Is your portfolio truthful, is it a fair representation of your skills? Today’s episode comes by way of an email we had from a client, who asks this very question, and favours freelance market places as a result. We discuss how to make sure your portfolio is an accurate representation of your work, honestly.
Trying to build your portfolio? Consider working with friends and family to help get you started with those first freelance projects. Hypothetical or ‘practice projects’ are a great place to start but working with other people is a skill as necessary as how to use specific tools.
Include a solid case study in your portfolio. Use a combination of solid text and engaging visuals. Create a case study that is a true representation of your process.
Do not succumb to the pressure to fill your portfolio with the same elements that you see in everyone else’s. Cloning another designer’s process does not guarantee success, each person must come up with their own process.
Lack of process is often a sign of a practice project, but sometimes it can be hard to tell. It is wrong to mislead people that you have done a bunch of client work if you haven’t.
It’s not always about the work, for the most part the person making the decision on who to hire/work with is also using your portfolio as an opportunity to figure out who you are as a person and as a designer. Show your values and design principles in your portfolio, this will help you to stand out.
3.40 – Catch up
08.36 – Disclaimer
11.56 – Preparing yourself to work with clients
15.00 – Case studies
19.42 – How to ensure your portfolio is truthful
26.00 – Who are you as a designer?
