mtaustin Posted June 5, 2012 Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 Hello. I was wondering about how to create a web design portfolio. I have read on a website that in order to get clients for your web-design business, you need a portfolio of your best work. However, I am starting out in my web design career, and I do not have any previous web design project to rely on at this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrea Posted June 5, 2012 Report Share Posted June 5, 2012 You have to start somewhere. Maybe you can find some pro-bono clients (churches, etc.) to build sites for, or just create some 'mock' sites so you have something to show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brainusa Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 (edited) It’s really hard to create portfolio and go ahead in the market without any clients. If you are going to start own business then first you have to work on own project and include it into the portfolio. You can also include some own created web design screen-shots and wallpapers into portfolio. Edited September 10, 2012 by brainusa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuildMyWeb Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 both great ideas. build your own site. use it to showcase your skills. then use that as a starting point to get a couple of clients to agree to letting you do their websites for free, provided they allow you to include them in your portfolio and allow for a backlink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 I recently heard this on a webinar replay. Go find some beautiful Wordpress themes, such as from themeforest. Use those as samples. Tell your future clients that you can design sites like that. It is absolutely true, too. You can install the theme of their choice and make a beautiful site. Sometimes success is just a matter of seeing from another perspective. PS: You could buy a theme pack and install one each on a sub-domain of your main site. It can be a mock-up, not an actual site you did for someone. If you get themes that have relative positioning, you can use the same theme for a mobile web site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justinfh2Point0 Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 You have to start somewhere. Maybe you can find some pro-bono clients (churches, etc.) to build sites for, or just create some 'mock' sites so you have something to show. Or you can build websites based on your other interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grabenair Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 I did what Andrea said I built some fake sites. Made them a sub domain. Linked a screen shot to them in my portfolio. Only people that read the url will notice it. That helped me get my first two clients pro-bono. When they asked why I would build there sites for free, I told them I need more sites in my portfolio to attract more business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSW Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 That is how I started as well - my first sites were two Non-Profit organizations and a School. All free for the portfolio and experience. Believe me, you MAY THINK your a good designer... but look back in a few years and compare the current sites against these early ones and you will see what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gffects Posted August 9, 2012 Report Share Posted August 9, 2012 I'm pretty much in the same boat, not had much time to build fake sites just now as college hasn't restarted yet and working full time. I do have work done at college but not allowed to use it as they were exam pieces and technically owned by the college which I think is really unfair. But I do have some site lined up from just word of mouth, cms portfolio, static portfolio, a static site for a business maybe.. and my own personal project of which I'm not quite experienced enough to build yet. So my advice is just ask freinds and family you will be suprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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