How To Build Your Design Portfolio When You Don’t Have Clients Yet

Has it ever crossed your mind that you could have a design portfolio even before getting your first client? You may be thinking to yourself, “I need a good portfolio to land my first client. But, a good portfolio comes from a client’s project”. This takes us to the chicken and egg question. Nearly all would-be-great designers get caught up in this loop. How do you build a portfolio with no clients? The secret lies in sample projects. Hopefully, you won’t join those designers caught up in this infinite negative feedback loop.

Think of your dream clients. Research them. What kind of designs do they expect? Do they prefer clean minimal designs or professional corporate designs? Think through every tiny detail. Now, go to your graphic designing software and create this sample poster. Posters are a great way to showcase your design skills. You could even go a step further and print a few copies. This shows the client that you know a thing or two about printing. You’ll be killing two birds with one stone.

Is there an upcoming holiday season? Create a few themed desktop and phone wallpapers. Themed wallpapers make great portfolio items. They show that you’re passionate and you are current with what’s happening around you. Head over to Pinterest and the other social media platforms that you’re on. Share them. You could even make a DeviantArt account and post them there. Who knows? You could even get your first client from there.

Redesign existing products. New graphic designers redesign existing products. This provides a great learning experience. It challenges your brain to see things from a creative perspective. You may decide to design a trending book’s cover. Make sure you acquire written permission first though, you don’t want to land in legal trouble.

Is there an upcoming community charity event? Do their design work for free. Come up with innovative designs that showcase your skills. These charity events are perfect grounds for networking. If you do a good job, the event organizers will definitely recommend you to other people. Charity work giveaways form great portfolio pieces. They give you a stage to express your view on the community. Doing them gives hands-on experience and you gain karma too.

As the year comes to a close, consider designing the upcoming years calendar. A nice, fun and creative design goes a long way in leaving a good impression. Take this opportunity and design a piece that you will be proud of. Add it to your portfolio. Then, showcase your brand there. You could give a dozen copies to potential clients. This showcases your design skills to potential clients in a caring manner.

Participate in a graphic design contest. Art pieces created for a contest can make a perfect addition to your portfolio. They will show future clients that you believe in your skills. It doesn’t matter if you don’t win the contest. Remember, our goal is to get those precious portfolio pieces. Once you have these pieces in your portfolio, you are already winning.

Collaborate with local graphic designers. Sharpen your design skills in an environment that enhances teamwork. Then, add some of the best projects that you do here to your portfolio. If you do a good job, the established graphic designer that you’re working with might even subcontract you on future projects.

Is a friend or family member’s wedding around the corner? Volunteer to design their wedding invitations. Remember to document the whole process. Take pictures of your sketches, wireframes and even prototypes. Also, take screenshots of interesting stages in the graphic software that you’re using. They may include snapshots of before and after special effects. Add this documentary to your portfolio. Showcase your graphic design skills through a story.

Finally, design your own business cards. Now that you have a good portfolio in place, make a good business card design that portrays your passions. Let your business card speak for you. Business cards are special portfolio items that you leave your clients with.

There are many ways that you could add portfolio items even without working on a client’s project. Go out there and keep an eye out for things that would make great portfolio pieces. Give it your best shot and you will be surprised how easy it is coming up with portfolio pieces. From today onwards, make this your slogan, “Show, don’t tell”. You will never go wrong.