011. Anatomy of a Case Study: A Guide for New Freelancers
Elevate your Portfolio by posting Case Studies of your work
Part 11 of the Freelancing Series
What is a Case Study?
A freelancer portfolio is your little corner of the World Wide Web where clients can view your best projects so they would hire you. But what if you don’t have projects to show because you’re new?
In this blog, I’m sharing some of the things I did to impress clients as a new Graphic Designer in 2010, and as a new Social Media Manager in 2021.
Portfolio vs. Case Study
A Portfolio is a snapshot of all the work you do, a collection of samples if you will, while a case study is an in-depth presentation of your project. A portfolio is a broad overview of your skills to help the client assess if you’re a good fit for their business. A case study provides detailed insight into how a particular problem was addressed or a project was executed to demonstrate your expertise, problem-solving skills, and ability to achieve results.
As a new freelancer, you need a portfolio to showcase your work and attract clients. To make an IMPRESSIVE Portfolio, present your past work as Case Studies.
Anatomy of a Case Study
A case study is an in-depth analysis of your project, which includes sections such as background, objectives, challenges, solutions, implementation, and results. It includes the context of the project, highlights the process and shows the outcomes.
Here are the usual parts of a Case Study:
1. Introduction
The introduction sets the context of the Case Study. It’s a brief summary of the objectives, relevance and a sneak peak of the results. It also entices the audience to read more.
Example:
Humba Boy is a Filipino Fast Casual Restaurant located in Quezon City. Its specialty is Pork Humba, which is a cross between Pares and Adobo. For non-Filipinos, Humba is pork stew in soy sauce, black beans, pineapple, star anisse and other spices, although it is said that every household has its own version. It’s famous in Cebu, Philippines, where the client was born and raised.
2. Background
This may include the background of your business, the background of your client and the background of the industry. You may also mention previous works that are similar to the project.
Example:
Humba Boy is a Filipino Fast Casual Restaurant located in Quezon City. Its specialty is Pork Humba, which is a cross between Pares and Adobo. For non-Filipinos, Humba is pork stew in soy sauce, black beans, pineapple, star anisse and other spices, although it is said that every household has its own version. It’s famous in Cebu, Philippines, where the client was born and raised.My client’s company is a multi-brand business that’s been in the Food and Beverage Industry for 20 years. They regularly launch a new food concept every couple of years, which they offer for franchising.
Working for a multi-brand client, we were encouraged to build a distinctive brand yet cohesive to their existing brands.I’ve been working with them for multiple projects at this point so I have a good grasp of their values and principles. In design, they embraced my vibrant, lively colors and clean, simple, bold aesthetics. The client and I agree that restaurants targetting the masses should be bright, light and straightforward. For this project, the food, rather than the heritage, is in the spotlight.
3. Objectives
This is based on the Project Brief that is usually provided by the client. Sometimes, if there’s no project brief, this could be the minutes of the meeting with your client when you discussed the project at large.
It includes what the clients wants to achive with this project and what success looks like for them. In marketing words, the Objectives is the KPI of the project.
Example:
The brand already had a logo and about to start renovating the first restaurant. They weren’t satisfied with the logo so they decided to opt for a rebranding.
The challenge was to create a brand identity that aligns with their brand values and target market.More practically, the objective was to create a brand that would impress the administration of the biggest malls in our country and get lease offers in prime locations.
Personally, I wanted to design a brand that feels new yet familiar.
4. Challenges
This section describes the obstacles, setbacks, struggles, problems or issues that was faced during the course of the project, either by you, by the client or the project in general. Share how these difficulties made an impact to the project.
Example:
I’m a team of one so I shouldered all the responsibilities in this project. From the initial meeting, site visit, conceptualization, market research, visual branding, store design, design of marketing collaterals, to food photography and menu development, I was very involved.
The client didn’t have a marketing team so I had no one to brainstorm with. I talked directly to the CEO.
Aside from the logo made by their in-house designer, we started from scratch. Starting from scratch is a blessing in this case, so I’m thankful. All I had were the logo, the signature dish and the possible site of the first branch.
Design-wise, the challenge was to come up with a brand that would appeal to different people from all walks of life while staying true to the company values.
COMPANY VALUES
Good food for people from all walks of life in a comfortable, family-friendly setting.TARGET MARKET
The client plans to offer the brand for franchising in the future so the target market would be dependent on the future locations of the restaurants. We need a branding that is adaptable to the majority of the Philippine malls, farmers’ markets, condominium complexes and central business districts.
5. Solution
The Solution lists down how the Challenges were addressed and the Objectives were achieved. It describes the steps taken, the methodologies or the techniques used. It also includes the innovations or technologies that were developed in order to solve the “problem.”
Example:
Challenge 1: I’m a team of one and the client doesn’t have a marketing team
Solution: The client gave me 2 months to work on the visual branding and 1 month for the food photography alone. They agreed to bring the food to my apartment so I could be more comfortable during the photoshoot.Challenge 2: There’s no formal project brief. They didn’t have qa brand guideline or even brand tone and brand voice.
Solution: I treated the project as ground zero while retaining some major elements of the original logo, like the concept of the mascot. I created a new mascot fo the logo and used a more vibrant color palette. I took the lead from other brands with similar products. I incorporated major elements from their logos while making it my own.Challenge 3: Come up with a brand that would appeal to people from all walks of life, and a design that’s adaptable to different locations.
Solution: I used 1 vibrant main color and 2 neutral colors to keep it classy. I chose 1 display font, 1 header font and 1 text font. We focused on the photos of the products in all marketing collaterals. For the interiors, we chose mid-range dining tables and chairs in grey, black and white. We used red for the lamps to add an accent to the dining area. The target aesthetic is bold, simple and clean.Challenge 4: Impress the Leasing Managers of the biggest chain of malls in the country so they’ll give us lease offers in prime locations.
Solution: Design-wise, I’m already adept in making layouts that will impress Mall Administrators. To up the ante and create a buzz around the brand, I suggested that we include a photo of the famous chef that we hired to develop the menu.Challenge 5: Create a family-friendly design for all ages and all social classes.
Solution: I used one bright color and the rest are neutrals. The restaurant is bright, vibrant and lively enough for the masses yet streamlined enough for those with more discriminating tastes.
6. Implementation
This section provides the details on how the Solution was enacted. It also includes the timeline, resources, and processes involved in carrying out the project. It can also mention challenges or adjustments made along the way.
If you’re working with a team, this part may also include the Roles and Responsibilities of the Team Members. It details the actual roles they played during the course of the project as opposed to just mentioning their positions. Mention the tools used by each team member as well.
This is how the solutions were implemented in the Designs:
Tools:
- Photography — Panasonic Lumix and iPhone X
- Design — Adobe Photoshop and Sketchup
Check out the Case Study on Behance:
7. Results
The results details the outcomes, achievements and impact of the project. It includes the quantifiable metrics, data, and evidence to demonstrate the success of the solution.
Example:
If you’re a Graphic Designer, just take a picture of your design installed onsite. You could also embedd the website that you designed. For Humba Boy, I don’t have a photo of the site but I attached a link below that shows you how the restaurant looks like. The client told me their sales but I can’t divulge it. If you’re allowed by your client, you can show the sales before and after the renovation. But simply showing how the place became more alive because of your design is a good “result” already.
8. Social Proof
The social proof are reviews and testimonials from your clients to suport and validate the results. Leverage the positive outcome and experience of your previous clients to build credibilityand trust for future clients.
Some examples of Social Proof are:
- Client Testimonials
- Concrete Data, KPI, Insights
- Success Stories
- Third Party Endorsements
- User Generated Content
Example:
The restaurant was featured in a famous vlog! Watch it the UGC here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=321920529400112
9. Conclusion
The conclusion summarizes the findings, insights, lessons learned from the project.
Example:
The first branch of Humba Boy was opened in an old restaurant with Brooklyn-style exposed brock, industrial finish interior. To adhere to the industrial theme, we served the dishes in woks and pans. We also kept the graphics to a minimum because the place is already aesthetically pleasing.ch
The decision to use of 1 major bright color and 2 neutral colors was effective to stay on brand regardless of the location and target market. It is indeed possible fr people from different social demographics.
10. Recommendations (Optional)
You may include a Recommendation based on your Conclusion for future similar projects or if there were unsolved challenges and untapped opportunities related to the project.
Example:
The following are the recommendations for future designs:
1. For your color palette, use only 1 main color then keep the rest of the colors neutral. This helps with flexibility and adaptability for brands that are being offered for franchise.
2. Use 2–3 typefaces only; 1 typeface should be loud while the other should be more subtle. Make sure all texts are readable.
3. When designing for a multi-brand, multi-concept business, allways maintain something in common. For example, all uniforms have black pants and black shoes. All the restaurants don’t use purely decorative elements. The “decors” always serve as marketing collaterals.
4. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use design elements that are in common within the industry. This way, the market can easily grasp what your brand is all about. For example, the famous fastfood restaurants that sell pork have a mascot of a pig in the logo and signage. We incorporated that in the design to send a signal to the audience that this is a restaurant that specializes in a pork dish.
5. Don’t use subdued colors for a fast food concept. The market likes it “lively”
6. Include the famous chef you hired in the brand story and some marketing collaterals. Revisit the contract to accommodate endorsements. This helps with brand awareness and brand loyalty.
Bonus Tips
When making a case study, start by writing the copy first before making the layout. The copy makes sense of your thought process and helps organize the images with a coherent flow.
Always take a screenshot positive feedback from your clients. This is what I failed to do.
Take photos with your clients, with the celebrities involved in the project and ask someone to take a picture of you on site, beside your layout. Keep these photos for your portfolio website. These social proof are very effective in showing your skills and authority in your niche.
I learned about these after 10+ years as a Designer. I wish I knew about social proof earlier.
What’s next?
Now that you know how to make a Case Study, start gathering all your materials. Next week, I’ll teach you how to make a portfolio website on Strikingly.com.
Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when the post goes live.
See you!
