By Emily Gray
published
Top tips for filling up your portfolio after graduation.
Graduating from design school and trying to get your first job can be one of the most frustrating times in your career. You need a design portfolio to get a job, but you haven't had a full-time design job before, so what are you going to put in it?
Worry not. There are quite a few different things you can do to help bulk out your portfolio – and not all of them involve designing for free. These tips don't just apply to recent graduates, either – if ever you find that your portfolio could do with a refresh but you're not getting to right client projects to do so, come back to these ideas and give one a go.
01. Work on your own brand
It's not just a good portfolio that will impress potential clients: how you present yourself to clients is, in itself, an opportunity to provide them with a sample of your work. Having a solid brand identity for yourself as a freelance designer will also help you seem much more professional.
So, why not design yourself a logo, some business cards, and a slick website to showcase your other work. Take the advice of experienced graphic designers and spend 75 per cent of the time you work on client work again on developing your own company image.
02. Help a local business
Whether it's a local charity, a company belonging to a friend or family member, or just a place where you really enjoy the service – you can always make the first move and volunteer your services. If you've noticed that your favourite café's menu could be better, why not suggest that to the owners?
If you've chosen not to work pro bono, then make sure you price your work carefully.
03. Create your dream project
Clients want to see how well you are able to work to a brief and design according to their specific needs. However, there's no rule to say that your portfolio has to be filled with real-life projects. If you don't have any examples to show off your best skills, why not make up your own brief?
The advantage of these kinds of projects is that you can imagine your perfect job and picture your ideal client. What type of design work would they need? This way, you are making your portfolio more attractive to the kinds of people that you actually want to work with, not just the kinds of people you end up working with. Just make sure you flag up that it's a personal project on your portfolio site.
04. Enter design competitions
Third party recommendations are always more convincing than self-promotion. By winning a competition, you're proving that you can out-do several other designers in front of a panel of impartial judges – possibly the best third party recommendation you could hope to receive.
There are a whole host of recognised accreditations out there that would look as good on your CV as paid work, if not better. In fact, the Adobe Design Achievement Awards were created specifically to help students and recent graduates launch their careers.
Whatever you do, make sure you retain copyright of anything you submit. Which leads us onto our final tip…
05. Avoid online design marketplaces
These sites are the cause of substantial debate within the design industry. Online design marketplaces, such as 99designs and Crowdspring, enable employers to post briefs for professional designers to ‘compete' for.
Yes, that means that new designers have as much chance as experienced designers of being picked for the job. But it also means you have to put in a lot of time and resource into a design, and there's no guarantee that the employer will like your concept the most.
This is spec work and, while it's rife in the creative industry, can you imagine asking a plumber to work for free in the hopes of being paid? You wouldn't eat at different restaurants and only pay at the best one. In the same way, you should never work for free (unless it's pro bono work). Doing so is not only bad for you, it's harmful to the wider industry too.
Read more:
- How to craft a standout portfolio
- 7 survival tips for design graduates
- Are design graduates industry ready?
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Emily Gray
Emily works at Route One Print – the UK's largest trade printer. Its aim is to make trade-print easy for graphic designers and print resellers with white label packaging, reseller tools and a smooth order process that helps its clients' businesses grow.
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As an enthusiast with a deep understanding of graphic design and the challenges faced by recent design graduates, I can provide valuable insights into the concepts discussed in the article "Top tips for filling up your portfolio after graduation" by Emily Gray. My expertise in graphic design stems from a comprehensive understanding of the industry, including practical experiences, ongoing learning, and engagement with reputable sources.
The article offers practical advice for design graduates looking to build an impressive portfolio and enhance their chances of securing a job in the competitive field. Let's delve into the key concepts discussed:
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Work on Your Own Brand:
- Establishing a solid brand identity for oneself as a freelance designer is emphasized.
- Suggestions include designing a personal logo, creating business cards, and developing a professional website to showcase one's work.
- Allocating a significant portion of time (75%) to developing your own brand is recommended, showcasing the importance of self-presentation in the design industry.
-
Help a Local Business:
- Volunteering services to local businesses, charities, or acquaintances is proposed as a means to gain practical experience.
- Emphasizes the importance of approaching potential clients and suggesting improvements, demonstrating initiative and a proactive attitude.
- If choosing not to work pro bono, careful pricing of services is encouraged, highlighting the need to value one's work appropriately.
-
Create Your Dream Project:
- Encourages the creation of personal projects to showcase skills and creativity.
- Suggests that portfolios don't have to be limited to real-life projects, allowing for the inclusion of imaginary or conceptual work.
- Emphasizes the advantage of tailoring projects to attract the ideal clients and making the portfolio more appealing to the desired audience.
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Enter Design Competitions:
- Highlights the credibility gained through winning design competitions, showcasing one's abilities in a competitive environment.
- Third-party recommendations, especially from impartial judges in competitions, are considered more convincing than self-promotion.
- Mentions the Adobe Design Achievement Awards as a recognized accreditation for students and recent graduates.
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Avoid Online Design Marketplaces:
- Caution against participating in online design marketplaces like 99designs and Crowdspring.
- Describes the speculative nature of such platforms, where designers invest time and resources without a guarantee of payment.
- Draws a parallel with other professions, suggesting that working for free is detrimental not only to the individual but also to the wider industry.
By understanding and applying these concepts, recent design graduates can navigate the challenges of building a robust portfolio and increasing their chances of success in the graphic design industry.
