Tips for Building a Digital Design Portfolio

For graphic designers, a major part of seeking employment involves curating a compelling and eye-catching professional portfolio. This digital compilation will not only display your projects but also offer potential employers a preview of your interests, aspirations, and what you're looking for in your next digital design opportunity. Review the following guide to help you craft a digital portfolio that successfully attracts job recruiters.

Personal and Professional Branding

Even if you're pursuing your first digital design role, you should fine-tune your online presence so that it is consistent, recognizable, and distinct. If you provide links to your social media channels, ensure that your profile photo is the same across platforms: this will add trust and visibility to your portfolio to better attract potential clients or employers. Positioning yourself as a qualified professional requires more than just posting your work—effectively conveying your brand requires utilizing the right keywords, speaking to your intended audience, and regularly updating content. Include a personalized, vibrant biography page to add personality and give your portfolio visitors a glimpse of your background and professional goals.

Showcase Your Best Work

Remember this key principle: quality over quantity. While it may be tempting to upload any and every project you've contributed to, this is not a best practice and can overwhelm visitors to your digital portfolio. Limit your samples to three to five examples per content type and only include the work you're most proud of to better garner interest. Keep the layout of your portfolio clean, organized, and equipped with easy-to-follow site navigation. You could even include case studies to illuminate your design process and outline how you've helped solve business problems with previous work.

Include Thoughtful Testimonials

Testimonials have a big impact when you're sending out your digital portfolio. To begin, create an outreach plan to connect with previous clients, professors, or employers and request testimonials providing feedback on the work you delivered them, and always ask permission before including this on your website.

Tulane School of Professional Advancement can help you grow your design career with our Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Digital Design. We offer flexible online programs to support you through your journey to a new career path. Start your application today to get started on your new career as a digital designer.