Here you can find out how to make a portfolio that makes you stand out, represents you positively, what are clients looking for and make a good impression.
Why you need to put some real effort into making a portfolio?
Making a portfolio is not hard. You just need a few minutes, put together some of your designs and it’s done. While this is true, it’s also a fact that portfolios like that simply suck. If you want to make a portfolio that stands out, grabs attention, and accurately shows what you are capable of, then you just have to follow my advice, and put in some effort into making those, as they speak about you. You don't want to be represented in a bad way
How to do it?
1. Keep in mind that you are trying to impress your clients and not other designers. You need to set the tone of your portfolio. The best way to do that is a proper intro page. Something like “Stefanie Brueckler’s portfolio” may set a tone, but not one that you’d like to. You need to expand it, add some depth to it by writing about your background, keep it brief though as you are not writing a book about yourself, you just want to summarize your career as a designer, keep it light.
2. Showcase a previous project, what was the problem you solved, your objectives, what constrictions you had and what was requested by the client and show your solution for that. Your clients need context, they want to know how you’d approach their problems by seeing what was requested of you in the past. With this you are trying to persuade your client by the one of the methods mentioned in the book Influence by Robert Cialdini. We are talking about consensus. Your clients will sympathize with people similar to them, your previous clients. If you were already successful in helping somebody with similar problems then you should be capable of doing so again and this helps you to build up trust between you and your client.
3. Show off your previous success, for example: after launching, your clients page was well received, it improved their image, it increased their traffic by x%, it increased their sign ups by x%, their income increased by x%, or that it improved their PR. Your clients often look for concrete results, for the way your work will benefit them. So don’t forget to mention how your work helped out others, don’t be afraid to be specific. For example if your work won some kind of award, don’t be afraid to validate your skill by mentioning those, but try not to brag too much as that can leave a negative effect on you image, on how the clients perceive you.
These were our suggestions on portfolio creation, I hope they prove to be useful.
