Career Program | Portfolio School
Build A Standout Design Portfolio That Gets Real Results
96% of design hiring managers say the first thing they look at is the portfolio. Is yours up to scratch? If you already have a design foundation but not a portfolio, or your existing portfolio needs improvement, our flagship Portfolio School program is where real change happens.
$100K
Average Starting Salary
$30K
Average Salary Increase
92.5%
Employed Within 6 Months
Learn the Secrets to Creating A Non-Cookie-Cutter Portfolio That Gets You Hired
We created our Portfolio School because time and again we hear design school or bootcamp graduates say they don’t have a portfolio of work they’re confident in and employable—that’s where we come in.
This course is designed to help you focus on refining and elevating your work to a stand-out level. Our industry professional instructors will guide you through the most important things to consider when building your portfolio, and help you showcase the depth and breadth of your design skillset and knowledge.
2–3 m
Typical Duration
3+
Portfolio Projects
1:1
Weekly Sessions
Find Your Program
Which Situation Sounds Like Yours?
Whatever your background, we have a program built for your exact situation.
Getting Your First Design Job?
You are ready to get your first design job, but your portfolio is preventing you from landing that first offer.
1
Portfolio Upgrade
"I have a portfolio — it's just not landing me jobs"
For bootcamp graduates, self-taught designers, and college design degree graduates
$2,100
one-time
or $700/mo × 3 · no interest
2 months
10 sessions
3 projects
- 3 existing portfolio projects elevated and reworked
- Case study storytelling & visual presentation that lands
- New personal branding + portfolio website
- Career strategy, interview and resume coaching
2
Portfolio Build
"I have the design knowledge — but no portfolio yet"
For bootcamp graduates, self-taught designers, and college design degree graduates
$3,200
one-time
or $800/mo × 4 · no interest
3 months
16 sessions
3 projects
- 3 portfolio projects built from scratch (Real startup client work available)
- Case study storytelling & visual presentation that lands
- New personal branding + portfolio website
- Career strategy, interview and resume coaching
3
Portfolio Transition
"I come from adjacent creative fields and want to design"
For professionals in adjacent creative fields like fashion design, graphic design, architecture, etc.
$3,200
one-time
or $700/mo × 4 · no interest
2.5 months
16 sessions
3 projects
- Existing projects translated into UI/UX case studies or create new projects from scatch (3 total)
- Assistance in translating adjacent creative experience to design
- New personal branding + portfolio website
- Career strategy, interview and resume coaching
Want to experience the curriculum before you commit? Start with the free 14-day preview.
Already A Designer?
You have a portfolio and lots of experience — but it needs to evolve for the next level. These two paths are built for that.
1
Working Designer Program
"I want a promotion or a better-paying role at a new company"
For working designers looking for a promotion or a better-paying role at a new company.
$2,100
one-time
or $700/mo × 3 · no interest
2 months
10 sessions
3 projects
- Improve your existing portfolio projects
- Show your best work despite NDA restrictions
- Work on promotion or new role strategies
- Refresh your website design and personal brand
2
Leadership program
"I'm a senior designer targeting a principal, staff, or director role"
For senior designers looking to level up into director roles, or become staff or principal designers.
$3,200
one-time
or $875/mo × 4 · no interest
3 months
16 sessions
3 projects
- Rework your current portfolio to show strategy work
- Work on leadership promotion strategies
- Show your best work despite NDA restrictions
- Work with director-level instructors
Want to experience the curriculum before you commit? Start with the free 14-day preview.
Bundle and Save
Combine a short, upskilling course with Portfolio School for a deeper program at a better price.
1
Visual Design + Portfolio School
For designers from bootcamps, adjacent fields, or self-taught backgrounds who need to build visual design fundamentals before portfolio coaching
$3,750
one-time
or $750/mo × 5 · no interest
5 months
22 sessions
3 projects
- Learn visual design foundation first
- Move on to portfolio and save $100
- Seamless transition
- Leave the program with an outstanding portfolio
2
Art Direction + Portfolio School
For designers taking Art Direction who also want a portfolio that reflects their directorial thinking and creative leadership
$3,699
one-time
or $740/mo × 5 · no interest
5 months
21 sessions
3 projects
- Study Art Direction first
- Move on to build Art Direction-specific portfolio
- Work on promotion or new role strategies
- Refresh your website design and personal brand
Not sure which program works for you? Book a free 30-minute portfolio review — we’ll tell you exactly where to start.
What You Will Build
Six Things We Help Students Achieve
1
Build
3 High-Quality Portfolio Projects
Create and receive multiple rounds of detailed feedback from our expert instructors on 3 new (or existing) portfolio projects. Work with real startup clients, your own clients, or our industry project-inspired briefs.
2
Improve
Existing, Outdated Projects
Inject new life and energy into stale projects that need improvements in visual design, storytelling, or complexity, and expand smaller projects to larger-scale projects required for the roles you aim for.
3
Work With
Real, High-Growth Startup Clients
Student Favorite
Upon request, we pair students with high-growth, startup-accelerator-accepted real company clients to work on a project.
4
Build A
Unique, Unforgettable Personal Brand
Build your unique personal brand not just for your job search but also as a foundation for your design career that stays with you.
5
Build A
Beautiful, Custom Portfolio Site
Build your non-cookie-cutter portfolio website that will land your application in the “hell yeah” pile in the job applicant screening process.
6
Receive
Personalized Career Coaching
Learn to confidently present your work, negotiate salary effectively, and manage clients before you even start your design job search process.
What You Will Learn
Lesson
What Is A Design Portfolio
You will learn how design portfolios affect the success of a designer’s career and see some initial examples of outstanding portfolios
Lesson
Curating Your Portfolio
You will learn techniques on how to choose the best work for your portfolio, how many projects are necessary and how to present them.
Lesson
Presenting Work In A Portfolio
You will learn about different portfolio website styles, the role of a personal brand, how to put together mockups and resources you can use to get started.
Lesson
Maintaining and Upkeep
You will learn strategies on maintaining, updating and redesigning your portfolio throughout the course of your career as a designer in order to stay competitive in the job market.
Lesson
Approaching Creative Briefs
You will learn how to get started on dissecting creative briefs and decide on initial creative strategies
Lesson
Ideation Techniques
You will learn helpful techniques on how to come up with creative directions that steers the project in the right way
Lesson
Thumbnailing
You will learn how to use thumbnailing as a core technique for ideation and creative direction
Lesson
Moodboarding
You will learn why moodboarding is important for the ideation stage of the creative process and how to use it to narrow down visual directions and communicate your ideas effectively to clients.
Unit
Portfolio Project 1
You will work on (or revise and improve if you are in the Express track) the first full-scale portfolio project using one of our creative briefs that are designed with industry-level complexity. You will receive hands-on guidance from your instructor as well as frequent feedback as you go through iterations.
Unit
Portfolio Project 2
You will work on (or revise and improve if you are in the Express track) the second full-scale portfolio project using one of our creative briefs that are designed with industry-level complexity. You will receive hands-on guidance from your instructor as well as frequent feedback as you go through iterations.
Unit
Portfolio Project 3
You will work on (or revise and improve if you are in the Express track) the third full-scale portfolio project using one of our creative briefs that are designed with industry-level complexity. You will receive hands-on guidance from your instructor as well as frequent feedback as you go through iterations.
Unit
Personal Brand Logo Design
You will work on creating a logo for your personal brand as well as defining the tone of voice and personality of your brand.
Unit
Personal Brand Typography Design
You will work on creating a set of typography guidelines for the visual assets of your personal brand
Unit
Personal Brand Color Palette Design
You will work on creating a color palette that speaks true to your personal brand identity that you will use for your visual design throughout different medium.
Unit
Personalized Brand Elements
Unit
Storytelling in Case Studies
Unit
Case Study Building
You will begin to write your case studies for each of your four projects and receive feedback from your instructors.
Unit
Case Study Feedback & Revisions
You will receive detailed feedback for your case studies from your instructor and make revisions.
Unit
Build Your Site Map
You will build your sitemap as the blueprint for your portfolio website
Unit
Gather Inspirations
You will gather visual inspirations to determine the style of your website
Unit
Portfolio Website Design & Feedback
You will work on the design of your portfolio website and receive feedback from your instructor.
Unit
Introduction to Hosting, Domains and SEO
You will learn what hosting and domain names are and how to set your website up for success with knowledge of search engine optimization
Unit
Build Your Custom Website With Webflow
Working with your instructor, you will determine which no-code building platform works best for your needs. We introduce Webflow, WordPress and templated website platforms such as Wix and Squarespace for students to choose from.
Unit
Build Your Custom Website With WordPress
Unit
Build Your Custom Website With A Templated Platform
Unit
Design Interview Techniques
You will be trained in effective interviewing techniques relating to the design industry
Unit
Portfolio Case Study Presentation
You will learn techniques on how to present your case studies in the most engaging manner
Unit
Articulating Your Design Decisions
You will how to articulate your design decisions to receive client buy-ins
Unit
Networking
You will learn how to approach networking in the industry in the most authentic and sustainable way
Unit
Salary Negotiation
You will learn how to find out common salary ranges for jobs you are going after and how to negotiate the best compensation package for yourself
Unit
Content Creation
You will learn how you can leverage content creation to build a brand for yourself and start your freelance or entrepreneurship journey as a designer
Unit
Client & Stakeholder Management
You will learn strategies for managing client expectations and effective communication with stakeholders
Unit
Managing Up, Pushing Back, Advocating for Design & Compromising
You will learn techniques on managing your manager, advocating for the importance of design in your organization and how to compromise in a team environment
Unit
In House vs. Agency
You will learn about the differences, pros and cons of working in an in-house environment
Unit
Generalist vs. Specialist
You will learn the differences between a generalist and a specialist in the design industry
Unit
Freelancing As A Designer
You will learn how to get started on freelancing as a designer
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Is Portfolio School Right For Me?
Our program is a game-changer for many people, but it’s not right for everyone
✅ Who This Program Is For
finished another design course or bootcamp but your portfolio isn’t getting interviews or offers
have design foundational knowledge but no portfolio projects and/or portfolio website, and you want to get it right the first time
have design projects but struggle to turn them into strong case studies that land interviews and offers
working on your portfolio, but want accountability and expert guidance to cross the finish line
have an outdated portfolio, lots of new projects, and feel overwhelmed to update on your own
want structured feedback and career strategies guidance from top design professionals
are serious about landing a high-paying design role within the next few months
are a working designer looking to secure a better-paying role or a promotion
✖️ Who This Is Not For
don’t yet have foundational design knowledge (in that case, apply to our School of Design program)
are not ready to commit 10-15 hours per week (for 9-12 weeks) to get your portfolio in the best shape possible
are not ready for the financial commitment (we do have a monthly payment plan)
are not looking for a design or creative job in the next few months
want to self-study and not have weekly instructor feedback sessions
looking for one-off portfolio feedback (we have a separate offering for this!)
online, video-conferencing style learning doesn’t work for you
want a “job guarantee” that is commonly used as an exaggerated marketing strategy
Not sure yet?
Free resources to help you decide
Take one of our free diagnostic tools to find out exactly where you stand and what to do next.
1
Free Call
Book a Free Portfolio Review Session
Whether you have attended another program and unhappy with your portfolio or you are not sure if Portfolio School is what you need, we are happy to hop on a free 30-minute portfolio review call with you to point you to the right direction.
2
Diagnostic Quiz
Why Are You Struggling With Your Design Job Search?
Have you submitted hundreds if not thousands of design job applications and heard nothing back? You are in the same boat as over 90% of job applicants. But most of them will never know why. Take our simple and free “diagnostic” test to find out.
We Do It Differently, The Right Way
Features
Other Programs
Path Unbound
Instruction Quality
- 😥 Crowd-sourced "mentors" (hit or miss experience)
- 😃 Highly vetted instructors with proven teaching experience
Portfolio Quality
- 😥 Cookie-cutter projects (that get lost in a competitive job market)
- 😃 Unique projects with real-world complexity and client work opportunity
Choice of Instructors
- 😥 Students are assigned a random "mentor"
- 😃 Students can choose the instructor they work with
Personalization
- 😥 None - everyone must take the standardized program
- 😃 Customizable - we recommend the correct course bundles for students with diverse needs
Industry Expertise
- 😥 Founded by non-designers at big corporations backed by venture capital
- 😃 Founded by award-winning designers with deep curriculum experience and genuine care for students
Career Coaching
- 😥 Generic advice from general career coaches valid only for 6 months after graduation
- 😃 Individualized career strategy coaching from industry experts, always available after graduation at affordable per session rate
Instruction Quality
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Crowd-sourced "mentors" (hit or miss experience)
- 😃 Highly vetted instructors with proven teaching experience
Portfolio Quality
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Cookie-cutter projects (that get lost in a competitive job market)
- 😃 Unique projects with real-world complexity and client work opportunity
Choice of Instructors
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Students are assigned a random "mentor"
- 😃 Students can choose the instructor they work with
Personalization
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 None - everyone must take the standardized program
- 😃 Customizable - we recommend the correct course bundles for students with diverse needs
Industry Expertise
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Founded by non-designers at big corporations backed by venture capital
- 😃 Founded by award-winning designers with deep curriculum experience and genuine care for students
Career Coaching
Other Programs
Path Unbound
- 😥 Generic advice from general career coaches valid only for 6 months after graduation
- 😃 Individualized career strategy coaching from industry experts, always available after graduation at affordable per session rate
Student Portfolios That Transformed Their Design Careers
We’ve seen some incredible project transformations come through our portfolio school. Check out some of our favorite results!
Portfolio School
From Freelance Illustrator to Full-Time Agency Visual Designer
Carina’s portfolio spans branding, animation, and illustration — a creative range that opens doors for her immediately after graduating from Portfolio School.
Portfolio School
From Architect to Multidisciplinary Visual Designer
Kyle came from architecture, with some of his own study in visual design, but struggled to translate that into job offers. After Portfolio School transformed his portfolio, he started hearing back.
Portfolio School
Nicholas had already been working as a designer but was struggling to make his next move. After completing Portfolio School, he transformed his portfolio, which allowed him to advance his career.
Portfolio School
Architha was working as a senior designer, but found it challenging to update her portfolio due to time and NDA constraints. At Portfolio School, she was able to achieve that through our bespoke coaching.
We Dare to Speak The Truth
Why We Don't Have A "Job Guarantee"
There is no guarantee in life - why in job?
No one is guaranteed anything in life – we aren’t guaranteed to live another day, why would there be a guarantee in jobs?
We don't do marketing gimmicks
“Job guarantees” are riddled with loop holes (just read the fine print) and designed to be a marketing gimmick. We believe more in honesty.
We help students get hired
We understand there is no refunds for time spent, which means we must make it count for students who spent theirs with us.
Our instructors need to get paid a living wage
And we dare to speak the truth – our instructors do not work for free. Our student tuition is used to pay our instructors a living wage.
Not Job Guarantee, But Better
Career Services
Career support that starts before you graduate and continues as long as you need it — on-demand, no expiry.
Career strategy starts during your program
1:1 coaching sessions prepare you with an individualized, actionable job search strategy before you graduate — not handed to you as a generic document on your last day.
On-demand support throughout your job search
Stuck in final round interviews? Not getting callbacks? Failing the whiteboard challenge? Book sessions with a Path Unbound instructor anytime — there’s no expiry date on the support.
Graduate with a portfolio that actually wows
We never rush students out with half-baked portfolios. Every graduate leaves with visually impressive work that engages hiring managers and seals the deal.
Most students are hired within 6–8 months
Some even before finishing the program. We follow up with graduates in their new roles and foster a community of creatives who believe in making a great living doing what they love.
Already have a strong portfolio but the search isn't working?
Available to Path Unbound graduates and non-graduates alike. These focused packages address the job search itself — not the portfolio.
1
Job Search Guidance Single session
One focused hour on whatever is blocking you right now — application strategy, a specific interview you’re prepping for, salary negotiation timing, or general job search direction.
$100
per one-hour session
- Get help with where to focus your application effort in
- Get help preparing for a specific interview
- Offer negotiation strategy and career positioning
2
Most Popular
Strategies SOS Pack
For designers who are getting stuck in the job search process and looking for immediate clarity and strategy coaching to land their dream jobs.
$275
3-sessions
- Why you're not getting callbacks — application and targeting audit
- Interview performance review and presentation coaching
- Offer negotiation strategy and career positioning
Save $25 vs buying sessions individually
3
Interview Intensive
For designers actively in multiple hiring processes. Sustained support across application strategy, final round interviews, whiteboard challenges, portfolio presentations, and offer negotiation.
$450
5-sessions
- Focused session on your interview strategies
- Mock interview practices with instructors who have been hiring managers
- Portfolio presentations, white board challenges and more
Save $50 vs buying sessions individually
Instructors Who Do Well and Teach Better
Stephanie Sell
Product Designer
- Washington, D.C. USA
Jenni Renas
Visual Designer
- Richmond, Virginia, USA
Arnold Kotra
Brand & Visual Designer
- France
Ashley May
Senior Product Designer
- Michigan, USA
Nina Shahriaree
UI/UX & Visual Designer
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
Silvia Script
Senior UI/UX Designer
- Washington D.C. USA
Almost Ready to Apply?
Preview the Program for Free
Get 14 days of free access to the Portfolio School program and see what it’s really like to transform your portfolio at Path Unbound before you make a decision — no credit card required.
Merit-Based Scholarship
At Path Unbound, we provide scholarships to students with demonstrated financial need and creative talent as part of our mission to make design education accessible. You may apply for merit-based scholarships by completing our creative challenge.
FAQs
If I go over the suggested time of the course due to my schedule, can I extend?
We require every student to sign an enrollment agreement which stipulates the suggested length of each course. We ask that students commit to the course period they agreed to when they enrolled. We do have flexibility that requires a separate written request from students if special circumstances arise that necessitates a course extension. We will evaluate each circumstance on a case-by-case basis. Our goal is to help students graduate as soon as possible so that they can reach their career goals in the shortest timeframe possible while remaining flexible enough to accommodate special circumstances.
What kind of portfolio should I expect to produce from this course?
You should expect to produce a visually-polished and completely customized portfolio website with 3 portfolio projects, including 1 real client project, that have been reviewed, critiqued and iterated during your assigned coaching sessions.
Unlike many other programs, we emphasized on individualized coaching for portfolios. We hold students to the highest standards in terms of their work, especially the visual quality, the case study presentation and the storytelling of their personal brand.
Expect to have a stunning portfolio that wows anyone who comes across it, but you have to work hard under our guidance to achieve that.
I don't have any design background. Can I enroll in Portfolio School?
We require that students either 1) already completed a design education program at another institution or by self-study, or 2) complete our School of Design certificate program first before enrolling in Portfolio School. You cannot produce the level of portfolio that we require for this program if you are starting from 0. Luckily, we have the exact design education program to help you meet the requirements of this program.
After a student applied to Portfolio School, we require them to complete a short design assessment to make sure they are fully-skilled in design foundation. If you did not pass the assessment, we will suggest you take our School of Design program, which is designed for students with 0 foundation or students whose design skills need improvements.
Which track should I take?
If you already have at least 3 finished portfolio projects, we recommend the Portfolio Express track where you spend 6+ weeks learning no code website building tools, working on your personal brand, designing your portfolio website, building it yourself and receiving rigorous feedback for iterations.
If you already have a solid design foundation but do not yet have any portfolio projects, or if you are unhappy about your current portfolio projects and want to work on new ones, we recommend the Portfolio Kickstart track, where you have an additional 6-7 weeks to work on new projects under our guidance. You will also receive the bonus opportunity to be paired up with a startup founder for an optional month-long startup project if you choose to.
What is the difference between School of Design and Portfolio School?
School of Design is our main design certificate program where we take students from 0 to 100 on learning how to be a great digital-first designer. We created a well-rounded curriculum that builds a solid foundation for students who do not yet have experience in design. The certificate program includes 9 courses with in-depth focus on topics that are most relevant to becoming a successful designer. We recommend students who have no design background to enroll in the full program and take all 9 courses, but if you already have some experience in design, you may choose to skip over some courses. We will help you determine your custom course package once you apply to enroll.
Each course in the School of Design program can be taken individually for students who would rather build their skillsets one topic at a time, but remember that you will pay more per course if you take courses individually rather than enrolling in the certificate program.
If you decide to enroll in our certificate program and receive a reduced workload recommendation from us, you will also receive a reduced tuition rate accordingly.
Portfolio School is for students who have either 1) completed School of Design or 2) completed another education program from another school or through self-study and now wish to create a uniquely outstanding portfolio to be competitive in their career search.
I completed a program from another school. Will I still benefit from Portfolio School?
For most students who completed another program from another school, you probably feel unfulfilled or unsatisfied with the outcome of your portfolio, if you are looking at this page. If that is how you feel, then yes, you will benefit from this program. In fact, a large number of our students are in the same shoes as you! We specialize in “filling in the gaps” and helping students work on parts of their portfolio that they are not confident about.
What type of support do I have after I completed Portfolio School?
We do not abandon our students after they graduate! We are always open to hearing your career journey after you completed the program. You can always purchase additional coaching sessions a la carte if you need more support after the program. We would also invite those students who want to share their stories with prospective students back for events, workshops and even as our podcast guests! So don’t be a stranger.
Can I get a refund if I am unhappy with the program or cannot continue?
To reference our complete financing and refund/dropout policies, please refer to the refund policy page for all details.
Students Had Their Lives Transformed
Hear what our students have to say about Path Unbound, and how studying with us transformed their careers.
Gabriella Magamas
Fashion to UI/UX Designer
Sydney Hartman
From Retail to Visual Designer
Carina Venet
From Part-Time Illustrator to Full-Time Designer
Parker Cho
Marketer Turned Designer
Kristina Bozhanova
From Print Designer to Digital Designer
Donna Carroll
From Dancer to UI/UX Designer
Ready to launch your design career yesterday?
Your dream career doesn’t start itself, but we are here to help as boutique design school founded by designers that cares about quality over anything else.
