For 27 years I have recruited architects and designers for the most selective studios across the Middle East and Europe. I speak to hiring directors at Foster + Partners, Killa Design, HOK, Morphosis, Woods Bagot and NEOM every single day, and I review between 200 and 800 portfolios a week.
In 2026, every single candidate who secured an interview through AE Recruitment had completed my Portfolio Masterclass and implemented the advice. 90% of candidates who updated their portfolio based on my feedback gained an interview. This is not theory, it is pattern recognition from thousands of portfolios and real hiring decisions.
By the end of this masterclass, you will:
- Know exactly what hiring managers at Tier 1 studios look for in the first 30 seconds of reviewing a portfolio, and how to pass the test.
- Have a clear framework to show your contribution and design process, even on large team projects, so a director can see how you think, not just what the office produced.
- Understand how to edit, structure and sequence your projects so your portfolio tells a compelling story instead of feeling like a dump of work.
- Treat your portfolio like the design project it is, with a concept, hierarchy, grid and narrative that matches the standard of studios you want to join.
You will leave with a specific action plan for restructuring your portfolio, built on the same standards I apply before I send a candidate to a hiring director.
Portfolio Masterclass
- Work through 8 focused modules at your own pace – designed for busy architects and designers.
- Learn directly from live hiring feedback from world‑leading architectural and design studios.
- Use downloadable templates and examples as a starting point, then tailor them to your own work and style.
- Apply a clear, positive framework that results in sharper, higher‑quality application materials – not just more pages