Graphic designer portfolio tips
Every graphic designer needs is their own portfolio to showcase their creative talent, and work they have done in the past. This is a vital item in the success of you as a digital artist. Having a portfolio can help you gain business and to help keep yourself more organized with your work. One thing designers may have problems with is what to place in their portfolio. If you are new to graphic designing, or just someone who does it part time, this can make it tricky.
Creative portfolio types
All clients are different, so you should be ready for all scenarios when you are applying for a creative job.
- Online Portfolio
- Drop-off Portfolio
- Portfolio Review
- Mailing Portfolio
Portfolio content
Your portfolio needs to contain examples created by you. This may be anything from: business cards, advertisements, banners, brochures, page layouts, fliers, and the list can go on and on. If you are someone who does a lot of web design, be sure to get high resolution print outs of the web layouts you may have created. If you are a 3d animator, be sure to get print outs of the story-bords you may have created. It is always a good idea to keep your latest and greatest content available for future clients to view. Think quality, not quantity (10 - 20 of your best samples).
Drop-off Portfolio
Some companies insist on seeing your creative portfolio first. Additionally, some art directors will only look at books on certain days of the week and specific hours of the day. If the art director is impressed with your portfolio, an interview might be arranged. Otherwise, you might have inserts within your portfolio with critiques of your work. Most likely, the art director knows what he or she is talking about. You might even land a job with this company at a later time if you take advice from the hiring hand.
Mailing Portfolio
Some companies require sending them your info by mail. Do not mail original artwork. Instead, you should duplicate artwork. There are many ways to do this:
- Printouts
- Photocopies
- Transparency
- Photography
- CD
Creative Portfolio Review
A portfolio review is essentially an interview where you present your portfolio. Unlike the "drop-off" scenario, here you will need to present not only your talents but also your social skills.
Niche market portfolio
You should try to focus your portfolio for a niche market. Are you interested in working for an advertising agency, book publisher, newspaper, etc.? Different markets will expect different things from you. You might not be ready to choose a niche market yet, if this is the case you will need to rearrange your portfolio each time you interview for a job. Once you have chosen which samples to include in your portfolio, you should look them over with great care. You are trying to position yourself as a competent, skilled, detail-oriented professional.
Place portfolio online
The possibilities are endless as to where you can feature your digital artist portfolio. One of the best option is to place your images on graphic design portfolio sites and the other option is to create your own website. Usually, it is recommend doing both for greater exposure. A great way to feature your work is to create a website that reflects your creativity . This will be a place that you can direct clients to view your work if you are not able to meet them in person. This makes it very easy for you to work with people across the world. The more places that your creative portfolio is listed on the Internet, the easier it will be to be found.
How much design work to show.
Choose 10 to 20 maximum strong designs. The employer will remember the 5 average designs the most. Those will stick in their minds. A well-presented portfolio can be all it takes for you to be hired. After creating, and compiling your work, you will be on your way to establishing your portfolio. |
