Steps to Build a Design Portfolio to Attain Clients Fast

 If you’re reading this blog, you might be embarking into the world of freelancing or paving a new career path or even rebranding to get new clients. It can be daunting to leave the comfort and perks of 9 to 5 but freelancing can be a more satisfying journey. However, taking this step isn’t easy, you’ll need to learn a lot about yourself and open up career opportunities in new industries or brands you thought never to working for. 

Getting started with freelancing requires open communication with existing and potential clients. If you have great understanding of your target audiences, they will lead you in right direction. Before I started freelancing, I cold-called a lot of potential clients to know exactly what they were looking for. Here’s a guide about building a client portfolio that will land you freelancing jobs.

1. Know Why a Portfolio is Important

Being a freelancer, you have to know that why a portfolio is important. There’s so much more to a great portfolio than beautiful layout content or an impressive “about” page. In this, you’ll get a chance to let client know –who you are, your profession, work ethic, passion and style – without any room for 

misinterpretation. Portfolios say a lot about you as it enable clients to know your role immediately. Whether you’re a creative graphic designer, developer, cinematographer or anyone else, say it with your title loud and proud. While developing a portfolio for any freelancing profile, your role must be visible.

Alongside this, your role will shape the way your views will navigate your portfolio, for example – you say, you’re a freelance graphic designer, your client will examine your successfully or creatively you’ve done your past projects.  Your portfolio shows what you’re passionate about, for example –someone wants to hire freelance graphic designer, they will approach you through your portfolio.

2. Target your industry – While it is good to be open to anyone who can write you a paycheck, if you target/ focus a specific industry, it will benefit you for long run. To do so, start with researching. Discover an industry newsletter to get up to date information on current trends. When you meet people in the market, connect with other creators or freelance graphic designers – online and offline – you will get to know what trends client do love. After knowing the industry a little better, you can specific about the services you’d like to offer as well as showcase the work that falls into that particular niche. Remember that, people keen to work with individuals who have specific expertise.

Your portfolio will responsible to make or break your job prospects. For example – if you’re a freelance graphic designer works in numerous industries, filter your portfolio on the basis of industries.  You might also consider presenting case studies and marking plans as it will inform your potential clients that you not only deliver assets but also show that you work have had impact. Case studies aids you to answer questions like –

How unique your work is?

What makes you stand out from others?

Is your solution different from others?

Does this project break new ground?

If you just started put career as a freelance graphic designer, no need to fear. Case studies are not the be-all-end for your portfolio, but as you move forward add the data gathered for all these.

3. Captivate Your Clients (in less than 5 seconds) – You’ve told your potential clients, who you’re and put together the examples of your best work. Now it’s time to give some finishing touch and prepare a portfolio layout that communicates and captivates. Don’t forget; clients are skimming through the tone of your portfolios. A great portfolio always maintains consistent designing aspects, such as – visual unity, contracts and balance proportion. They also broadcast your own vision and style, so that your design should attain people into your world. Being a freelance graphic designer, your need to showcase your personality through the work and give people a chance to deeply understand who you are.

The most vital thing you need to do, at this time – keep project description and captions at minimum. With the help of DLD studios you can provide necessary details like - medium (web designs, thumbnails, animation etc.) and client with a strong image.

Remember; it’s alive –

At last, always remember that a portfolio isn’t a stagnant thing. In fact, it is a living entity that will grow as you do. The best thing for a freelance graphic designer is tightening your portfolio, removing wastage, filter and adding more appropriate and updated content. You can update it often as your skills grow and focus on your changes.

As you are gaining more experience, update your portfolio; it will reflect what kind of work you would like to do. If you really love to design landing page, make those cornerstone of your portfolio, billing yourself so hiring manager can’t up for their next job.

Summary Up!!!

While building a designing portfolio, always remember that it should gel fresh, human and carefully curated. If your portfolio is in well-being manner, potential employers or clients will receive a good sense of who you’re as a person or as a profession- and I am sure your work will truly shine.