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Creative portfolios, CVs, and applications

Creative applications are designed to showcase your skills, experience, and creative work. This page provides guidance on what employers may ask for, including creative CVs, portfolios, showreels, and further resources.

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Applying for Creative Careers

A creative CV is designed to showcase your creative skills, and is often used to demonstrate skills for a role which includes elements of design, art, technology, animation, VX/FX or production.

For many creative careers, your CV is only one part of the application. Employers, commissioners, agents, production companies, studios, festivals, publishers and arts organisations may also ask to see examples of your work. This might include a portfolio, showreel, website, writing sample, pitch document, treatment, storyboard, social media campaign, design work, code repository, performance footage, or other evidence of your creative practice.

The key question is not simply “how creative should my CV be?” but “what evidence will help this employer understand what I can do?”

A creative application should be clear, tailored and easy to navigate. It should demonstrate your skills, judgement, ideas, process and potential, while still giving the reader the practical information they need.

What you might be asked to provide

Start with the role

Before deciding what to send, look carefully at the role, organisation and application instructions.

Ask yourself:

  • What skills are they asking for?
  • What kind of work would I be doing in this role?
  • What evidence would help them trust that I can do it?
  • Are they asking for a CV, portfolio, showreel, written answers, examples of work, or a link to a website?
  • Are there technical requirements, such as file size, format, video length, image resolution or naming conventions?

A creative approach can work well when it supports the application. It is less effective when it makes key information harder to find.

For some roles, a well-structured traditional CV with links to relevant work will be stronger than a highly designed or unusual CV. This is especially true where employers use online application systems or applicant tracking software.

Application materialWhat it is useful for
Traditional CVUseful for most roles. Shows your education, experience, skills, achievements and relevant activities clearly.
Creative or designed CVMay be useful for design-led roles where layout, visual identity or typographic judgement are part of the skillset.
Online portfolioUseful for visual arts, design, fashion, architecture, photography, illustration, animation, games, UX, digital media and other portfolio-based roles.
PDF portfolioUseful when an employer asks for a fixed selection of work or where you want to control the order, layout and presentation.
ShowreelUseful for film, television, animation, performance, editing, motion graphics, VFX, sound, music and production roles.
WebsiteUseful as a central place to bring together your CV, portfolio, showreel, biography, contact details and links.
Writing sampleUseful for journalism, publishing, copywriting, theatre, comedy, screenwriting, communications and editorial roles.
Pitch document, treatment or proposalUseful for film, television, theatre, games, publishing, arts, media and creative development roles.
Storyboard or process documentUseful where employers want to see how you develop ideas, not only the finished outcome.
Social media or campaign examplesUseful for marketing, communications, PR, content, digital media and audience development roles.
Code repository, prototype or interactive demoUseful for games, creative technology, digital design, web development, UX/UI and interactive media.
Speculative applicationUseful in areas where opportunities are not always advertised, including production, media, theatre, publishing, museums, galleries, advertising and smaller creative organisations.

You do not need all of these. Choose the materials that fit the role and help you evidence your skills most effectively.

Further information

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