Note: A few times a month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of FreelanceSwitch. This article by Skellie was first published December 13th, 2007, yet is just as relevant and full of useful information today.

Every freelancer should have an online portfolio. You’ve got one, right? If not, skip to the last paragraph of this post. It’s written for you.

If you do have one, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You’re halfway there.

Building your portfolio is easy. The hard part is making it good. A killer portfolio does more than just showcase your work. It transforms visitors into clients. Best of all, it’s an automatic work generator.

In this post, I want to show you how to take your online portfolio to the next level. Continue Reading

Online portfolios are one of a freelancer’s greatest marketing tools. You can reference it in your business cards, promotional campaigns, email signatures, and clients can find you on their own through search engines – generating you new business.

Your portfolio is the face of your business and needs to communicate well on its own online. Your business goals with a portfolio are clear: you want to convert those visitors into customers.

We all have to start somewhere with displaying our work. Whether you’re building your portfolio for the first time, or looking to improve your existing portfolio, some professional tips can save you loads of time and get you building in the right direction – upwards.

Often the difference between a successful portfolio and one that falls flat is implementing some simple strategies, while not overdoing it, or loosing a targeted focus.

Take a close look at 12 advice-filled articles for freelancers that will help you create an effective online portfolio, and assist you in making it the best it can be.

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Like corporate website, which use phrases like “innovative strategies” and “leading-edge solutions” ad naseum, many freelancers’ online portfolios tend to use some of the same tired phrases again and again. I combed through dozens of freelance websites (many of them discovered through FreelanceSwitch’s Find a Freelancer Directory) to create this list of over-used and ineffective phrases.

If you’re using these in your own portfolio, consider finding other phrases so you can stand out from the pool of eager freelancers. Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at building portfolios and teaching students. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com. Continue Reading

Remember when you graduated from school or first decided to become a freelancer?  You likely didn’t have much work to show and had to scramble to fill your portfolio.  If you now have a few years under your belt, you’ve probably started to build up quite a collection of finished pieces.

The importance of having a professional portfolio website has been discussed on FreelanceSwitch – it is essential for the modern freelancer.  But how do you decide what to include in your portfolio? If you fill your site with only your favorite work it could be focused in the wrong direction and not attract business.  If you only display giant commercial projects it may feel like a sterile presentation with no heart.  Somehow you need to show that as a freelancer you are both capable in your skills and able to produce high quality, creative results.

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When it comes to finding the right freelancer for your project, resumes don’t always tell you everything you need to know. With creative work, like a website or copywriting, a freelancer’s style can be far more important than the companies he or she has worked for. Looking through examples of a designer or writer’s work can make choosing between freelancers a much simpler matter, especially if you have a whole stack of responses to a job listing. The review process doesn’t have to be complicated: you can find the right freelancer by focusing on a few key points.

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I’m a freelancer, and I’m a lazy beast.

I put things off all the time. I’ve been putting off writing this article for two weeks already. I’ve discovered though, that when it comes to important things, sometimes I just have to buckle down and get it done, like my portfolio.

How about you? Have you been putting off getting your portfolio designed? Whether it’s lack of time, initiative, or skill, a good looking portfolio is a big undertaking. Maybe next month we’ll get it done.

Last month the folks over at Krop launched their Portfolio & Resume Builder application. Their goal is to get your work out there as easily as possible, and display it as attractively as possible. And I must say…it’s a nice little package.

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I know that some of you are going to get grumpy when I tell you that working for free can be good for your personal and professional development. But bear with me for a few minutes, and then you can return to your grumpiness.

Here are six reasons why you’d want to do pro bono work for non-profit organizations:

1. You’re just starting out as a freelancer and your portfolio is empty.

I mean, that portfolio is so empty, there’s an echo in there. The good news is that there are plenty of non-profits that need your professional touch. They may have a website that needs redesigning. Or they need your computer programming skills to build a better membership database. Or their brochure could use better written copy.

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At a time when networking is extremely important, freelancers can’t afford to have a business card that isn’t eye-catching. My rule of thumb is if people aren’t complimenting you on your cards, then it’s time to make a change.

After collecting business cards over the years, I’ve seen some pretty interesting and creative designs along with some that just plain aren’t effective. Before going over some ways to ensure your cards don’t fall into the latter group, I think it’s important to ensure all of the proper information is accounted for. When designing cards for myself and my clients, I ensure the following information is included:

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Arguably there are few more vital sales vehicles than a web portfolio yet too often they are aimed more at other people in the industry than at clients. If you’re a photographer, you’re in luck because PhotoShelter – a company that provides a variety of services for photographers including portfolios – has put together a detailed survey and report asking clients what they want out of a portfolio.

The survey was of 550 image buyers, everyone from creative directors to photo editors, and asks them questions about what formats they prefer, how they react to Flash and what they are looking for in a portfolio, even whether they prefer a background to a plain look. The results are illuminating and very worth reading. Continue Reading

Clients can sometimes be nervous or hesitant about purchasing freelance services. Most of the time, freelancers (whether they are writers, designers, or something else entirely) won’t have a tangible product to sell, so it’s difficult to show clients what they’re paying for up front. This can provoke a lot of remarks from clients such as, “You design the logo for me and if I like it, I’ll pay for it,” or “Can I tell you if we plan to purchase the press release you write after we see it?”

I’ve found that to make clients feel more secure about purchasing services and to avoid spec work requests, a well put-together portfolio is key. People like to interact with portfolio pieces and feel the paper, see how an item folds, etc. If freelancers can use more than one of the five senses to show work to clients, it becomes a little more interactive, engaging and interesting.

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There are times when creating a logo can seem overwhelming. But in an industry where efficiency is key, I’ve learned a few tricks that help me to create logos that are effective, meet my clients’ objectives, and are portfolio pieces that I feel proud of.

Today I’m going to walk you through my logo design creation process, and what better way to walk you through it than by using a client case study?

Meet The Modern Woman’s Divorce Guide, a web-based divorce how-to that also empowers women.

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