Preparing Your Portfolio

As a graphic designer, most times you don't need a diploma or degree to get hired. You just need an impressive portfolio that can wow people on a first glance. Recently I attended a course on how to construct impactful portfolio that can impress people & hopefully land you on a high paying job. Here are some of the important key points!

Consider the audience

Recruiters are busy.

Respect their time, but capture their attention.

In order to do this, try to think like an editor. Just highlight your preferred expertise by only showing strong projects.

Did you enjoy doing the project in the portfolio?

Are they the best work you have ever done?

Is it a project that you want to offer the services in the future?

If the answers are NO, don't put it in. The key is quality over quantity.

Also, make sure the texts are clear. Going back to our main point, recruiters are busy, so they need to be able to scan your projects without restraining their eyes. Clear texts can captivate them to read more & understand your projects better.

It will also help to have a template so that viewers can view them smoothly and gain the familiarity thus help to improve the viewing experience.

If you are applying for a certain company, make sure to Google some information about them first, or look through their social media appearance, so you can alter your portfolio to fit their best demand. In other words, make sure to do your homework.

All in all, if you want to please others, think about what they will feel while looking at your portfolio.

RECAP:

1. Consider the Audience

2. Recruiters are Busy

3. Quality over Quantity

4. Clear Texts

5. Have a Template

6. Do Your Homework
   

Focus on the Process, Show Don't Tell

Another important tips to create an effective portfolio, is not to be afraid to humanise it. How?

Show behind the scenes

Take pictures of the workshop, screenshots, documentations and write some descriptions to keep it engaging for people to read. Tell stories to show challenges & failures. You can also communicate key insights by telling what you have learned during the process.

When you do this, it makes your project relatable to others and less robotic. It gives some emotional value to it, instead of being just another portfolio on the web.

I heard this saying once,

people hire you not just because of your work, but who you are and what is your personality.

So make it as unique to your personality as much as possible by showing behind the scenes. It also enhances trust.

There are also 2 types of portfolio out there:

1. Specialist - highly focused on 1 aspect of industry. i.e: branding, mograph, illustration

2. Generalist - good in anything

Which one are you?

Where to post your portfolio?

1. Website

2. Behance

3. Dribble

I notice a lot of people post their portfolio in Google Drive & give the link to potential recruiters.

Well, is it 2015? It's time to evolve & again, not waste other's time. Behance & the other platforms offer the best UI/UX experience so you should take advantage of that! (Unless the recruiters demanded you to put it in a Google Drive) That's all from me today, I hope this has been helpful for you. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out or comment below!

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