How to Build a Portfolio as a Graphic Designer

Contents

• Why do you need a portfolio?
• What works to choose for it?
• How to create a portfolio. Life hacks
• How to present a portfolio so that people want to see it
• What mistakes do designers make when creating a portfolio
• Why update your portfolio and how often do you do it?
• Useful resources from the editors of Skillbox.by

A well-designed portfolio plays a key role in landing your dream job, finding clients, and the opportunity to earn an excellent income in the design field. It should tell the story of your growth, uniqueness, and passion for graphic design. It should display your strengths and convey your artistic vision. We share useful tips for creating a portfolio that will impress employers and clients and keep their attention.

Why do you need a portfolio?

A portfolio can open many doors for collaboration opportunities, instill confidence in the artist, and demonstrate why the choice of a designer was the right one.

Experienced graphic designers pay special attention to creating a good portfolio. It is a visual presentation of their skills and capabilities to potential employers and clients.

A portfolio is a marketing tool, a way of self-expression and creative search, through which the designer demonstrates his unique style to clients.

Which Works to Choose for Your Portfolio

There are a lot of nuances to consider when creating a portfolio. The most important one is choosing completed projects as examples. Finished design cases should showcase your skills and align with your chosen direction.

World-renowned graphic designer Pavel Nolbert says that for your portfolio you should choose 4-5 of the strongest projects, in your opinion, within a single stylistic concept. They should align with your idea of ​​good design and hold the client's attention until the end of viewing.

If you've solved ten uninteresting problems and one worthwhile one, then highlight the latter in your portfolio. If there is no such work, then you can come up with a client and develop a project for them worthy of a business card. Over time, you will have more good cases, and you will be able to expand your portfolio and increase competitiveness.

How to create a portfolio. Life hacks

The main goal of self-presentation is to interest in vision, concept and unusual details. When reviewing projects, the client should understand that the solutions were not pulled out of thin air, but were thought out and found through lengthy development. To do this, when creating a portfolio, be sure to consider the narrative format and presentation structure. The portfolio will be logically correct and easy to navigate if:

• On the first page, you place a striking main image. It sets the mood and makes you want to continue browsing.
• The main image is accompanied by a meaningful and interesting headline. If you add intrigue while maintaining the meaning, the page is guaranteed to be turned for further viewing.
• You briefly described the essence of the portfolio in a short introduction of a few sentences. At this stage, there is no need to reveal literary talents; you need to immerse the client in the main essence.
• You have presented the best design projects, in your opinion, with concise explanations and short comments. A step-by-step demonstration of solutions will best show your search path.
• You have used customer testimonials in the form of direct speech. The presence of real satisfied customers will inspire trust in the employer or client.
• You did not forget to create a conclusion that clearly reflects the benefits of your projects.
• You've carefully thought out your portfolio design. Perhaps, it will ultimately become your most important project.

How to present a portfolio so that people want to see it

It's not enough to create a portfolio; you also need to place it on a convenient resource with easy navigation. This could be a PDF, video, advertising page, or website. The format you choose will depend on the volume of cases you use and the design direction you choose.

The easiest way to publish a portfolio is to choose popular design platforms - Behance, Dribbble.com, Dropr.com, Carbonmade.com, Flickr.com, Adobe Portfolio. Moreover, these sites have a community - your work will be noticed and appreciated not only by clients, but also by colleagues. And useful connections will significantly increase the chances of finding your dream job.

What mistakes do designers make when creating a portfolio

The listed mistakes are the most common when creating a portfolio. By preventing them, a designer can avoid pitfalls and develop a good business card the first time.

• Design distracts attention from projects. To demonstrate experience, use a simple composition and a discreet background. Maintain a consistent style from start to finish.
• The designer talks about themselves, not about the benefits of their product.Compare: "I will create packaging design for your product" and "I will make your brand recognizable, and you will be able to increase sales thanks to the new packaging design."
• Poor photo quality.Poor-quality photos can ruin even the most top-notch and well-thought-out project. To make your portfolio lively and memorable, make sure to use high-resolution photos.
• Animation overload in design.Create a static portfolio, but only animate elements that aren't static in reality.
• A large number of stop words, punctuation, and grammar errors. Make sure your text is easy to read.

Why update your portfolio and how often should you do it?

After a while, the projects published in your portfolio already seem outdated. Designer skills improve every day, new cases appear that can replace old options. Therefore, promptly delete old works that no longer reflect your current level.

Useful resources from the Skillbox.by editorial team

Before sending your portfolio to an employer, answer these three questions:

• Is the portfolio easy to navigate and view?
• Is there any unnecessary detail in the design, are all the points important?
• Can you understand my vision and search for solutions in each of the cases?

If the answer to each of these questions is yes, then feel free to send your portfolio to potential clients and employers. And so that you can develop your eye for creating a portfolio, the editors of Skillbox.by have collected useful resources for you:

bestfolios.com — this resource contains more than 300 thousand examples of the best portfolios on graphic design;

bowwe.com — a universal and easy-to-use web editor, on where you will find useful tips for graphic design;

Science of Design - the YouTube channel contains tips on how to become a designer, including recommendations for creating a portfolio.