Graphic Designer Portfolio

Any graphic designer looking for work. must be able to present himself to the employer. In order to do this competently, the minimum that he needs is a resume and, of course, a portfolio. Anyone who has been looking for a job at least once can write a resume today, but not everyone can competently organize a portfolio. There are no rules that are the same for everyone, because every designer is unique and strives to show his best side in his own way.

What exactly your portfolio should be, no one knows except yourself. Whether you will post it on your blog, gallery, or create your own site for these purposes - it's up to you. Its main goal is to attract the attention of a potential employer and demonstrate your potential to him. It shouldn't scream about you, but highlight all your qualities in a favorable light and focus on your best work.

Often the employer does not consider each job in the portfolio separately, but assesses them all together, paying special attention to the harmony, their style and manner of performance. It is unlikely that he will pay attention to the author, whose works are chaotically scattered across the page, and even each is completely different from the other. This becomes important when the designer is given job descriptions and examples.

Of course, in most cases it is more comfortable for an employer to view your resume and portfolio electronically. It does not have to be a website, you can put your work together into a presentation, video, or a simple pdf file.

If your choice fell on creating a website, it is not recommended to give preference to free services for this. On sites created in this way, there are a lot of extraneous advertisements, which only spoils the impression of your work. Better create a separate blog, in which you can upload all your work with small explanations.

Divide your entire portfolio into several main parts.

1. Cover. It should be minimalistic. It is enough to write your name and specialization on it. You can also style it by adding a background or even a frame. The role of the cover is to create the first impression and to captivate the employer. Putting your best work on the cover will only spoil the impression of the rest. So choose it wisely.
2. Presenting yourself. On the second page, you can post a short story about your own successes, your creative path and, in general, what you find useful for the employer. Also place on this page the contacts by which you can be contacted. Do not include age unless you are 25 years old. Young professionals are often ignored by employers.
3. Main part. This includes the works that you add to your portfolio. You can sort them by the way of performance, genre or some other criterion. It is also useful to add small explanatory captions under each work.
4. Completion. On the last page, you can place a thank you for your attention, as well as duplicate contact information.

Layout your portfolio so that you can later print it and fold it into a book or album. Number pages, indent the edges of the paper, and don't forget the back cover. Such a portfolio can be duplicated in electronic format, as well as use ready-made pages in creating your own website.

Of course, you can post your work on your blog or on your personal website, but this format will not work for a live interview. It's best to always have one or two paper copies of your portfolio with you in case you do need to travel to your interview. Many printers now make fairly cheap book versions on spirals or in a binder. Choose thick and glossy paper for printing. It will be stored for a long time in good condition, does not fade or wrinkle.

If you do want to build a website for your portfolio, there are many platforms out there to help you do this. Domain payment costs about 150 rubles per month. Take care of so that your site is convenient to use, and only then beautiful. If you do not know how to make up websites, and the funds for a good layout designer are not enough, just transfer your portfolio to a blog. It will look much better than a poorly designed website.

Don't post too many works on one page... Better to make several separate pages for each job. This will make them look more attractive, and the potential employer will not get bored flipping through them.

Don't follow straightforward patterns and patterns found on the internet. This is your portfolio, and you can change the design of everything in it to your taste and color. And there are enough worn-out identical templates in low-quality portfolios. Don't think that if you find a template on page 143 of search, then no one has ever used it. Most likely, it is simply no longer relevant.

Don't add every piece of work you've ever done to your portfolio. The client always rates the portfolio at the worst performance. And it is in your best interest to prove to him that you not only know how to do well, but also regularly. That's why do not allow yourself to add one work to your portfolio every 3-4 months.

The next big problem for many, even professional designers, is low self-esteem. Never write under your work "Yes, this is not ideal, there are mistakes here and here, but I will fix everything." Instead, make a choice and either don't include this work in your portfolio at all, or change everything to make it look like it should be.

Abandoned and non-renewable portfolios are also a big problem. If the employer sees that your last job was added 6 months ago, then he will have a number of questions. Perhaps you have already found another job and therefore do not post new projects, or you have quit your job and it is useless to contact you. Set aside time at least once every 2-3 weeks to update your portfolio and be sure to upload new work.

If you haven't had projects yet, come up with them yourself. For example, draw up a technical task for yourself and complete it. It is unlikely that the employer will figure out whether this building is real or not.