The Ultimate Guide to Showcase & Create an Online Portfolio

Here are some exceptional tips and guides to create an online portfolio stunningly and make you stand out among the other creatives. Find out more!

A portfolio is one of the most important things a designer must-have. With a portfolio, you will find it easier to market and get more exposure for your career. In this digital era, most designers create an online portfolio. Online portfolios are considered more practical and also easier to carry around. When compared to portfolios in file or paper form, of course, this type of document will be easier to use so that you can market your career more easily.

What is an Online Portfolio?

Before you create a portfolio in the form of online, you need to know what it really is. Actually, this type of portfolio is the same as regular portfolios in general. The only difference is that portfolios in the form of online will usually come in the form of a digital file, while regular portfolios will be in the form of paper.

With its digital form, it means that your portfolios can be taken anywhere. You can save your portfolio on all of your devices so that if you later meet a potential client, you just have to submit your portfolio wherever you are.

There are lots of websites that you can use as a helpful tool when creating an online portfolio. When you create an online portfolio, your work will be much easier. You no longer need to provide hard copies to be distributed to clients. You can share a soft copy online of your profile in a limitless manner.

Created by PeCa Creative Factory | https://www.behance.net/gallery/31628835/Portfolio-website-Example

Creating a portfolio in the form of online will not only save you time, but you will also save money and energy. Conventional portfolios are limited in number. You must print this document immediately so that the stock doesn't run out. Compared with the online form of this document, the numbers are unlimited and can be used for a long period of time.

Actually, an online portfolio can be divided into two. Online portfolios can be in the form of official and non-official. Here is a discussion in more detail:

A. Formal 

A formal portfolio is a formal profile that you create to show clients before making a deal on a project. This type of document has been specially designed for showcasing your best work to convince clients of your abilities.

Usually, this type of document is also used when you want to apply to a company or official institution such as college. When you make this document, you should take it seriously and must be in accordance with the standards.

This type of document is as important as a business card. With this official document, you will be more credible, and clients will also be much more interested in hiring you as their designer.

The formal online portfolio can be in the form of files that can be shared, or it can be in other forms such as a website.

Created by Alexander Kiryanov | https://www.behance.net/gallery/73548065/Govaert-Vanhoutte-Architects

B. Informal 

An informal portfolio is an optional form of a showcase for you that you can create to increase your credibility as a designer to your prospective clients. Usually, informal portfolios in the form of online are made on your social media. You can use your social media platform like Instagram, Behance, Pinterest, and others as a platform for showcasing your work.

Because now is the digital era, of course, there are a lot of people who use social media. This can be used as a great opportunity for designers to bring exposure to them and market themselves. There are lots of designers who can be successful by just regularly posting their works on social media.

One of the most effective social media to market yourself is Instagram. Instagram chooses a creator mode that can help you find your suitable audience for you. Instagram is also one of the most used social media, so this way, more people will see your work.

This informal document can be accessed by everyone, so you no longer need to bother sharing your work with certain people. With one post, your work can be seen by hundreds, thousands, even millions of people.

Source: Behance | https://www.behance.net/

The Importance of Create an Online Portfolio

If you're a designer or developer and you're looking for a job, your online portfolio is going to be key. More and more companies are deciding whether or not to interview you based on what they find on your profile before they even meet with you in person.

As a designer, you want more people to acknowledge your artwork. When you create a portfolio, the chances that you will be recruited and your services are used are increasing. One way to let people know about your work is through this document.

An online portfolio lets you show off your design and development work in a way that's much more engaging than a set of PDFs. It also gives potential employers an easy way to look at your work by using the same system they use to look at everyone else's, so it doesn't matter if the person who makes the hiring decision likes Photoshop and not Fireworks.

Your document is a reflection of your skills and your talent. A strong profile is a key to finding a job faster than you ever thought possible.

A portfolio is also a collection of your work that makes you stand out from the crowd. It reflects your uniqueness. If you're able to convince your potential client that you can be a good designer, they will like your work and every project in it.

A document of projects can help you find a network relevant to your goals. An online presence can facilitate industry contacts, networking, and meetings with professionals. It is also useful in making our skills known to employers and recruiters.

This document could also help you find new opportunities to collaborate with global experts by sharing your content online or offline and get inspired & updated in the process.

Tips on How To Create an Online Portfolio

Create an online portfolio is not a hard task if you know how to do it. There are many free tools that could help you to build a good portfolio. But still, a showcase for your work that you make yourself custom will definitely get the maximum results.

A document that you work on with your own ideas will really show off your own personality and traits as a designer. Personality is what is really needed to make yourself stand out in the eyes of the client.

Here are some tips you can do to create a cool and stand out portfolio:

1. Gather As Many Inspiration Possible

When creating an online portfolio, you can look up to many inspirations that you could find. Nowadays, there are so many platforms that will provide you with tons of ideas that you could try to implement in your profile design.

Find inspiration that matches your field. For example, if you are a visual graphic designer, you can seek inspiration from other graphic designers. Likewise, if you are a painter, you can look for inspiration from other painters.

It is very important to seek inspiration from people who work in the same field as you. This is because every field in the world of design has its own characteristics and specialties. Therefore, surely the work provided in the profile will be different in each field.

You can see some great examples on Tumblr websites, Behance, Pinterest, and many more. You can find the types of designs and styles that can be used in creating or designing your own document.

You can also see some impressive works here. Acknowledge some different styles and types of designs that you can use as a guide or template when creating your portfolio. With a wide variety of online portfolio themes and designs, you can discover a style that suits your personal brand.

Find examples of great portfolios to see how different designers have used style in creative ways.

Source: Pinterest | https://www.pinterest.com/

2. Choose The Right Templates or Interface

When creating an online portfolio in the form of a website, you have to choose carefully what template and interface you want to use. This template and interface will greatly influence the appearance of your works.

In a portfolio, it is not only your work that becomes the focal point. The way you showcase your work is the first thing people will see when you show your works. Create an online portfolio that is attractive to look at.

That way, make sure you choose a template and interface that matches the personality of your design. Each designer has its own characteristics and style. If you are a designer who focuses on minimalist design, then reflect that in your work.

As previously mentioned, there are many tools that can help you create a portfolio. Some of these tools usually provide templates that you can choose from.

First of all, you have to determine what type and theme of the template you will choose. After that, you will be presented with a wide selection of templates. After selecting the template options that you like, you can customize the template so that it looks even better.

But you can also build your online profile from scratch. You can use your own ideas and creativity to create this important document. In this way, your works will be more personal and different than the others.

Created by Anagrama Studio | https://www.behance.net/gallery/37000213/Odabashian-Website

3. Choose Your Best Artwork to be Showcased

The works that you include in your portfolio must definitely be your best work. If you have produced a lot of works, just choose a few pieces that really amaze and show your personality design. Create an online portfolio that showcases who you really are as a designer.

Make sure you choose the best designs that you make. If you have had the chance to collaborate with a large and well-known project, please include that project. This will increase your likelihood of being accepted by clients.

However, if you are still a novice designer who has never collaborated or officially worked on projects, you can include the works that you have created. You can also create new works specifically to be included in your profile. Make sure you do the best possible work so that your works become more attractive.

Created by Studio Saworl | https://www.behance.net/gallery/118275705/Amway-My-Pack-by-NUTRILITE

4. Use High-Quality Images or Videos

When building an online portfolio, this step is one of the most important things. You certainly don't want your work to be less attractive just because the quality of your image or video artwork is low, right? Important things like lightning and resolution can change the appearance of your work.

If you want your artwork to look cool and attractive, you should also choose high-quality photos or videos of your artwork. Usually, designers have their own studios or use the services of professional photographers to capture their artwork.

If you are a graphic designer whose work is all digital, make sure you use high-quality images or videos. Make sure the color and resolution of your artwork match the original.

Some designers will also edit glitches and small details such as colors and blemishes of their artwork to achieve more satisfying results. You can imitate this too. But still, remember not to edit your work too much until the results look really different from the real results of your artwork.

Created by Iteo | Digital Product Agency | https://www.behance.net/gallery/78324605/iteo-rebranding

5. Include Necessary Content and Feature

When creating an online portfolio, there are some key features that will do your works even better in the eyes of clients. You will have to determine what section of the crucial information you would like to feature in this document.

Usually, most designers will divide the document into sections to make it easier for clients to view and analyze it. The sections most frequently included are the homepage, about page, contact information, and finally, clients and testimonials.

The client testimonial section is usually one of the most important parts most highlighted by clients. Make sure you include honest testimonies from your previous project clients. Create an online portfolio that is not only attractive and selling but shows who you really are.

Created by Spiilka Design Büro | https://www.behance.net/gallery/90425459/Interactive-game-Phil-Lee-Against-Unknown

6. Make It Mobile Friendly

Most portfolios that are created on a website are usually only concerned with laptop or computer users. There are still many profile websites that are not mobile-friendly. In fact, mobile users are one of the most important target audiences that you can target.

In this day and age, everyone uses their cell phone as a mandatory item in their daily lives. That way, of course, the number of mobile users is more than that of other device users. When building an online portfolio, it is very important for you to try to find as many people as possible to view your work.

By creating a mobile-friendly website, more people will be able to view your website and see your profile comfortably. To create a mobile-friendly website, there are many ways you can use it. One of them is by reducing heavy elements so that the website does not lag when opened on mobile.

In addition, you can also design flexible custom templates for use by mobile users and other devices. With this, you no longer need to bother designing 2 different templates for each device type user.

Created by Maxim Aginsky | https://www.behance.net/gallery/94561261/Lab-3-Arrowww-v16

7. Asking For Feedbacks

Create an online portfolio is essentially not a hard thing to do, but some help might be necessary to create a better profile. While in the process of creating a portfolio, you can consult or ask opinions from other designers. Or even you can also ask the people closest to you who are non-designers to find out their opinion.

This way, you can find out other people's views on the profile design that you make. Ask if there are any suggestions or suggestions that you can use to improve your online portfolio.

Ask them whether the design is good or not, whether the interface used is difficult to use or not, and various other small details. Make sure you produce the best design because your profile document is a reflection of you and your design.

Knowing other people's opinions is also one of the most important things that designers sometimes forget. You must make a design that appeals to most people.

8. Promote and Share Your Portfolio

If you do not actively promote your own works, it is unlikely that your profile will be found and seen by people. Actively promote your works. One of the best ways is to promote it on your own social media.

In this day and age, social media accounts have also provided promote and ad features. For example, you can create advertisements to promote your work or post on Instagram so that it is seen more by people.

Or you can also attend exhibitions and designer associations in accordance with your field. Later there will definitely be potential clients that you can target. Share and show them your works to bring you more exposure.

Conclusion

Online portfolios are very important for a designer to market themselves. With the help of this document, designers can show their best artwork to clients and grab their attention.

People will always use an online version to showcase and review their works because they are considered more practical and save time. You can re-read this article above to give you more understanding and great tips you can use to create an online portfolio properly. 

If you have any comments, please feel free to write them down in the section below. We hope you enjoy reading this guide, have a good day, and cheers!