Use Graphic Design Portfolios to Strut Your Stuff
Who needs a portfolio? If you aren't taking on new clients or if you're so well-known that your name alone can land an assignment, then maybe you can forget about formal graphic design portfolios. However, few of us fall into those categories.Designers Seeking Freelance Clients
Most graphic designers and others doing some type of freelance desktop publishing need a portfolio of some kind — a way to show potential employers or clients the quality of our work, our level of expertise, and to establish credibility. Clients of freelancers are generally less concerned about the specific software you use but they are interested in the final product that you can produce.Designers Seeking Employment
Job seekers will probably need both résumés and portfolios. Skills in specific software programs and experience in print design and digital file production go into the résumé. The portfolio demonstrates how you turn those skills into actual designs.Highlighting Past Performance
Graphic design portfolios are graphical résumés. They show real examples of the type of work you have done in the past. It is an indication of the type of work you can do in the future.The first step in building a portfolio is deciding what will go in it.
Assignment for Lesson 1 on Portfolios
If you arrived at this page via search you've landed in the middle of a free class offered by email. This lesson is part of the Create a Portfolio in 6 Days email class offered by About Desktop Publishing. Sign up for the 6-lesson class.
