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Graphic Design Portfolios

Desktop publishing or graphic design portfolios should be more than just a few samples thrown into a folder. Potential employers or clients use examples of your work to help determine whether they want to hire you. The samples you choose for graphic design portfolios and how you present them can affect whether or not you get the job. Learn how to prepare a portfolio, what goes in it, how to develop one when you are a new designer, how to choose a case, and how to use graphic design portfolios to get a job or land a client.
How Much Do You Focus On One Area When Tailoring a Portfolio to a Client?
When it comes to tailoring your portfolio contents, whatever you include -- use your very best work.
Identifying Yourself in Your Graphic Design Portfolio
Answers to questions about your resume and photo in your design portfolio and putting a label on the outside of the portfolio.
Graphic Design Portfolio Projects
Build a portfolio when you don't have real world experience by doing these graphic design portfolio projects and makeovers on your own. Use them to strut your stuff and show off your design skills to potential employers or clients.
Why Use Portfolios
Most graphic designers and others doing some type of freelance desktop publishing need graphic design portfolios of some kind — a way to show potential employers or clients the quality of our work, our level of expertise, and to establish credibility.
What Goes in Graphic Design Portfolios?
You already know that portfolios should contain examples of your work, but which samples and in what format? Explore 5 types of content.
What Goes in a Beginner's Portfolio
You need samples to get the job but you need the job in order to have samples. That old Catch-22 doesn't have to stop you from putting together a good graphic design portfolio. It just requires a bit more creativity.
Choosing a Graphic Design Portfolio Case
After you've decided what will go in your graphic design portfolio (and created those pieces if you're just starting out) you'll need to decide how best to present those samples. Portfolio cases can be plain or fancy.
Organizing Graphic Design Portfolios
Once you have your samples and your portfolio case, the next step is deciding how to best present those pieces within your portfolio. Here are two specific ways to arrange your samples.
Graphic Design Portfolio Presentations
You've assembled all your best projects into a great looking leather case. Where you were weak in real-world projects you've filled in with some great made up examples that show you know your stuff. Now what? Now you have to present that great graphic design portfolio you've created to potential clients or employers and explain your work.
Ten Tips to a Perfect Portfolio
Advertising Guide Apryl Duncan has 10 illustrated steps for putting together and using a portfolio. Although geared toward advertising copywriting and design, these tips are adaptable to other fields, including graphic design.

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