I don't bring anything to interviews. I just open my site up on a laptop.

My new portfolio got about 50 companies pursuing me at once. For UX I think the big things were explaining my thought process and including mistakes. For visual, process is important as well, but the final product carries more weight.

I would spend some time thinking about what kind of place you want to work at and curate your portfolio for that. Is it an agency? Add you edgier work, maybe some content sites you've done. Is it a product company? Add designs for mobile or web apps.

If you don't have anything yet, make it!

Side projects ! :) I think that more and more designers have a github profile. That can be a reliable proof of what you've shipped.

It seems like the biggest trend these days is case-studies that show your process. Not a day goes by that I don't see a new UX portfolio with 300+ word project writeups.

I've been interviewing and reviewing portfolios since '04 and usually look at a dozen or more every week.

Agreed that case studies online are preferred, especially if you're applying for something more UX focused. It's important to demonstrate your understanding of the problem you were given (or maybe that you reframed), and how you went about solving that problem.

Also, please don't just re-present your website in an interview. The hiring manager has already read it — it's too easy for it to feel like a rehash.

Consider showing less online with teasers about what you can follow up on in person. Or only show one in-depth case study online, saving the others for the meeting. If the interview is more than a 1-on-1, you're probably better off preparing a presentation to introduce yourself, talk about what matters to you as a designer, who inspires you, etc. as well as show your work.

Also, prototypes — even basic ones in Keynote / Invision / Flinto / Marvel — often go over well in an interview. Or record screencasts as a fallback.

More advice I wrote elsewhere: How context matters when presenting your work (Quora)Hiring a Designer: How to Review Portfolios (Google Ventures)

I've gone in with Minimal Folio (http://www.simonheys.com/minimalfolio/) on an ipad so that I can access the work offline and work that might not be public. Not great for interactive work because it's static and image based but normally gets the job done and can hop into something live if need be.

While on the portfolio subject, how do you guys deal with retina support? Especially when showing off older projects?

For my first job I carried around a print portfolio, which worked at the time.

For my second and third job I said screw it, used an iPad with images to show my work. Which was much easier to update and maintain, and even flip through and display the work.

And the companies that actually offered me a position (and I accepted) never even asked me to pull the portfolio out when we met. They had already reviewed my work online, and if they had questions asked.

In the end, do what feels right, but don't get hung up on how you display your work, whether on an iPad or printed on paper. However you handle your portfolio show your best work, explain it well, and display it like a pro.

Bonus: one reason a print portfolio may not always be a good idea is because of the craft aspect. I've seen people with excellent digital work hand out poorly crafted print portfolios, and that sucks. So if you produce a print portfolio, use good paper with good print quality and make it look dang good!

I would be prepared for anything and everything.

Going into an interview, you should already be familiar with the company you're interviewing with, so it's good to cater your work towards what the company is looking for. Additionally, I would be prepared to bring any additional work you find relevant (side projects, prototypes, process book, etc.). As being part of both sides of the interview process, there's nothing more assuring about a candidate than when you throw a curve ball at them and they're prepared to hit it out of the park.

Also, covering the little details of your interview will go a long ways: i.e. - researching your interviewees, bringing a lot of questions, printing plenty of resumes/business cards, if you're showing work on a laptop make sure you have proper cables/battery/offline versions of your work, etc.

Remember, your portfolio gets your foot in the door. Your mouth lands you the job.

I will build mine using Octopress. I really need just a simple layout. Nothing fancy at all.

I'm still in college and have one more semester left..this was a heated debate last semester haha!

The result: Depends on where you're applying.

If your'e applying to a print based design studio, perhaps it is more appropriate to have a printed portfolio. And likewise, if you're applying to a digital studio, an ipad will do ya just fine..a laptop can sometimes feel clunky.

The last interview I went on they just requested to see my portfolio website, which I presented on a iPad. And 6 pieces was more than enough to show.

I think a lot of designers simply use their dribbble or behance profiles as portfolios.