Tips for Creating a Stunning Graphic Design Portfolio
Becoming a successful graphic designer is not always easy.
Building a stunning portfolio is the best way to showcase your works and prove to potential employers and clients that you have what they are looking for.
For anyone who has never put together a graphic design portfolio, there are certain ways to do it that work and other ways that don't work quite so well.
Here are some tips to creating a professional, impressive portfolio for graphic designers that should never be overlooked.
The idea of a portfolio is to show off your best works.
Maybe you aren't happy with everything that you have done in the past, but your portfolio should not reflect this.
Whenever possible, try to include actual samples in the portfolio.
If you worked on a tri-fold brochure for a previous client, include a copy of the actual brochure, rather than settling for a copy.
To prepare for this, always request a few copies from the client when they are running your designs through the printer.
They will usually be more than happy to oblige, especially if they are wholly satisfied with your work.
In keeping with the tip for providing actual samples, you should prepare some tear sheets if your work is appearing in a publication like a newspaper or a magazine.
Try to get a hold of as many original copies of that publication as you can and then cut out the portion that you were involved in.
These are called tear sheets and can be a hugely beneficial addition to any graphic design portfolio, especially if the work appears on the front page of the magazine or publication.
Sometimes it is not possible to get an original of the work, which is completely understandable.
If this is the case for any pieces that you designed that are fit for the portfolio, you have two options.
Printing the original source material from your hard drive will work if you have a high quality printer.
If you don't or if you want that extra professional touch, going to a print store like Kinko's with the file on a flash drive is the best route to take.
If, for any reason, you don't have the original file, you can always make a color photocopy of the printed work.
Try to make sure it is of the best quality possible though, which can be hard to get with xerox copiers.
The quality of the presentation is just as important as the quality of the work in a graphic design portfolio.
Photographs of work should only be used in rare occasions, but sometimes they are necessary.
If you created the design for a large billboard or poster, you can't exactly just stick that into a portfolio.
Either take a high-resolution photograph yourself or hire a professional photographer to take it instead.
With a portfolio, you are selling yourself as much as you are selling your work, so it should always look as professional as you can possibly make it.
Building a stunning portfolio is the best way to showcase your works and prove to potential employers and clients that you have what they are looking for.
For anyone who has never put together a graphic design portfolio, there are certain ways to do it that work and other ways that don't work quite so well.
Here are some tips to creating a professional, impressive portfolio for graphic designers that should never be overlooked.
The idea of a portfolio is to show off your best works.
Maybe you aren't happy with everything that you have done in the past, but your portfolio should not reflect this.
Whenever possible, try to include actual samples in the portfolio.
If you worked on a tri-fold brochure for a previous client, include a copy of the actual brochure, rather than settling for a copy.
To prepare for this, always request a few copies from the client when they are running your designs through the printer.
They will usually be more than happy to oblige, especially if they are wholly satisfied with your work.
In keeping with the tip for providing actual samples, you should prepare some tear sheets if your work is appearing in a publication like a newspaper or a magazine.
Try to get a hold of as many original copies of that publication as you can and then cut out the portion that you were involved in.
These are called tear sheets and can be a hugely beneficial addition to any graphic design portfolio, especially if the work appears on the front page of the magazine or publication.
Sometimes it is not possible to get an original of the work, which is completely understandable.
If this is the case for any pieces that you designed that are fit for the portfolio, you have two options.
Printing the original source material from your hard drive will work if you have a high quality printer.
If you don't or if you want that extra professional touch, going to a print store like Kinko's with the file on a flash drive is the best route to take.
If, for any reason, you don't have the original file, you can always make a color photocopy of the printed work.
Try to make sure it is of the best quality possible though, which can be hard to get with xerox copiers.
The quality of the presentation is just as important as the quality of the work in a graphic design portfolio.
Photographs of work should only be used in rare occasions, but sometimes they are necessary.
If you created the design for a large billboard or poster, you can't exactly just stick that into a portfolio.
Either take a high-resolution photograph yourself or hire a professional photographer to take it instead.
With a portfolio, you are selling yourself as much as you are selling your work, so it should always look as professional as you can possibly make it.
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