Create a Great First Impression with Your Portfolio

A few tried and true tips to help creative pros build a portfolio that lets the work do the talking.

Making a great first impression as a creative professional can be a challenge. At the end of the day, what matters most is the quality of your work. However, it's important to make sure the quality of your work isn't buried beneath a messy and hard to digest portfolio.

While there is no "one-way" to display your work and make your portfolio shine, here are a few tried and true tips to help your work do the talking.

10 Tips for a Killer Portfolio

  • Determine your title and the type of work you will display (i.e. Photographer, Filmmaker, etc.)
  • Use your real name not a business name when creating a portfolio
  • Choose a clear grid display with a clean white or black background
  • Organize your work by business vertical. Some common markets include Weddings, Product Photography, Real Estate, Brand Video, Portraits etc. Don't use unique project titles for these headers, they should be universally understood.
  • Display examples of work for the types of jobs you want to attract. If you're looking for paid commercial work, display commercial work and move your personal projects elsewhere.
  • Don't use a Vimeo or Youtube link as a portfolio.
  • Make your contact information easy to find and utilize. Don't use a form fill.
  • Include an "About Me" page with one professional photo and a short bio that sums up your greatest achievement thus far.
  • Make the homepage a directory not a library.
  • Did you know you can use the Blended Sense app to display work you’ve done for us as well as others!? Use the app.blendedsense.com portfolio to get started quickly and easily.

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