Tag Archives: Portfolio Showcase

Portfolio Showcase: Fall Edition Round-Up

Today we’ll take a quick look back at the second edition of our Portfolio Showcase series, featuring the online portfolios and design advice of five creatives. Click on the respective thumbnail to check out the complete showcase.

Alison Yard Medland, art director, designer, & letterpress maker | alisonyard.com

If there’s any time when branding yourself is most important, and really you can go as far as you like with it, it’s right out of school. At that point you’re not likely to have a ton of real pieces in your portfolio that are gonna knock people’s socks off, it’s more about you, who you are, and whether or not you have a point of view. If you can really nail yourself as a brand and own it, that’s gonna be your best point of take off.

Ben Barry, designer & illustrator | designforfun.com

Create a portfolio that best represents you and your work. I see many print designers try and make overly complex or original websites when they aren’t web designers and their work would be best suited by something simple like Indexhibit or Cargo.

Daniel Thai, graphic designer | danielthai.com

[…] there has to be a balance between simplicity and creativity so that your work is the main attraction, but visitors still get a good sense of your personality. Also, the portfolio is never finished. It’s your resume and needs to be constantly tweaked with new works and new ideas to show your work and skills are up to date.

Megan Sullivan, graphic designer | megancreative.com

Create a site that reflects your personality and lets your work stand out. Since I am not a web developer, I wanted a site I could create and maintain myself. From there I customized the look of the site, keeping it clean and simple to showcase my work.

Mike Kus, graphic/web designer & illustrator | mikekus.com

Keep it simple—let the work shine. It’s quality not quantity. If you only have two bits of work you’re truly proud of, only put two pieces of work in your portfolio.

Thank you to all the featured professionals for sharing with us! We will be featuring more portfolios in the spring, so if you would like to share your portfolio or one that has inspired you, please share links in the comments or email us.

Portfolio Showcase: Mike Kus

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from Mike Kus, graphic/web designer and illustrator. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of his portfolio at mikekus.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m a graphic designer, web designer, and illustrator. I come from a print background, but I now specialise in web design. I’m based in Bath, UK.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had an online portfolio for a couple of years, but my current portfolio has only been up for a month or two.

What was your design process?
For my portfolio, I wanted to strip the design right back and make the page be all about the work on it. I also wanted the portfolio to be as simple as possible, hence the single page. I think too many portfolios are over complicated and I wanted people to be able to simply scroll down the page and browse my work. The site works on a 6-column grid, which I used to interlock the imagery. I think the patchwork effect of each portfolio entry works well in conveying the feel of a project.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
Keep it simple—let the work shine. It’s quality not quantity. If you only have two bits of work you’re truly proud of, only put two pieces of work in your portfolio.

Portfolio Showcase: Megan Sullivan

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from graphic designer Megan Sullivan. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of her portfolio at www.megancreative.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Megan Sullivan and I am a graphic designer living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I really appreciate smart and simple design and hope to portray that through my work.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I have had an online portfolio for about a year and a half.

What was your design process?
Since I am not a web developer, I wanted a site I could create and maintain myself. The best solution I found was squarespace.com. From there I customized the look of the site, keeping it clean and simple to showcase my work.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
My only advice to designers creating online portfolios would be to create a site that reflects your personality and lets your work stand out.

Portfolio Showcase: Daniel Thai

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from graphic designer Daniel Thai. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of his portfolio at danielthai.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m an aspiring freelance graphic designer living in Dallas, Texas. I actually grew up wanting to be a journalist, but I thought that meant only writing or broadcast. Then I took a couple classes in news design and information graphics, and I realized how much more fun—and engaging—it is to display information visually. I worked for a year as a graphic designer in a corporate environment, but I still have a lot to learn and am always looking for new projects to practice new skills. Despite the struggles, it’s something I always enjoy doing. I also like to dabble in photography as well.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had my portfolio for about a year now. Honestly, it’s probably time for some renovations.

What was your design process?
Because I don’t have any formal training in web design, it was a bit of an arduous process. I figured using WordPress as a CMS would be a good place to start since it’d be easy to find a theme to host my design clips and photos. Of course, it wasn’t as easy as I imagined as the control freak in me wanted to tweak everything about the theme. At first, I wanted a portfolio site that showed off a lot of my personality, but I ended up going with something simple that would instead show off my work. I left the creative stuff for my blog.

I found the hardest part of designing my web portfolio to be the medium itself. I usually work for print, so the hierarchy of pages and user interaction (instead of everything being laid out in front of the reader) was something I had to sketch out as diagrams so that I could figure out which pages fit where. Once I internalized the way the web works, it was easy for me to place all my samples as well as solve the problem of displaying my design work separately from my photography.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
An important place to start is to find a platform that works for you. I had used WordPress for a previous blog, so I had a few ideas of what I could and couldn’t do with it. As for the design itself, there has to be a balance between simplicity and creativity so that your work is the main attraction, but visitors still get a good sense of your personality. Also, the portfolio is never finished. It’s your resume and needs to be constantly tweaked with new works and new ideas to show your work and skills are up to date.

Portfolio Showcase: Ben Barry

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from designer and illustrator Ben Barry. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of his portfolio at designforfun.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Born in Ada, Oklahoma, but raised in Texas near Austin, I am now in Silicon Valley working as a designer for Facebook, where my focus is on developing Facebook’s online presence, voice, and brand.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had a website with art work I created for ~10 years. I’ve had what I consider to be a graphic design portfolio for the purpose of getting work/job for like 4-5 years.

What was your design process?
It’s definitely evolved and changed as my work changed and as I progressed. Early on, my sites themselves were visually very busy, calling attention to themselves as much as the work as they displayed. As I’ve grown and changed, I’ve tried to push the website into the background and make the content be the focus. For many previous versions (http://v1.designforfun.com/ and http://v2.designforfun.com/ for example), my focus was on designing an organizational structure and system to accommodate a growing archive of work. The visual design was almost an afterthought, and most of my energy was spent writing or diagramming what I wanted and then programming it all myself from the ground up.

With the most recent iteration I took a step back and thought about the work I was showing. With such a large archive of work it was becoming overwhelming for the viewer. Much of my best work was becoming lost among average work. I wanted to create a more simplified curated set of work and create a home page that gave the viewer an overall sense of my aesthetic and work. With the strong technical infrastructure I’d built for the previous version in place I was able to spend most of my time removing unwanted features and giving the website interface (although simple) a level of visual refinement I’d often glossed over.

I’d still like to work back in some of the features like category tags, so I’m sure I will continue to iterate and evolve the site over time.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
Create a portfolio that best represents you and your work. I see many print designers try and make overly complex or original websites when they aren’t web designers and their work would be best suited by something simple like Indexhibit or Cargo. While I don’t consider myself a web designer and don’t want to do that work professionally, it’s one of my hobbies which I enjoy from time to time.

Portfolio Showcase: Alison Yard Medland

The first in our fall Portfolio Showcase comes from art director, designer, and letterpress maker Alison Yard Medland. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of her portfolio at alisonyard.com.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Born and raised in the small wonder state, I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2006 where I studied advertising, graphic design, and art history. After a lengthy love affair with Gilah Press + Design, a small letterpress house in Baltimore, I joined Discovery Creative as an Art Director. There I hatched 360° campaigns for Discovery Channel and Science Channel. I’ve since moved on to brighter pastures as an Art Director at Pappas Group. I currently reside in the District of Columbia with hope in my heart, a Joe Pernice novella on my nightstand, and a C&P Pilot in my basement.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I created the first version of alisonyard.com in 2006 when I was fresh out of school and job hunting. It was absolutely atrocious, but it must have been decent enough to somehow get me a job. It’s since been re-designed (thank god).

What was your design process?
I decided to use Indexhibit because I loved what I saw on their featured participants and how many beautifully designed sites use it. I also really love how simple the content management is, especially for someone like me who’s really not all that web savvy in this day and age. I knew my site didn’t need to be anything fancy, just a simple design and simple navigation for flipping through portfolio work, so I used a pretty basic theme and (like most designers seem to be doing lately) made a few simple changes to the code to suit my needs.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
I think it’s really easy for designers to struggle with simplicity vs. branding themselves. My feeling is, if it’s a portfolio of work done for a wide range of clients, the designers “brand” should sit back and let the work come forward. If it’s meant to be less formal, a place where you show your work but also have things like your blog, tweets and miscellany, that really you just want other designers to check out and drool over, then I think there’s more room for branding yourself and having fun with it. If there’s any time when branding yourself is most important, and really you can go as far as you like with it, it’s right out of school. At that point you’re not likely to have a ton of real pieces in your portfolio that are gonna knock people’s socks off, it’s more about you, who you are, and whether or not you have a point of view. If you can really nail yourself as a brand and own it, that’s gonna be your best point of take off.

Portfolio Showcase, Fall 2010 Edition

Feeling frustrated or uninspired with your online portfolio? Today we are kicking off the Fall 2010 edition of our Portfolio Showcase series, where each Thursday, we feature the online portfolio of a professional writer, editor, or designer.

The first in the series will be up later today, so be sure to check it out for visual inspiration, design process insights, and valuable advice. If you would like to share your portfolio or one that has inspired you, please share links in the comments or email us. Thank you in advance to all the talented contributors!

Portfolio Showcase: Summer Edition Round-Up

This summer, we launched the first edition of our Portfolio Showcase series, featuring the online portfolios of writers, editors, and designers. Today we’ll take a quick look back at the visual inspiration, design processes, and creative advice they shared. Click on the respective thumbnail to read the complete showcase.

Sacha Greif, web designer | sachagreif.com

[Set] your goals first. Do you want to get new clients? Raise your profile by writing witty blog posts? Target a special niche? Get hired? If you’re not sure, the easiest and safest route is always to put your work forward. [...] potential clients want to see your work, not become your best friend or comment on your blog.

Matthew Allard, fiction writer | matthewallard.com

Start sending people to your portfolio site! Business cards are an affordable take-away. Super easy. I know they seem like something reserved for a company man. But you are the CEO of yourself. You are the product/brand to someone who may want your work or expertise.

Joe Sak, web developer | joesak.com

For me, the writing is the centerpiece of my portfolio. It aims to communicate effectively and comprehensively my contribution to the teams and clients I have had the pleasure of working with. [...] Pick your favorite work, write about it freely, don’t nitpick yourself to death, and just start sharing with others.

Sarah Jackson, designer & illustrator | sarahjackson.ca

[...] more than anything else, I needed my site to reflect me: my personality, my quirks, my uniqueness! Opposed to what some people may believe, I think that clients hire people, not just skills. Generally they hire someone that they know can do the job AND that they will like to work with.

Victoria Pater, graphic designer | victoriapater.com

[...] find a platform that works for you (whether if be WordPress, Indexhibit, Cargo, or Squarespace), then customize it. They have all the main elements you need, plus the social and community aspects are already built in.

Kristen Byers, designer & writer | kristenbyers.net

Remember that your digital portfolio is an ongoing process — it’s never really “done”. I have found that the best time to work on my portfolio (and resume, for that matter) is when I’m not actively seeking employment. That way the pressure is off and I feel much more relaxed about my design and content decisions.

Grace Smith, freelance web designer | postscript5.co.uk

If you’re not giving an overview of each piece of work in your portfolio, you are missing a valuable opportunity to showcase your skills and expertise on each particular project. You don’t need to write an essay, but it’s your chance to shine by giving some details that will allow each potential client to appreciate each piece not just on an aesthetic level, but on a practical client project level too.

Thank you to all the featured professionals for sharing with us! We will be featuring more portfolios this fall, so if you would like to share your portfolio or one that has inspired you, please share links in the comments or email us.

Portfolio Showcase: Grace Smith

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from freelance web designer Grace Smith. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of her portfolio at postscript5.co.uk.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Sure, I’m a 27-year-old web designer and owner of micro-design studio Postscript5, based in Northern Ireland. I work with individuals and companies based mainly in the UK and USA, on a diverse range of projects from branding and blog design to iPhone app development and application UIs. I’ve recently launched my latest personal project—The Freelance Feed—and enjoy blogging and contributing to other publications such as Computer Arts Projects and Mashable.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had an online portfolio since my first year of University, which would be approximately nine years now. However, my portfolio for Postscript5 was launched five years ago, which I would consider my first professional online portfolio.

What was your design process?
My focus was on creating a portfolio that was unique. I started with a color palette and went from there, with around 15 various revisions before deciding on the current design. I took the decision to create something that was simple, easy to update and navigate, all with a strong call to action on every page.

Creating a clean, efficient aesthetic was at the core of my process. I’ve actually started the redesign for Postscript5, with a complete overhaul of the brand and design.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
Creating a great online portfolio relies on first knowing exactly who your target audience is, what their specific wants and needs are, and then catering to these. You can start by creating an ideal client profile, then define your market by profiling it. Once you know this information, you will be in a much better place to position yourself for the best results and create a portfolio that truly connects with your audience.

I would also recommend:

Only Display Your Best Work – You don’t want to give someone an excuse to say no to your work, so don’t include pieces that you don’t believe showcase your work at its best. Including too much means the viewer could easily get bored of your work, when you really want to leave them wanting more.
Give Your Portfolio Context – If you’re not giving an overview of each piece of work in your portfolio, you are missing a valuable opportunity to showcase your skills and expertise on each particular project. You don’t need to write an essay, but it’s your chance to shine by giving some details that will allow each potential client to appreciate each piece not just on an aesthetic level, but on a practical client project level too.
Provide Testimonials – These are an essential for any portfolio. Having reassuring quotes from previous clients helps quell uncertainty and acts as excellent ‘social proof’. Testimonials also do an excellent job of showcasing who else you have worked with and tells potential clients who they will be joining on your client list.

Perhaps most importantly, make sure it’s easy for them to contact you!

Portfolio Showcase: Kristen Byers

Our latest Portfolio Showcase comes from designer and writer Kristen Byers. For a closer look, click on the screenshots to visit the respective area of her portfolio at kristenbyers.net.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I work at the Monterey Institute of International Studies as the New Media Development Specialist. I mostly work with the Institute’s web and social media presences, but I get to design print documents from time to time. I also pick up the occasional freelance project, and my portfolio definitely comes in handy for that.

How long have you had an online portfolio?
I’ve had a formal online portfolio since the spring of 2006, so for about 4 years now. You can still view the first iteration of my portfolio online. My portfolio has evolved quite a bit since then as I discovered that a content management system would make it way easier for me to add and feature new portfolio pieces. I’ve been using WordPress for my portfolio since 2008.

What was your design process?
I always start by choosing a color palette and then a typeface for my name. For some reason I see these as small, achievable goals that help me get the design ideas to start flowing. Then I seek out a WordPress theme that meets my basic needs (in terms of general layout, number of columns, built-in contact form, etc.). Determining my WordPress theme needs is probably the hardest part. Once I find a WordPress template that I can use as a starting point, I tweak the heck out of it to make it my own.

Do you have any advice for other designers about creating online portfolios?
Remember that your digital portfolio is an ongoing process — it’s never really “done”. I have found that the best time to work on my portfolio (and resume, for that matter) is when I’m not actively seeking employment. That way the pressure is off and I feel much more relaxed about my design and content decisions. I highly recommend soliciting feedback from friends and coworkers during this time.

Also, don’t forget to create a favicon for your portfolio. It’s a great finishing touch (and often a fun challenge to try to represent yourself in 16×16 pixels!).