What You Should Include in your Graphic Design Portfolio
Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time talking about portfolios (if you’re not following me on Instagram, you definitely should be). I’ve shared common mistakes that designers make in their portfolio, as well as four ways to build a design portfolio from scratch. But today I want to dig in a little deeper and talk about what you should – and shouldn’t – include in your graphic design portfolio.
First things first, I want you to ask yourself: What type of work do I enjoy doing?
The answer to that question will determine what you do and don’t include in your portfolio. Simply put, you shouldn’t include projects just for the sake of including them, or for showing your “range.” You should only include projects that you want to work on again.
Now, you may be saying, “Mariah, I don’t want to limit myself!” And I totally get that. I started out as somewhat of a generalist myself, designing everything from print ads to logos to websites. After a while I found my niche, and from then on, I only accepted clients whose needs aligned with my style and my services.
If you’re relatively new to design, or you have less than a year of experience under your belt, you can stick to being a generalist. Try out different projects and styles until you can determine what type of work you enjoy doing the most. For now, the most important thing to remember is to only include your best work in your portfolio, even it’s it’s only a handful of pieces. If you’re struggling with how to build a portfolio with little to no design experience, check out this post.
Now, if you have a little more experience under your belt, you should have a better idea of the things that light you up and make you excited to do your job. And let’s face it, the more you like doing something, the better the end result will be, and the more you (and your client) will enjoy the process!
Here are a few things to consider:
What kinds of projects do you enjoy working on?
What types of clients do you want to work with?
What kinds of projects do these clients want to see you have experience with?
Is there a certain style or aesthetic you love and want to become known for?
The answers to these questions should guide you as you choose what pieces to include in your portfolio. The fact of the matter is, people will book you based on what’s in your portfolio. So if you include projects that you didn’t enjoy or design styles that you can’t stand, chances are, someone is going to try to hire you to do that type of work again.
On the flip side, paring down your portfolio doesn’t mean that you’re limiting your opportunities! Just because you don’t display a business card in your portfolio, that doesn’t mean that someone won’t ask you to do one. It just means that you’ll get to decide whether or not you want to say yes.
At the end of the day, I want to help you to make money doing something you love – and your portfolio is your most powerful tool when it comes to booking clients and growing your business.
If you haven’t done so yet, I strongly encourage you to take my profitable portfolio quiz. Simply answer a few easy questions, and you’ll get an individualized roadmap based on your current portfolio (or lack thereof) with four pages of action items to build a portfolio that gets you hired!
