Crafting An Online Portfolio For Remote Work

Summary

In this portfolio review video, Stephanie Owens and Greg Gunn from The Future provide in-depth feedback to Miguel, an aspiring graphic designer looking to land his dream job in the digital economy. They discuss the importance of clarity and specificity in showcasing work, the need for a professional website, and how to effectively present design work to appeal to potential employers or clients. Through a detailed examination of Miguel's portfolio, they offer actionable advice on improving presentation, focusing on relevant projects, and tailoring content to meet career objectives. The review is aimed at helping Miguel and viewers like him understand how to make their portfolios stand out to achieve their professional goals.

Takeaways

• 😃 Miguel wants a remote graphic design job to have more flexibility in his life
• 👨‍💼 His website should appeal to creative directors looking to hire a graphic or brand designer
• 🎨 His portfolio lacks clarity on what specific skills he offers; it should be pruned down and focused
• 🖼️ The project thumbnails need improving to showcase his best and most relevant work upfront
• 📝 Avoid generic terms like 'brand strategy' if the work is actually identity design
• 💻 Getting his own domain and template would allow customization and better presentation
• 🖥️ Reference other portfolios to see best practices for presenting projects clearly and beautifully
• 🤳 Use mockups to showcase branded collateral like business cards in context
• ✂️ Drastically cut down project text to focus on the key details
• ⏱️ Improving presentation will take time and effort but is essential to showing off great work

Q & A

What is the purpose of the portfolio review?

The purpose is to help Miguel achieve his goal of finding a remote design job by providing feedback and suggestions to improve his portfolio website.

What type of design job is Miguel looking for?

Miguel is looking for a remote graphic or brand design position, either at a company in-house creative team or at a design agency or studio.

What feedback did Stephanie and Greg give about the homepage statement?

They suggested simplifying it to clearly state who Miguel is, what he does, and the value he provides, rather than focusing too much on design philosophy.

What should the website thumbnails showcase?

The thumbnails should showcase Miguel's best and most relevant design work in an appealing way to draw people in to click through to the full projects.

Why should Miguel remove the logo design services offering?

He should remove it because he is looking to get hired full-time, so companies may see it as a distraction or conflict of interest if he is also freelancing.

What term should Miguel use instead of branding strategy?

He should use the term "identity design" since the project focuses specifically on logo and visual identity design rather than full branding strategy.

What platforms does Stephanie recommend Miguel use for his portfolio site?

She recommends using Squarespace or getting his own custom domain, rather than the current templated site, to have more control over the layout and formatting.

What is one way Miguel could better showcase his process work?

He could include images paired with brief 1-3 sentence captions explaining what that image represents in the design process.

Where does Stephanie recommend finding designer portfolios to study?

She recommends looking at designers he follows on Instagram and Dribbble and finding their portfolio sites, as well as searching LinkedIn to find designers at studios/agencies he aspires to work at.

What are the key things Miguel needs to work on with his portfolio?

The main things are improving his presentation/formatting, pruning down the content to only his best and most relevant work, and spending time on considered mockups and images.