Get rid of your portfolio? Really?
Ilise Benun
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Ilise Benun
Business Coach & Mentor for Designers, Copywriters & Creative Pros. Let me help you get better clients with bigger budgets.
In an article for HOWDesign.com, I argued that portfolios are no longer effective enough at showing how you are different from every other creative professional you're competing against and I strongly suggest that you'd be better off to replace it with a few carefully crafted case studies.
In that article I outline the 4 reasons why, no matter how amazing your work is, your traditional portfolio, whether online or off, will not be able to communicate why you are the perfect fit for your ideal client's project:
- A traditional portfolio tells nothing about your process. This level of transparency is becoming increasingly important. Clients want to understand how you think and how you solve problems. Execution is important, but showing how you got there is the difference between a one-hit wonder and a creative genius with real staying power.
- A traditional portfolio doesn’t speak to the experience of working with you. Are you a diva or are you collaborative? How do you address challenges and opportunities? Do you have special obstacles to overcome? Was the client happy? Did they get the results they expected (or more)? Your portfolio is mum on all of the above.
- A traditional portfolio doesn’t specify what role you played in the process. Nor does it express to what extent. It’s one thing to create a new visual identity and brand platform for a client, for example, but it’s an entirely different thing to extend an existing identity and brand to new applications in print or digital media. How will they know the difference if all they see is the logo?
- A traditional portfolio won’t distinguish you from other creatives. Unless your work is significantly and markedly different (at a glance and evident from a thumbnail!) from what other creatives are producing, or is very highly specialized, a traditional portfolio won’t be enough to single you out in a crowd.
Do you agree?
Digital Product Designer | Strategist
3 年This is definitely interesting. I am noticing that real pros with over ten years in the game or who are great at delivering exceptional results tend not to play up their portfolio or have them at all.
Director of Creative Operations
7 年Totally agree! The best interviews I've ever been on were filled with wonderful conversation (about the work and sometimes not!). It's all about that office culture!
Brand builder.
7 年I would agree to some point. I think designers need to be very selective with their portfolio and only show examples of the work they can really talk in depth about. Be prepared to tell the story. Not show quantity, but quality. Let the piece just be a visual cue. The interviewer should ask the right questions to get them to tell about their process and how the idea came to fruition. Ask about challenges they faced and which piece they’re most proud of and why.
I help you find greener ways to do what you love, from cooking to crafting
7 年I think an annotated portfolio (notes beside your portfolio images) can help a lot, especially near-term, if you're just starting out writing case studies.
Creative Director / Art Director / Graphic Designer and Illustrator
7 年I agree, but I would also like to mention that the way roles & responsibilities are so fragmented these days, with many creative wearing many hats and often touching many projects in more "micro-engagements", that putting together one or even two solid case studies can be a challenge. What you are suggesting is great but might be only applicable to a select range/level of creatives. I feel what people could do better with their portfolios, that uses the spirit of your post, is to tell better stories, even if it in the form of a deeper dive bio or a little bit of contextual text that goes along with each piece of eye candy. One last thing to mention is that there still is the stigma(that has some truth to it) that people don't want to read a lot of copy on the web. So I would suggest to anyone, keep the copy hyper-focused but make sure that it clearly speaks in your tone.