4 Ways to Build a Graphic Design Portfolio Without Any Design Experience
As a graphic designer, your portfolio is your most important asset when it comes to finding new work. Think of it like your resume! A great portfolio showcases your skills and your past work, and gives potential clients an idea of what they can expect from working with you.
But what if you’re just starting out and you don’t have any experience yet? Not to worry! We all start somewhere, and the good news is that while you do need a portfolio to book clients, you don’t need any clients to build a portfolio.
Yep, you read that right.
You can build a killer portfolio that attracts your dream clients — all without any design experience. And I’m going to teach you how!
Determine your ideal client.
First thing's first, in order to build a portfolio, you’ll need to identify your ideal client. (This will help you ensure that you’re doing work you actually enjoy!)
Take a second to think about it. What types of people do you want to work with? What companies do you dream of being hired by? Do you want to work with large established corporations, or small businesses and startups? Are you interested in the tech space, or would you rather work with other creatives? Try to be as specific as possible.
From there, you can determine the services that your audience may need from you, so you know what to put in your portfolio. For example, a larger company may need marketing collateral like brochures and pamphlets, while smaller businesses might need help figuring out their branding and designing a logo.
Alternatively, you can also work backwards, and start with determining what projects you enjoy designing, and then figure out who would need those services. Maybe you really love designing clean, minimalist websites. If that’s the case, you’d want to fill your portfolio with several website designs that fit into that aesthetic, and then find clients with similar branding and visuals.
Alright, now that you’ve got your target audience figured out — and you know exactly what they’ll need from you — here are 4 ways to build your portfolio!
1. Redesign existing projects
Once you’ve determined who you want to work for or what projects you want to create, it’s time to start filling your portfolio with relevant work. If you don’t have any past work that fits your needs, start by redesigning an existing project!
Is there a local business you love that could use an upgrade? Take their existing branding and give it a refresh! Start with the basics of the brand, and then go from there to create new business cards or even a website mockup.
2. Reach out to nonprofits or charities
So many charities and nonprofit organizations lack the resources they need for marketing collateral or creative services. If you’re going to be spending your time building portfolio pieces, consider reaching out to a local nonprofit to ask if you can volunteer your time and talents.
This is a great way to give back to your community while gaining real-world work experience!
3. Reach out to family and friends
Is a friend getting married? Is your aunt starting a business? Does your mom need a custom gift made for a relative? Try reaching out to your personal network to see if anyone you know could use your services. Odds are, there’s someone out there who would be thrilled to get some free design work!
This is a great, low-pressure way to practice working with clients and add some fun pieces to your portfolio.
4. Create your own faux client project
I’m going to let you in on a secret — you don’t actually need a client to design a project you love, you can just make one up!
If you’re struggling to find a business or clients whose needs fit your design style, there’s no reason you can’t just create your own project! This way, you can create something that feels true to your aesthetic and perfectly speaks to your ideal clients.
In fact, building a portfolio full of projects you love (rather than client projects you weren’t thrilled about) is going to help you book clients that are more aligned with your design style, and projects that you’ll actually enjoy working on!
Bonus Tip: Choose the Right Platform
Choosing the right portfolio website builder can make all the difference in showcasing your portfolio. You can choose from the best affordable online portfolio website builders that are packed with advanced features, marketing and SEO tools to help you showcase, sell and share your work effortlessly without touching a single line of code. If you are looking for inspiration on how to create your portfolio website and make it impactful and unique, do check out these best portfolio websites to help you get started!
Take the Free Portfolio Quiz:
Ready to get started? Click here to take a short quiz and you’ll receive a personalized portfolio roadmap, designed to help you take your portfolio to the next level and start booking your dream clients!
