create the perfect design portfolio

8/13/2019 Create the Perfect Design Portfolio

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Create the perfect design portfolio: 30 pro tips

Whether physical or online, your portfolio is your career

calling card. Here's how to get it right and win that dream

job.

How much time do you spend improving your design portfolio? Be honest - does it showcase

your best stuff?

There's nothing more important to your career than presenting your best work in an attractive,

professional and accessible way. o for this article we've spoken to leading designers, illustrators

and creatives and pulled together a selection of great tips and advice for dusting off a tired designportfolio and making it the very best it can be. o whether your portfolio is a physical or digital

one, read on, and discover how to create the perfect design portfolio today!

Looking for a design job? Check out the Creative Bloq jobs board!

Physical portfolios

There's no

rule to say you can't have different design portfolios for different "obs
http://jobs.creativebloq.com/jobs/design/http://jobs.creativebloq.com/jobs/design/


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#hysical design portfolios are one-off paper creations, so they can be tailored to the "ob you are

applying for. $ther than time constraints, there's no reason you can't create multiple design

portfolios tailored to different "obs or different types of company.

01. Include a breadth of wor

How many e%amples should a design portfolio include? &t's a tricky uestion, but you should aim

to fill at least () pages of a physical folio, and at least *) e%amples for an online space. +ou need

to be able to show a healthy breadth of work together with a range of applications, so even if youselect several e%amples from a single pro"ect you should make sure you treat image individually.

0!. Include appropriate e"amples

$nly include design portfolio e%amples for a full-time position that are appropriate to the role. creative director position, for instance, won't entail much artworking - if any at all - so work that

demonstrates tracking and kerning ability isn't relevant.

0#. Pro$ide conte"t to your wor

&llustrators and designers aren't "ust employed for their style but also for the clarity with which

they interpret a creative brief. o if you include e%amples of your artwork without providingconte%t, it's impossible to "udge. ake sure you use annotations and notes to talk about how and

why the work was created. ake it clear what the brief asked for in each design portfolio

e%ample you include, and then demonstrate how you successfully accomplished it.

0%. &onclient wor is acceptable


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That doesn't mean, of course, that your design portfolio must only include client work. elf-

initiated pro"ects are certainly acceptable in full-time applications, and recommended forfreelance work - especially for illustrators.

0(. )i$e it a regular spring clean

esist the temptation to bulk out your design portfolio with old or irrelevant e%amples of your

work by having a thorough and ruthless clear out. nd don't leave this until it's unavoidable./esign portfolios need constant attention - you never know when you might be called on to

present to aatchi's creative directors...

0*. Include case studies

/on't think of your design portfolio simply as a collection of your art and design work.ecommendations and real-life case studies go a long way in showing how professionally

capable you are. sk a previous client or employer for a recommendation, and write up a short

case study to accompany a pro"ect.

0+. ae a step bac


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Take a step back and try to look at your design portfolio through another's eyes. 0%perienced

employers, pro"ect managers and agents know how to match up a 12 to a design portfolio andgauge your character strengths and weaknesses, warts and all. o think critically about what your

design portfolio says about you. &s it too serious? Too flippant? trike a balance that you believe

shows off your ualities.

0-. emonstrate allround e"perience

re you only good at illustration or editorial layout? $f course you're not3 you're also a solid

communicator who understands budgets and deadlines, as well as the importance of meetings

and updates. These are all professional skills. ake sure your design portfolio clearly showcasesthat you posses these, even if you "ust simply list them in your accompanying notes.

0/. ell yourself

Think about what other creative talents you might have as well. 4or instance, if you're a handy

photographer or accomplished with coding, why not include e%amples of your shots or web

designs? They're all more strings to your creative bow.

10. Inde" your design portfolio

5hat do you do when you find a particularly interesting website, maga6ine spread or book

chapter? +ou bookmark it, dog ear it or "ot down the page number somewhere. Those viewing

your design portfolio - by whatever medium - will do the same, so make it easy by includingpage numbers and clear pro"ect titles for each portfolio e%ample.


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nline porfolios

These days if you7re looking for work as a designer, whether a full-time "ob or a freelance gig,

you're probably going to need an online design portfolio as well as a physical one.

&t doesn7t matter how many glowing references you have or how impressive your work history,no one7s going to be interested unless they can see what you can do. nd a design portfoliowebsite is the easiest and uickest way to showcase your work8 these days, in fact, it7s e%pected.

But while many designers have their own design portfolio website, not all of them are fit for

purpose. 0ven where the work featured is superlative, the site itself is attracting a mere trickle oftraffic and generating few, if any, enuiries.

n online design portfolio is your creative shop window. &t's always on - (9 hours a day, : days

a week, *;< days a year - and it's always working to showcase who you are and what you can do.

But is this silent sales machine working hard enough? Have you set it up correctly? re you

showing off your B0T stuff? &f you think that your design portfolio website isunderperforming, don't wait around. =ow is the time to tackle it...

01. 2hoose your platform

uarespace

is a good platform for creating a bespoke design portfolio site

How do you physically set up an online design portfolio? The good news is that you have anumber of options.


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&f you're technically-minded, get yourself a personalised domain name, invest in some hosting

and set up a 5ord#ress website. 5ord#ress is easy to use, e%traordinarily fle%ible and en"oys

massive community support. &n fact, we'd recommend you give it a try, even if you don't think ofyourself as >technical>.

&f you really don't have time, though, you can always pay somebody to do all of the above.lternatively, consider using a done-for-you web platform. +ou could set up a hosted blog at

5ordpress.comin a few minutes, for e%ample. $r create something a little more advanced usingthe drag-and-drop loveliness of uarespace.

4inally, you could instead use a dedicated design portfolio platform likeBehance, 1arbonmade

or #ortfoliobo%. &n other words, there are no shortage of options, so you have no e%cuse forbuilding yourself an online design portfolio!

0!. 2onsider your aims

Before you rush in to build your design portfolio site, think about why you're doing this. anydesigners think having an online design design portfolio is an end in itself - but if you don't know

what you're trying to achieve with your design portfolio, you won't know whether it'ssucceeding.

>Think about the goal of your design portfolio,> advises eattle-based illustrator ared

=ickerson.>&n the beginning & "ust wanted constructive feedback, so would only post one image

of the core work. =owadays & try to showcase different usages of a design or placement onproducts, and give some insights into the process.>

0#. 3e selecti$e
http://wordpress.com/http://www.squarespace.com/http://www.squarespace.com/http://www.creativebloq.com/tag/behancehttp://www.creativebloq.com/tag/behancehttp://carbonmade.com/http://carbonmade.com/http://www.portfoliobox.net/http://jthreeconcepts.com/#/http://jthreeconcepts.com/#/http://jthreeconcepts.com/#/http://wordpress.com/http://www.squarespace.com/http://www.creativebloq.com/tag/behancehttp://carbonmade.com/http://www.portfoliobox.net/http://jthreeconcepts.com/#/http://jthreeconcepts.com/#/


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eff @nowles'

design portfolio shows only one piece at a time - giving each the ability to shine

s with a physical design portfolio, don't make the mistake of trying to show off too much ofyour work. #otential clients don't need to see 020+TH&=A. &nstead, be more selective. 4ocus

on your best stuff and the work you've done for high-profile clients.

5hen showing off your work, consider the sort of briefs that you'd like to tackle in the future.

how the sort of work that you want to do more of and that illustrates the full set of your skills

and abilities.

>The work that you choose to showcase should be the type of work that you want to be hired to

produce,> reasons =ew +ork-based designer and type artist asha #rood. >Be selective, and only

show the pro"ects that you can really stand behind. great way to develop your design portfoliofurther is through self-initiated pro"ects.>

0%. 2urate wor carefully
http://www.sashaprood.com/http://www.sashaprood.com/


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The diverse

work of Tim ahan is curated perfect on www.trademark-trademark.com

There's another aspect to the artwork you choose to put up - how well it works together. >1uratethe work you put up carefully,> adds ondon-based illustratoralika 4avre. >$nline folios need

the same rhythm as printed ones3 you need to tell a story, and order your pro"ects so that they feel

fluid and complement each other. &f it means that an old pro"ect has to be removed to fit the newstory, so be it.>

0(. how, don't just tell

The website you build can say a lot about you in the first few seconds if you design it properly.

&n other words, you show people what you can do beforeyou even get around to telling them.

o if you're a web designer, for e%ample, have a beautiful, uick-to-load online design portfoliothat showcases your coding and design talents. &f you're an illustrator, make your artwork part of

the design. &f you're a graphic designer, impress the hell out of your visitors with great

typography, a custom logo and easy-on-the-eye layouts.

These subtle cues can often make or break any connection with your web visitors. 5e recently

found a marketing agency who built mobile-optimised websites, yet their own site wasn'toptimised for mobile...

0*. 4eep adding new wor
http://www.trademark-trademark.com/http://www.trademark-trademark.com/http://www.malikafavre.com/http://www.malikafavre.com/http://www.trademark-trademark.com/http://www.malikafavre.com/


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aura

Barnard adds new pro"ects to her online design portfolio regularly, keeping it fresh

>By far the most important thing for me is making it easy to put new work up there,> reflectsillustrator aura Barnard,who uses the uarespaceplatform. >+ou could have the fanciest site

in the world, but if it was last updated five years ago it looks a bit la6y.>

e%ico-based designer and illustrator1hristopher ooi"agrees that regular updates are crucial -

and not "ust those showing finished work3 >et people know what you're working on, or what

you've done over the past few weeks,> he says. >$bviously those posts shouldn't be filled withyour personal diary3 make it smart.>

0+. treamline updates

The advice in the previous point is easy to give, not so easy to carry out in practice. peak tosome of the world's leading designers and you'll hear them bemoan the fact that their online

portfolio needs work but they're too busy.

>1ompleted pro"ects can start ganging up, and it ends up being a pro"ect in itself to get your

portfolio sorted,> says eff @nowles. His solution is to make a versatile template, and a concise

system for naming and describing your pro"ects3 >t the end of each one, simply select your bestimages and populate the templates.>

0-. Photograph printed wor
http://laurabarnard.co.uk/http://laurabarnard.co.uk/http://www.squarespace.com/http://www.squarespace.com/http://www.behance.net/Mooijhttp://www.behance.net/Mooijhttp://www.mosjef.com/http://laurabarnard.co.uk/http://www.squarespace.com/http://www.behance.net/Mooijhttp://www.mosjef.com/


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The online

portfolio of asha #rood makes great use of photography to showcase printed work

>$ne of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to display printed material on screen,> pointsout =ew +ork-based designer /erek 1han.>5hile digital versions of your work will help,

photography is definitely the best way to show these off. &t's all about the conte%t, and showing

your designs as they were intended to be seen.>

>&f you do photograph your work, invest time and resources into making the images as good as

possible,> adds 0mmi alonen,creative director at tudio 0&.>ust as spelling mistakes do,images with no contrast, bad focus and so on take attention away from your work, and make the

viewer focus on how the presentation could be improved.>

0/. 5abel your portfolio e"amples

&t's often a good idea to clearly label the work in your online portfolio. This will allow clients to

reference individual designs or artwork when they speak to you.

10. )i$e an insight into HW you wored
http://derek-chan.com/http://derek-chan.com/http://www.emmi.co.uk/http://www.emmi.co.uk/http://www.emmi.co.uk/http://www.emmi.co.uk/http://derek-chan.com/http://www.emmi.co.uk/http://www.emmi.co.uk/


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$lly Aibbs'

portfolio site at www.ollygibbs.comgives clear e%planations of his work

ather than "ust showing the finished design, artwork, logo or illustration, give an insight intohow you did it. Aive a short description of the brief and how you interpreted it to fulfil the

wishes of the client.

11. 6$oid long intros

+ou've only got a few seconds to make an impression when somebody visits your portfoliowebsite. /on't waste it with a slow-to-load flash intro or a home page that doesn't immediatelyshowcase your work and why it's different to all the other designersCartists out there.

&f you work in 4lash or animation, create something that showcases what you can do and make it

part of your portfolio. &f you don't then why would you need a long intro in the first place?

1!. 2onsider maing it a P7
http://www.ollygibbs.com/http://www.ollygibbs.com/


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onathan

0dwards' portfolio is available as a downloadable #/4

To give potential clients a different way to browse through your work, consider offering yourwork as a downloadable #/4. 1omputer rts has a great tutorial on how to do this here.

1#. 8ncourage action

The best websites are structured in such a way that they funnel visitors to certain pages and

invite them to take some sort of action. This might be to fill in a contact form or send you anemail. &t might be to buy some of your work. Think about whether your current portfolio answersthe main uestions that your clients will be asking. Duestions such as3

5ho is this person?

5here are they?

5hat have they done before?

re there e%amples of their work that & can view?

5ho else have they worked for?

How do & get in contact with them?

5hat do they charge?

ake sure that your online portfolio is easy to navigate and that there are clear goals for each

page.
http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/building-rich-pdf-portfoliohttp://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/building-rich-pdf-portfolio


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1%. 9ae it simple to na$igate

=o one could

fail to find what they're looking for on alik 4avre's portfolio site

#eople's attention spans are short. +our online portfolio needs to be uick and easy to browse.This is not as straightforward as it sounds. +ou need to3

@eep the design simple, accessible, convenient and classy.

Ese an eye-catching logo or motif to make your site stand out

Try adding a tagline that succinctly e%plains what you do

/isplay prominent contact details so visitors are in no doubt as to how they can email

you, follow you on Twitter or connect on 4acebook.

ake it clear you want people to hire you Fdon't assume they can read your mind.

ometimes you can't beat a good 'Hire me' button.

1(. Publish testimonials

&f shopping on ma6on has taught us anything it's that people love to know what other peoplethink. Aetting testimonials from satisfied clients is a great way to show some 'proof' that you can

deliver on what your portfolio promises.

1*. 2ater to di$erse tastes


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>$ne of my best-selling prints is uite frankly one of my least favourite pictures,> admits tan

1how, who sells his work online through Big 1artel.>#otential clients and buyers look for

different things, and sometimes you have to put up images you don't like so much, because thechances are that somebody else will.>

1+. Promote your portfolio

There's no point in having a great portfolio site if no one is visiting. Be active on 4acebook,Twitter and AoogleG8 deploy portfolio pieces to Behance,4lickr, /ribbbleFsee below and

deviantT.4ilm yourself working and put the video on +ouTube. ggregate artwork into a

slideshow and share it on lideshare.#ut together a #/4 brochure and upload it tocribd. Themore places you share your content, the more you'll drive people towards you and your portfolio

website.

1-. 6dd a blog

4or onathan 0dwards, a regularly updated blog keeps people coming back3 >et yourself a task,

like updating your blog every day for I)) days,> he suggests. >&t may seem a pain to have to find

something new to post every day, but in the long run you'll thank yourself. +ou'll have I)) newdrawings, for a start.>

1/. :pdate your blog

Aoogle loves a well-structured, regularly updated website that's stuffed with great content - andthe easiest way to provide fresh content is to keep your blog updated. +ou can write about the
http://www.stanleychowillustration.com/http://www.stanleychowillustration.com/http://bigcartel.com/http://bigcartel.com/http://www.behance.net/http://www.flickr.com/http://www.flickr.com/http://dribbble.com/http://deviantart/http://deviantart/http://www.slideshare.net/http://www.slideshare.net/http://www.scribd.com/http://www.scribd.com/http://jonathan-edwards.info/http://www.stanleychowillustration.com/http://www.stanleychowillustration.com/http://bigcartel.com/http://www.behance.net/http://www.flickr.com/http://dribbble.com/http://deviantart/http://www.slideshare.net/http://www.scribd.com/http://jonathan-edwards.info/


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pro"ects you've worked on, share your thoughts about art and design trends and reveal your

favourite tools.

&n general, the things that make visitors happy are the things that make Aoogle happy. However,striking a balance is always important - in other words...

!0. on't get hung up on 8

&t's easy to get obsessed by earch 0ngine $ptimisation F0$, the artCscience of trying to get

your site high in the Aoogle rankings. &n fact, you can spend too much time worrying about

keywords when you should be concentrating on website content.

$nline portfolio sites typically feature fewer words so traditional 0$ is often ineffective. +ou

will probably get better results by promoting yourself Fand your website through other web

channels - see point I:.

5ied this; hen read these

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