5 Portfolio Design Tips
As a creative, your portfolio serves as an introduction to prospective clients while also being a gallery of your creative adventures. It’s the Louvre of your work and as such should be presented in a luxurious eye-catching manner that makes them think “Damn, this person looks expensive” (That’s the goal).
That being said, there are a few ways to ensure you achieve that
level of wash in these Lagos streets and I have put magical words together into these 5 tips which I believe will help you finesse eyes and minds into seeking your services:
1.Select your best work
The first step in putting together a portfolio is getting through the intense, self-critiquing nightmare of indecisiveness in selecting your best projects to sell yourself with, but it is also the most important part of the exercise. This would ideally be a selection of projects cutting across different branches you might have experience in, to boost your skills set and help raise your value as a prospective hire. While going through this process, try to tell a story with your portfolio by picking a theme or at the very least, picking projects that compliment one another so your portfolio has a nice rhythm to it. This step requires being very intentional about every choice made. You pretty much curate your portfolio and write the script for how its viewers will experience your work.
2. Establish Context for your Projects
What’s a show & tell without the tell? An eye-catching portfolio goes a long way but the gap between a great looking image and a relatable project can only be bridged by context. Tell the story behind your projects by establishing the goals, the role, and steps you took in realising those goals and the end results. Include any metrics of success measured post-delivery which could include client feedback or testimonials. This presents your project as a timeline in a format that manages to summarise the project brief, while informing the viewer on the underlying reasons for your choices.
3. Show your process
This is the part where you show the equations to your solutions. SHOW YOUR WORK BRO!!!
Capturing your thought processes in the form of exploratory sketches, doodles, thumbnails, wireframes, and interactive prototypes, gives an insight into how you use your design sensibilities like a Jedi guided by well researched and informed data points of the force. Colour explorations show an understanding of colour theory, thumbnail sketches help illustrate your grasp of layout and composition, wireframes showcase your understanding of grids and proportions and so on. These are all data points that inform the decisions you have made across projects and those are Major Keys!
4. Throw in some non-client work
A good way to spice up your portfolio would be to include non-client work. These could be self-inspired projects, case studies done in your spare time or freelance projects. They help highlight your other mediums as a creative and up-sell you to prospective clients. You never know what a potential client might be looking for and sometimes the key to their decision to go with you could be hidden in a “side project” or a throw-away “random sketch” you thought nothing of.
5. Showcase your work
There is an abundance of platforms for hosting your portfolio site, but the choice could also depend on your level of technical know-how and overall patience as a human being. If you have any coding or web experience, BUILD IT YO DAMN SELF!! There’s no better way to flex and show off some extra skill sets. There are also design communities and websites you can use to supplement your site’s reach while also driving traffic. You get to engage with fellow creatives, get feedback on your work and build connections.
BONUS: Update Regularly
I think this is pretty self-explanatory. This way your portfolio stays fresh and up to date at all times ensuring your work never feels outdated.
Samson is Chief Creative Officer at 3WP. Learn more about 3WP at 3wp.io
