Design your way

Monday, July 6, 2015

If you are a designer and are finding that you are losing clients, this may be because of the fact that your design portfolio isn’t giving them all of the specific information that they are looking for.

Your portfolio is what represents you in the same way that a logo represents a certain business. When you are able to put a design portfolio together effectively, you will be able to draw in an endless amount of clients.

When you start out as a freelance designer, your biggest issue will be finding and maintaining a good clientele. However, many of these individuals concentrate on doing this more than concentrating on how to make a design portfolio.

When it comes to creating a portfolio website, think about all of the elements that you want to include which will likely be important to all of your potential clients.

While designers will spend as much time as possible coming up with a great portfolio, they often neglect taking the time to answer all of the important questions that any potential clients may have when they decide to hire a web designer.

Here are some important things to consider regarding how to make an online portfolio.

Create case studies

Including large-scale images in your portfolio is always a good thing; however, they do not answer the question of whether or not you can handle a problem that your boss may throw your way.

Use your portfolio to talk about how you can design different solutions that can make your clients happy, the processes that you used, and examples of your previous work. In simpler terms, show potential clients that you are not only able to solve any problem that comes your way, but that you’re very much worth hiring.

Illustrate your case studies with detailed visuals

Chances are you have likely heard the phrase “a picture speaks a thousand words.” In terms of creating a portfolio website, a picture can speak much more than just a thousand words.

If a potential client enjoys looking at all of the visuals that you provide, they will likely become interested in obtaining much more detailed information from you. This means that you will need to build a great deal of interest in the overall presentation of your portfolio.

It’s also important that you represent your skill set in the best way possible, as all designers have different specialties. For example, if you specialize in designing logos, showcase this by providing something such as business cards containing a logo that you have designed.

On the other hand, if you are developer, you will need to conceive a way to showcase your expertise in the field. For example, if you have constructed something that can’t be explained very well in a simple photo, create a separate page on your online portfolio explaining the project in great detail in order for the client to better understand it.

Show the time spent on your previous projects

All potential clients share one common factor: they always want to know how quickly you can finish a project for them, as well as what they can expect from you in general. A large number of designers and developers alike never give an approximate time of completion for a project, only stating that it depends on what the actual project is.

When creating a portfolio website, it’s important for you to look at things from the perspective of your potential clients. Give them as many details as you can in the quickest amount of time possible. Give them a general idea of not only how long a project will take to complete, but also approximately how much it will cost.

Don’t include everything in your portfolio

One of the biggest and most common rules in terms of how to make an online portfolio is to not include every single project that you’ve ever constructed. Instead, go through everything and choose those that you feel are the absolute best.

Focus on fresh work

When putting a portfolio together, you may often find yourself needing to replace some entries with more updated ones in order to showcase your best work.

When you include newer projects, not only are you creating a new portfolio entry, but you are also essentially creating new work for a potential client. Always make sure that whatever you put together is of high quality, even if the amount of money involved – or even the project itself – isn’t all that motivating.

Let people know what you accomplished with your concept

Whenever a client gets all of the answers to their most basic questions, chances are they will want to continue digging for more information.

This is where you will want to offer information regarding the biggest challenges that you experienced while putting your project together, as well as all of the different processes that you went through to come up with the final overall product. You will undoubtedly build up great levels of trust and showcasing of your expertise when you share your ideas with other people.

Worked on a project with others? Explain your part

If you worked on a particular project as part of a group, take the time to explain your specific role in the construction of it.

This will let all of your potential clients know whether they need to hire only one person to complete a project or if they will need to bring in more individuals.

When a designer is able to completely understand all of their strengths and weaknesses, potential clients will definitely be impressed to the point where they will place more trust in that individual.

Keep everything simple

Perhaps the most precious resource of any business owner is time. This means that as a designer, you should never waste their time by making them navigate through a confusing pattern or going through endless amounts of pieces you’ve included in your portfolio.

When creating a portfolio website, always ensure that your intent is crystal clear. Only showcase your best work and make sure that it’s immediately visible.

Don’t spend too much time getting overly creative with the navigation features, nor should you attempt to do something that you’ve never actually done before.

Concentrate instead on making things as simple and elegant as possible. Make your online portfolio act as a proverbial “frame” for the actual work that you are showcasing to potential clients.

Another important task is to ensure that your online portfolio works well and is compatible with all of the major internet browsers.

Nothing will bring a frown to a client more than finding your portfolio, only to see that it is not supported by their preferred internet browser. These kinds of issues can be resolved depending on how simple you make your online portfolio.