Fluid Portfolios that constantly evolve
Create your portfolio in a way that can be changing and improving all the time…
“Don’t put too much thought into it.”
That is probably not going to be something you hear from many designers as a tip on how to build your portfolio. However, one of the biggest trends I see in young designers is that they are so perfection-obsessed on creating their ideal portfolio that they end up not having one for years. How can this be fixed? What’s another way to look at it?
Problem 1: A lot of designers want to make sure that their design ability is shown in the way they build their portfolio. This makes them overthink something that is simply an area to display work. I understand the need to show off ability by perfecting the one place where you house your own work, but building it in this way is often the main cause in creating a hard-to-use, hard-to-update portfolio that can actually distract from your work, which brings me to my next point.
Problem 2: A complex website can be distracting to the display of your work and can confuse the brands that you are showing. What is a portfolio? An area that showcases your work, right? So what the viewer needs to see, simply, is your work. If you are wanting to show your ability in your work, don’t focus on the portfolio, focus on the work.
Problem 3: Designers are always hearing different opinions. Ex. “Only show your absolute best work.” or the opposite “Showcase a wide variety of work so that employers can see your range.” Neither of these are bad advice. I’m just saying that there are another options. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach for how you, yourself, as a designer should present your work, your style and your ability. What kind of designer are you? Do you have one style? Do you constantly evolve your style and explore new ideas? Do you work for one company, or do you work for many? There are a lot of different kinds of designers out there and there a lot of different ways to showcase yourself as a designer. My advice is: DO YOU. Find your own way to professionally display your work in the best way that shows who you are and what you can do. No one knows how to explain you better than, well… you.
So…What is the solution?
I can only give you the solution that works well for me. I have personally thrown away the idea that, in order for me to be taken seriously, I need to have a custom-made portfolio, complex portfolio.
What am I doing differently now?
Social media has made portfolio posting a completely different animal these days. The ability to rapidly post new ideas and then to have it reach, potentially, the world is a new and wonderful benefit to designers.
So why not take advantage of it?
If the platform of portfolios is evolving, then maybe the way we post work is evolving too. Just like the music industry, people are now wanting new content all the time in design. That just isn’t realistic in your traditional custom websites. However, portfolio solutions like Dribbble, Behance, and Instagram are very easy to use and make it simple to post constantly. And by using tags and gaining followers, people from all over the world can view your content.
So should you get rid of your portfolio site?
No, I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t have a main site connected to your name. I’m suggesting that you utilize the benefits from social media for housing your content.
If you visit calebwest.co, you’ll see that it is an area to quickly introduce who I am, include a bio, and include links that will bring the viewer to all the areas my work can be seen, and my experience info on Linkedin. I also use Instagram to import a quick look at some of my recent posts.
It is simply a way to provide a hub of all the places you can find me. Meanwhile, all my work is being updated by social media and I can rapidly post new ideas all the time. My time is spent growing, exploring and practicing instead of worrying about my portfolio.
So now that we have a solution, What kind of work do we post?
This is an area that has a lot of opinions, but I will offer mine for now.
As most designers know, a portfolio can be slowed on growth if projects take a long time to complete, or if some clients don’t allow their work to be displayed. This can be super frustrating and also can make it seem as if you don’t have the kind of experience that you actually do have.
Trust me, there is a way around this.
So many designers get hung up on the idea that their portfolio has to be only made up of work they’ve performed for clients. We are in a new world now. Don’t get hung up on tradition. Earlier in the post, I talked about how people want to see new content constantly. It’s true. Don’t let them get bored. Find new ways to always be posting new ideas and new findings. Think of a design problem you face a lot, build a mock, sample project and post it so that you can show that you have found a solution. Not only will you impress employers that you are constantly learning, growing and practicing, but you are also providing inspiration for other designers, which is very good because, believe me, you are going to need inspiration as well. Us designers need to be helping each other out, bouncing ideas, learning from each other and being inspired by our different approaches.
My approach is that I follow design trends as they come along. I explore them and I create with them. If you see a style that starts to be consistent for a bit in my portfolio, expect it to change. I want to be flexible. I want to keep up with trends, and I also want to create trends. The only way to do that is to create all the time.
Am I right?
Now I don’t want to suggest that my methods are the right way for you to go. They might be; they might not. But consider that there are more options than what you were originally taught. Explore, try things out, mess up, fix your mess, learn, and you will find the right way to get your work out there.
Until next time,
Caleb West
