Buried Lede, and The Academic Hedge. Each has a specific fix. The checklist above will help you identify which failure pattern, if any, applies to your current draft.
The Golden Rule
Every image should earn its place. If you cannot articulate what a specific image communicates within the project narrative, it should be removed.
Before You Submit
Print your portfolio and review it from across the room. Squint at it. Does it feel like a cohesive whole or scattered and busy? Can you scan the key ideas in 5 seconds? Does it feel like you? If the answer is yes to all, you are ready.