How to Create a Good Online Design Portfolio
We’ve had a few questions pop up recently on the topic of online design portfolio’s so we thought we’d collate some of our top tips on how to create a great online portfolio website…
Why Create An Online Portfolio?
Having an online portfolio is gospel these days. Gone are the days of meeting with designers to see their physical portfolio, people want to quickly assess your talent and skill level before arranging a digital or physical meeting. With services such as Squarespace and WordPress (and dare we say, even Wix!) having lots of templates you can use and adapt, there really is no excuse for you not to have a digital portfolio.
Make It Clear Which Services You Offer
Clients coming to your site likely won’t know your history or your background, so you should make it clear what services you offer. If you offer multiple design services, make sure projects are clearly categorised and sectioned out to avoid confusion.
If you’re a website designer you might want the first headline on your website to read ‘Hi, I’m Ruby, and I design websites’ - it really is that basic. People have a short attention span online (and in general) so it’s best to make life as easy as possible for your users, and yourself!
Display Your Work Effectively
Depending on which creative industry you’re in will depend on how you showcase your work. If you’re a photographer, you’re going to want to showcase the photographs themselves. If you’re a UI designer, then you’re going to want to show your designs in situ by mocking it up in an iPhone or a laptop. Similarly, if you’re wanting to showcase a print, perhaps you’d want to showcase it in a frame if it’s a print. This visually communicates to your audience the kind of design sector you offer.
It goes without saying that you should also use high res, high-quality images when showcasing your high-quality work! If your portfolio is pixelated, I can guarantee you will be losing clients.
As with any design exercise, consistency is key. Each of your designs will be unique (I hope!), so you need something to unify the way in which you display your designs. At Studio 77 we use a selection of premium stock images from Moyo and combined with free online resources to display our web projects in a professional and consistent way.
Design With Your Dream Client In Mind
Do you know the target client that you’re trying to attract? It’s overwhelming the number of people who can’t answer that question or say they want to work with everyone. Everyone is not a target client.
If you’re stuck, create a mood board or Pinterest board with all of your dream clients on. Look at the style of design they use. Is there a common theme amongst them? If there is, use this to replicate their style in your portfolio. i.e. if all your dream clients use clean sans serif fonts and a neutral colour palette, then perhaps you could incorporate these elements into your portfolio.
When those clients land on your portfolio, they’ll be more likely to work with you as your visual style will align with theirs.
Be Selective With The Work You Display
If you are lucky enough to be multi-talented in many aspects, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming on sites if you're displaying everything. We’d recommend picking no more than 12 – 15 projects to showcase on your portfolio at any one time. Again, this varies greatly depending on which design industry you’re in, but you don’t want to overcrowd your online portfolio with every piece of work you’ve ever done.
It’s quality not quantity. If you have a few bits and pieces floating around that you liked doing, but don't really fit into your portfolio, create a blog post to showcase the work instead, and post it to your socials. That way you can still show off your work, but without detriment to your portfolio page.
“Don’t put anything you aren’t proud of on your online portfolio. Why would you want to showcase something you weren’t a little smug with? On top of that, never put anything you didn’t enjoy doing on your site. You will always have a lot more enthusiasm and passion for a job or project that you actually enjoyed doing, and that will show in your work.”
Introduce Yourself
People buy from people. Don’t forget to include a page on your portfolio which says a little bit about you! This is your space to talk about yourself and your achievements, as well as your career history, and don’t be afraid to big yourself up!
Use this page as an excuse to boast about any awards you may have won or been nominated for or any committees or groups that you’re a part of.
Let us know in the comments or on our socials if you have any other questions or tips around online design portfolios. We’d love to hear your experiences with designing your online portfolio!
