A good portfolio is a must-have for any graphic designer! Your portfolio showcases your work to potential clients and since what you’re designing is what you are being hired for, your portfolio is the most important element you can show a client. A graphic design portfolio will legitimize your business and give credibility to you while showing clients who you have worked with before. Keep reading for some tips on what to include in a good design portfolio!
1. Be Thoughtful About What You Include
We know you have heard it before, but DO NOT add everything you have ever created! This is a great time to go through all of your pieces and only add pieces that you are proud of! Think of your portfolio as your greatest hits - it doesn’t need to reflect everything that you’ve ever done, but it needs to highlight a good variety. People have short attention spans, so you need to show your best designs first and make sure they don’t have to keep clicking to find what they are looking for. A phrase to remember is quality over quantity. Try selecting your strongest projects and making them the focus of your portfolio, but don’t forget to show clients your other skills as well.
2. Show Your Versatility
Someone once said, “I’ve found that what you put in your portfolio for people to view, you get in return. So if you don’t want a certain type of client, don’t show that type of work in your portfolio.” So basically, if you don’t want to do large events, don’t showcase them on your website. However, you still need to showcase a variety of work. Clients want to know that you can do more than just web design. If you have worked in logo development, make sure to show off that as well! Although it can be difficult sometimes, make sure all your work looks like it has been done by the same person. Aim to include a variety of projects in your portfolio that all flow nicely together.
3. Include Case Studies or Client Recommendations
Through a case study or summary, clients can get a sense of the project, the problem that was at hand, and how you solved this problem through design. As you know, a lot of time and effort goes into figuring out a design solution and writing out a case study or summary on your website will help you communicate your unique process. Additionally, it always helps to include previous client recommendations. This shows professionalism and once again, builds credibility.
4. Integrate Your Personality
As you can imagine, each graphic design portfolio is going to be drastically different. The most important thing that your portfolio can do, is to reflect who you are as a designer. Whether you include your creative process or decide to take unique photos of your work. Do something that will set you apart from the competition!
Are you having trouble showcasing your work? Here at The Burnette Agency, we handle branding, websites, logo development, marketing, and more. If you are interested in finding out more information, please don’t hesitate to reach out! We’d love to hear from you! You can reach The Burnette Agency by email at info@theburnetteagency.com or give us a call at 404-850-2081.
