5 Tips for a Better Online Design Portfolio

For a lot of designers, your online portfolio is your main outlet for showcasing your work, and also a vital tool for finding new clients. Following these 5 simple tips will prevent your portfolio from falling flat, and help it to shine you and all of your hard work in the most favorable light!

Plan your portfolio in advance

Focus on your strengths

Quality over quantity

Update your portfolio regularly

Encourage potential clients to contact you

Conclusion

Online design portfolios can range from a simple slideshow to much more complex systems with in-depth descriptions, multiple images and project details. It is important to decide before you start building your portfolio what kind of portfolio you want to have. Ask yourself questions such as: "Will I have the time to keep an in-depth portfolio up to date?" and "Are my potential clients interested in every single detail?" Also, what type of work are you planning on showing in your portfolio? An in depth portfolio may be a great idea if you regularly work on large high-profile projects. But if you plan on also displaying smaller projects such as individual icons or single flyers then you may find a simple slideshow and minimal descriptions are more suitable.A tip that is applicable to almost any task that involves shining yourself in the best light is to focus on your good points. And this can certainly be applied to your online portfolio too. For example, if you have a keen eye for detail, always include some close up shots that emphasize your pixel perfection skills! Pay attention to the feedback that you get from clients and family and friends. The reactions you get from them may hold the key to what your strengths are. If they are always in awe when you show your work, it could indicate that your work has instant impact and would be best seen large or full screen. If you feel that your work is best appreciated when the scale of the work and the background information is understood, focus on writing some good quality copy that explains how hard you worked on this project and why it was a success.In a perfect world, potential clients would spend hours viewing our portfolios and appreciating everything we’ve ever done since high school! Unfortunately the reality is that online portfolios are subject to the same fast-paced browsing that all websites online suffer. If you don’t instantly hook and impress visitors to your portfolio, then you may lose them before they’ve given you a chance. I hear you ask: "Why wouldn’t they instantly love me?" Well, if your portfolio doesn’t showcase only your best work, then viewers won’t have any desire to click through your entire portfolio looking for the good stuff. A little of something sweet makes people want more of it, it’s part of human nature. So, if you give your potential clients a small taste of how amazing your work is, they will naturally want to see more. That is when you have them hooked!Tying into the last point slightly, as well as showcasing your best work, also make sure that the work you include is recent. It inspires confidence in you as a designer if your work looks fresh and modern, especially when you consider how quickly trends come and go in the web design industry. You may even find that you have more returning visitors than you think. Updating your portfolio regularly gives them a reason to come back and see what you’ve been up to. Never updating your portfolio may give the impression to returning visitors that you haven’t done anything since they last checked you out! And that would be very unprofessional.This is where a lot of online portfolios fall flat. Try to remember why you have a portfolio in the first place. Apart from a few designers who are possibly just showing off (nothing wrong with that) most of us should be doing it to get new clients, right? Encourage your visitors to make the first step. Some potential clients may not be sure where to start, so give them a little direction! Simply telling them to email you is a good start but it still leaves a lot of uncertainty, depending on what you are comfortable with disclosing consider telling them if you are available, what kind of projects you are looking for etc. Or even ask them a few questions first, start with an online form that asks for some basic information about their project. That way you can get back to them already knowing what they are looking for. Finally, don’t be afraid to keep telling potential clients to get in touch. We live in an age where advertisements and marketing messages are constantly being thrown at us, we’re all used to it by now and block most of it out. A simple ‘contact me if you’re interested’ line at the bottom of your page may not be enough. Shout it loud, and make sure you get heard!I hope these tips have been useful additions to part 1 of portfolio building . Just remember: with a little planning, your portfolio can stand out against the crowd. Focus on your best and most recent work, and make your potential clients want to choose you. Do you have any top tips for a successful online portfolio? Share them in the comments!