How to Develop a Graphic Design Portfolio

A graphic design portfolio is the best way to display and showcase your past projects, creativity, and talent. A graphic design portfolio is vital when trying to pursue opportunities as a graphic designer within a company or as a freelance graphic designer pursuing clients. The graphic design portfolio can contain any number of items, in several different formats.

The first important step in developing a graphic design portfolio is deciding what work to include. You should only include your highest quality work in your graphic design portfolio. If you include mediocre work in your graphic design portfolio simply because you are concerned about not having enough pieces in your graphic design portfolio, you will lose important job offers and clients. It is better to have a few pieces in your graphic design portfolio that really showcase your talent and creativity than have many pieces that do not help you build a solid reputation as a graphic designer.

The next step in developing a graphic design portfolio is deciding what type of graphic design portfolio you want to create. There are four main types of graphic design portfolios: printed pages in a binder, an online graphic design portfolio, images placed on a graphic design portfolio CD, or a slideshow of images placed on a graphic design portfolio DVD. Really, it is best to create one of each type of graphic design portfolio so that you are fully prepared to offer whatever your prospective employer or client is prepared to look at to judge your talent and creativity as a graphic designer.

To create a graphic design portfolio of printed pages, you should choose only your best work, and only the best quality printed copies. If you are unsure of the quality of your home printer, put the images on a disk and have them printed for you at a print shop. The best quality and most creative pieces can look mediocre if not printed with high quality printing. You should then present the pieces in a professional manner. The best color for a graphic design printed portfolio is black, and the most professional style is leather. This should be something that is spiral bound, a book, or a case so that you can add or remove pieces from your graphic design portfolio easily as you progress in your graphic design career.

To create a graphic design portfolio online, you will first need web space. Website hosting and domain registration has become very cost effective. Most websites also give you free website building tools so that you don't have to know HTML. However, make sure that you sign up for website hosting with enough bandwidth to handle all of the images and potential traffic. Once you have your website set up, you'll want to choose your pieces carefully. Display them as thumbnails on one page, with each full scale piece appearing on another page when the thumbnail is clicked. This will give people with slower internet access easier access to your online graphic design portfolio.

To create a graphic design portfolio on DVD or CD, you must have a computer with a DVD or CD burner. To make really professional DVD or CD graphic design portfolios, you will want to get a CD or DVD burning kit that allows you to burn images onto the top of the CD or DVD and create labels for jewel cases. You can either save individual pieces on the CD or DVD, or you can simply save a copy of your website on the disc.

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ImtiazTips Area Graphic Design Freelancer Resources

Working as a freelancer in graphic design can be very challenging. Not only do you have to find your own graphic design clients, do all of your own graphic design work, and handle all of your own graphic design office tasks, you are also on your own with keeping up with graphic design information, technology, and resources. The best way to keep up with these types of information about graphic design is through networking. There are many networking and client finding resources for graphic design freelancers in the ImtiazTips area.

Freelance ImtiazTips is possibly the best available resource for the graphic design freelancer. This organization offers a graphic design freelancer directory for ImtiazTips business owners to search and locate a graphic design freelancer. There are also many graphic design networking events, and various freelancer meetings and events. While Freelance ImtiazTips is not specifically for graphic design freelancers, it does put the graphic design freelancer in contact with other industry professionals as well as potential clients. This ImtiazTips freelance organization is, if nothing else, a great way to generate referrals for clients for the graphic design freelancer.

Publishers Resource Group is a great resource for any freelancing graphic designer to be aware of. Rather than a networking organization or graphic design professional association, Publishers Resource Group is simply an organization that routinely, and preferably, uses freelance graphic designers for all of their publishing needs. Based in ImtiazTips, this curriculum designing company hires freelancers for type design, cover graphic design, and all other graphic design projects.

Creative Freelancers online is another great graphic design freelancer resource. Carefully screened graphic design freelancers are listed in a graphic design freelance directory. Clients then look through the available graphic design freelancers, go through online graphic design portfolios and resumes, and then contact the graphic design freelancer through the Creative Freelancers web site. This is a great way to get qualified clients and leads for your graphic design freelancing business. Best of all, there are not many listings in the ImtiazTips area, so anyone looking to get in on the ground floor of this web site in the ImtiazTips area should get themselves listed as soon as possible to take advantage of the many ImtiazTips graphic design freelancing opportunities that may become available.

The Oasys Network is another great online graphic design freelancer resource. This web site allows all graphic design freelancers to post their talents and graphic design portfolios. The web site has numerous options and opportunities for gaining exposure as a freelance graphic designer as well as generating leads for potential clients for a freelance graphic design business. Open to all graphic design freelancers, this web site is much like Creative Freelancers, but much less restrictive on what ImtiazTips graphic design freelancers can take advantage of the web site.

As you will undoubtedly find, there are many resources, both free and inexpensive, for graphic design freelancers. The best way to find these resources and take advantage of them is to simply research on the internet by searching for ImtiazTips graphic design freelance resource. You can also check with your local Chamber of Commerce for information about ImtiazTips area graphic design professional associations.

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Relationship Building to Market Your Graphic Design Studio

You've optimized your web site, tuned up your web page so it's stellar, and still you want more business for your
graphic design studio. Where do you go? What do you do?

Go out and meet your potential clients in person! Many of your potential clients are people oriented. They want to
feel that they have a relationship with the person with whom they do business. That personal connection is very
important so these particular clients would never dream of doing business with someone just because their web site
came up on the first page of the search engine. These are the people who want personal contact, to meet you in
person, talk with you on the telephone, and get to know who you are.

It may take some time and effort to build these relationships, but once you do you'll be very happy you did. With
clients where you've built a personal connection, the loyalty factor is much higher. They'll stick with you, giving
you repeat business over the years.

But, you ask, "How do I meet and attract them to do business with my particular graphic design studio?"
Networking. Depending on the area of the country where you live, there are numerous ways to meet potential clients
in your area. Larger cities have a lot of different networking groups. Even smaller towns and communities have
clubs and organizations which can be productive networking opportunities. Below are some of the places you can find networking groups and the types of groups you may find.

Chamber of Commerce - Usually local chambers have networking events - breakfast, lunch or evening cocktail mixers. You can come as a visitor the first time and sometimes more than one time. After that they may require you to join which is not a bad idea, if you want to build credibility for your graphic design studio. Being able to say you
are a member of your local Chamber of Commerce enhances your credibility to people who find you via the web as well.

Business Networking Groups. These are groups that meet for the express purpose of giving and getting business.
Some of them meet weekly and some meet monthly. Usually the ones that meet weekly are "exclusive" meaning that if you join as their graphic design studio, no one else in the group will be doing graphic design. The monthly
meetings are often non-exclusive meaning that more than one graphic design studio can join.

Other Networking Opportunities. The Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs and other humanitarian organizations provide
excellent opportunities to network while contributing something back to your community. Alumni organizations,
political and school organizations also are excellent fields for networking.

Remember though. Relationships are usually not built overnight. They take time. So, don't expect to show up once
and go home with immediate business for your graphic design studio. It may take several meetings for people get to
know you and what you do. So while it takes some effort on the front end, the clients you'll get, will stay with
you longer, because they know you and see you on a regular basis.

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Popular Graphic Design Magazines

Graphic design magazines give graphic designers and graphic design students the ability to keep up with current graphic design trends, learn about new or coming graphic design technology, and discover new graphic design opportunities. Graphic design magazines can also give graphic design students information about graphic design scholarships and graphic design compeitions.

This graphic design magazine allows graphic designers to find information about graphic design technology, freelancing as a graphic designer, and graphic design career opportunities. Students of graphic design will find this graphic design magazine helpful in its showcases of graphic design career opportunities, graphic design schools, and graphic design events. Of interest for all graphic designers and graphic design students is the stress that this magazine puts on not just the how, but the why and the creativity of graphic design.

Graphic Design USA is another fabulous graphic design magazine.

This graphic design magazine has technology information for serious graphic designers to keep up with industry news. Graphic Design USA magazine also has resources for students of graphic design, as well as contests and scholarship programs. The online version of Graphic Design USA magazine also has opportunities for free graphic design stuff, and a graphic design online newsletter that can be emailed to your inbox weekly.

Print Magazine is yet another great graphic design magazine.

This graphic design magazine seems to tend more toward the creativity side of graphic design. With regional and nationwide graphic design contests, student graphic design contests, and other graphic design competitions, this graphic design magazine is a must for students of graphic design or those just starting a career in graphic design. The online version of Print Magazine offers graphic design forums, a free graphic design newsletter, and other free graphic design stuff.

Magazine is an online only publication for graphic designers. This graphic design online magazine offers the option to read on the web site, or on a text only email edition that is sent out around the first of every month to subscribers. Not only does this online graphic design magazine offer industry news, graphic design technology information, and other graphic design features, but it also offers reviews of graphic design software, graphic design books, and other graphic design resources. Anything graphic design related, big or small, might be included in this online graphic design magazine.

There are many other graphic design resources and graphic design magazines that can be found both on and off of the internet. Serious graphic designers and graphic design students should subscribe to at least one graphic design industry publication in order to keep up with the latest graphic design industry news. If you would like to find more graphic design magazines and resources, do an internet search for graphic design magazine and be amazed at the wealth of graphic design information available to you in this type of graphic design forum.

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Try to fulfill the requirements of searchengines AND visiitors by using valid HTML and high quality content with unique design.

For better websites you have to build sites which are user-friendly AND optimized for search engines.

Here are 10 strategies for better webdesign:

1. Use valid HTML/CSS code. Searchengines and users hate wbesites which cannot be read correctly

2. Try to find out the most relevant keywords of your clients. Sort them by relevancy and list the first 12-15 keywords

3. Provide useful and structured content which referes to the keywords

4. Set keywords in bold within the text. Use keywords within the title tag.

5. Use h1-headlines for the most important keywords

6. Use alt-tags for images

7- Design. Try to create an unique and attractive design. High-quality images will impress your visitors. Seach for nice images in the web but do not copy them without permission.

8. Submit your website to the most important search-egnines like google, yahoo.

9. Try to get new backlinks every weekSearchengines will love that. Be sure not to get bad neighbourhood. Only quality websites should link to you. Directoy listings will provide you with good links when they have a pagerank of 2 or higher.

10. Keep your website actual. A news section will provide visitors and searchengine with new content.
If you have not the time or ability to design a website contact an agency with long-termed experience in webdesigning and seo. Before placiong an order you should check the references. There should be at least 20 web projects from different customers.

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How to choose a graphic designer without loosing your mind

Some of the horror stories about trying to find or work with a graphic designer. It can be difficult, time consuming and frustrating to say the least, but in all fairness it's no different than any other profession. Think about how some people must feel when they have to work with some of your competitors.

You'll want to evaluate some basic things first - things that are vital in any industry. Is your potential designer on time to meet with you? Do they treat your staff with respect or do they treat them they like they don't matter? Did they do their homework before coming? Once you've nailed down the basics, your list of potential designers will probably be a lot smaller. Now you can start to look at some of the things that are more specific to our industry.

Presentation - Everything from how a designer dresses to how they package their sample work will tell you something about them. Take a look at their clothing but avoid basing your opinion on your personal fashion preferences. Instead, look at details that will tell you how much effort they put into their own appearance. Clean shoes are a great indication of someone that pays attention to details. Trimmed fingernails are another. You'll also want to pay attention to whether the work presented in their portfolio is straight. Though these may seem like little details they will mean a lot in determining the attention to detail that your designer will take in your project.

Preparation - Did your designer run up to your office door chasing his wind blown papers across the parking lot or did he stride confidently to your door, materials in hand? Did he show up with a pen and notebook? This is important unless you want to spend a lot of time later reminding them many of the things that you've already told them. A designer that isn't prepared for the initial meeting is not going to conduct day-to-day business any differently.

Point of view - Everyone has a different view of the world and it's a given that those with a similar point of view will work better together. With that in mind, it's important to find a designer that shares your beliefs. The advertising for your multi-million dollar SUV dealership will never achieve spectacular results as long as you are using a designer that believes that all corporations are big evil things bent on destroying society for a buck. If your designer doesn't understand where you're coming from they will never be able to tell your prospects.

Portfolio - This is really a classic case of "size doesn't matter - it's how you use it!" When considering designers you may be loosing out if you dismiss a designer because of a small portfolio. The designer that came by in a 3-piece suit with a three inch thick portfolio isn't necessarily the one for the job. Maybe the girl that has no college degree and a portfolio with nine pages of work that she did at home is a better fit for you. The most important thing really is quality. The designer that brings everything may not be able to decide what to present and what not to present which could mean that they will have the same problem in delivering a clear message to your audience.

There is one more thing to consider when you choose a graphic designer - they know what you don't when it comes to design. When you say "let's add more colors" or "make the text bolder" there is usually a good reason that they're rolling their eyes. We recommend that after you've done your homework and choosen a competent graphic designer you let them do their job. Graphic design is a lot more than just making something look nice. There are a lot of technical details that have scientific backing that you may not know about. In most cases it's in your best interest to focus on what you are an expert in and let them focus on what they are an expert in. You will see far better results that way.

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A quick lesson in Graphic file formats.

There are two different types of file formats - bitmap and vector drawing. Bitmaps is the most basic of the formats with each image made up of individual pixels. This format is most often used with photographs and images that contain subtle shading.

There is however one problem with bitmap images, scaling up the image. This is because by scaling up the individual pixels become more pronounced, leading to a jagged appearance. There is the ability to improve this using a technique called anti-alias which acts to smooth the graphic, however this still will result in a jagged appearance as the image is scaled up once more. This again can be improved through increasing the image resolution, however this causes the problem of making the file larger and therefore slower to load.

Programs that produce such files are Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and Corel Photo Paint, with file formats including BMP, GIF , JPEG, JPG, PNG, PICT (Macintosh), PCX, TIFF and PSD. The most popular out of these formats for web pages are Gif and JPEG, the former because of it ability to compress files and therefore speed up loading time, the JPEG because it allows a full range of colours.

Vector images differ because they are made up of paths. This makes them much smoother and clearer as the image I scaled up and is what true-type fonts use to ensure that they lose no quality with changes in size or resolution. It is for this reason that vector drawings are used for page layout / type / line art and illustration.

Programs that produce these types of files are Macromedia Freehand, Deneba’s Canvas and Abode Illustrator, the file formats include .ai, .cnv, .cdr and .fh8 .

The EPS format is a file type that allows a graphic application that can’t read the file types above and is a format that is likely to be most requested for illustration and line art because of the ability to scale the work with no lose of detail.
Hopefully this makes the scary world of graphic file formats a bit clearer and if your graphic designer is of any quality then as soon as you mention a format they should know exactly what you’re talking about and will be very impressed if you do too.

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What exactly do we pay graphic designers for?

We all know, that in actual fact designers not only create images that are designed to catch the eye of the consumer, but to make a business appear professional also and indeed the core purpose of their work is to help convert potential customers into actual customers via brand/image and marketing materials linked in with this.
Is that all?I’m sure a lot of business owners think that really is all there is to the design industry that serves them and the many designers that populate it.

In some cases (for some designers) that really is all there is to it – they don’t operate on many other levels other than to make their designs professional, pretty, and eye catching. However there really are other aspects that must be considered when you commission a design to develop the brand image for your business, a couple of these are explored in more detail now-

=> Target Market:-ecently I was approached by a company interested in brand design; their product and service was one that should be targeting both men and women, and yet when I was shown the design they had received already for another designer I immediately noted some glaring issues with it. The design itself was eye pleasing and on the surface of it a less experienced person may observe that it was a professional effort; but the designer had produced something which featured a stylised woman as the central figure within the logo and not only that despite the stylised nature of the image, she was clearly of oriental heritage.

I quickly pointed out to the customer that when one’s target market is male and females and not women only, that to gender bias one’s logo design is counter productive, and even worse to possibly alienate even more people by making the character a particular ethnicity when your product is targeted at all nationalities. A creative must think, think, think, and then and think some more about the target market when they are designing. To enable that before they start designing, they absolutely have to ask the business owner about the business; who are the customers, how will the product or service be sold to them, and so on.

=> Colours & Tones:- A long time ago now I wrote a very popular article entitled the ‘The Relationship Between Colours & Sales’ – I’ve long since populated the piece across the internet and you can thus read it on many websites.
Although as creatives we don’t need to enslave ourselves completely to the rules of colour psychology, any designer working on a project should always keep this in mind.In addition to considering the psychological effect certain colours have on mood and behaviour, which is well documented by the marketing industry, one needs to consider the socio-economic dynamic of the target market as this has some bearing on the tone of the colour scheme chosen.

For instance it’s not uncommon for my clients to ask for a bright colour scheme for their brand design, but this doesn’t always suit their target market; it’s known that low income groups are attracted to bright colours and thus if you don’t wish to attract low income groups a bright colour scheme isn’t right for your brand design regardless of what you like as an individual.

When your designer goes to work and you review concepts it’s vital to appreciate the design isn’t supposed to necessarily appeal to what you like, it’s supposed to appeal to your target market and this may not necessarily be the same thing as your own favourite colours.

These are just a couple of important areas that must be considered by your designer before they start work on your brand development, some of the other areas include;

- Ensuring the design will work well whether printed billboard sized or business card sized.

- Making sure the company name is easily readable.

- Ensuring the design is neither too tall in height, or too wide horizontally; disproportionate designs can be more difficult to incorporate into layouts for print such as flyers, stationery, brochures and so on; this means these items may not look as good as they should.

Much of this advice can also be applied even when you already have your brand design established and have moved on to developing this further with your marketing materials.

It’s important that the designer working on your printed stationery and marketing materials appreciates the need to be sympathetic to the brand theme already established, and also has sufficient skill and experience to bear in mind that designs created must appeal to the target market.

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