27 February 2013

Free Ways to Show Off Your Portfolio

Whatever you decide to do after you graduate, getting your work out there online is definitely a good idea if you want to get hired. Having your portfolio online allows prospective employers or clients find you. Rather than spending the money to get prints or host your own website, here are a few free portfolio hosting services you could use to get your work seen.


Dribbble


With the tagline "show and tell for designers," Dribble.com is sort of a more professional, user-friendly version of Deviantart. Members of the community can post works in progress and final designs as they are finished on their own profiles. Other designers can comment and share, and gain feedback and inspiration from one another. Designer profiles feature the name, location, and contact information of the artists as well as a prominent "Hire Me" button at the top. This gives clients looking to hire access to browse through work and contact a designer easily. A basic account is free, though you'll need to be invited by a current member.


Krop


Krop.com allows users to create a limited profile of ten images and a resume for free. Employers can search through portfolios and post job listings, so it's a great place to find work. They do offer a Pro version which allows unlimited image uploads for $10 a month. Though as a student or new graduate, ten examples of your best work would probably make a better impression than pages of images. Free is always better anyway, right?


CarbonMade


Carbonmade.com offers a unique, clean, customizable design as a template for your portfolio. Unlike the others, this isn't a searchable database of designers. Users are given their own url, so it's simple to print on a business card or resume. If web design isn't your thing, but you'd still like to have a well-designed vehicle to show your work, this is a great option.

There are dozens of other websites out there (portfoliolounge.com, coroflot.com, wix.com, etc), it's up to you to choose the best one for your own portfolio.

15 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this. That is great information for building a portfolio. I am keeping a file on my computer of all my work for a portfolio. I am going to look into this. Thanks!!

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  2. Wow this is such a great article. I had always known that posting a portfolio online was a good way to advertise yourself and your work, but I didn't know what the best sites were. I hate making thousands of different accounts so this article was really helpful. I had been on Dribbble before but mostly just as an inspirational tool rather than an online portfolio so that was good to know. Carbon Made looks like the most appealing option by far though, in my opinion! The fact that you get a personalized URL is amazing!

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  3. I've heard a lot about Dribble, but I've never really heard of the other two so now I have other places to look at! This is definitely a great idea and seeing how I am going to be putting together a professional portfolio soon, this is great inspiration for pieces I should use and a great host for it. I'll definitely benefit from using and looking at these sites.

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  4. This post was very useful. I did not know that there were websites out there that allowed designers to showcase their portfolios for free. This is also a great way to get inspiration and see what other designers are doing today. I think the most appealing one you posted is Carbon Made. I like how the users get their own URL, it makes it very practical and personal.

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  5. This is very useful information and I will most definitely be looking into making a portfolio for myself soon. These portfolios seem more design oriented than any other portfolios I have seen and I really enjoy that. The fact that they are free makes them even more appealing. My favorite would probably have to be CarbonMade because of its sleek, black look. I love design on black background, therefore; I believe this portfolio would be a good start for me.

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  6. Wow this is great! This seems way more convenient and professional looking as opposed to "tumblr" (ha). I heard of Dribble before but Carbon Made would be the one I will choose. I want to make some business cards so this would be perfect. I heard of Wix.com as well and have seen friends use it for portfolios. I liked them so far as well. I will most definitely set up one soon. thanks for posting this!

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  7. This is a great example of putting up your work. I was recently searching for design blogs to put up my 'Work Hard.' project to be shared but never thought about using a portfolio site. Signing up and posting!

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  8. This is a great post, especially since we are all gearing towards the "what to do after college" idea. Creating your own online portfolio (via personal website) at some point is going to be a must but for now something free and familiar in the design community is awesome.

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  9. Thanks for posting this. It is extremely helpful and inspirational. I like how clients are able to contact a designer easily using Dribbble and how other people can give feedback. It is cool to see all the designers work and progress all in one place. Plus it is awesome that a basic account is free. Even with some internships I have seen they ask for a URL to your personal website portfolio. Having a website portfolio definitely shows your professional and organization skills. Making your website or portfolio reflect your work and style in an efficient way is really important to clients. I think CarbonMade is a really helpful site for designers who do not have an extensive knowledge of web design.

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  10. This was a great post and great information especially for that next step that seems so far away yet it's just around the corner. It is absolutely something I will be utilizing.

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  11. Awesome post! Very useful for us that are graphic designer students trying to build a good portfolio. Love the ideas and these sites are great examples. I am looking into creating a online portfolio soon and this post definitely helped on giving me different perspectives on how to do so.

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  12. wow fantastic information here! really enjoyed reading this, mainly because it is going to important for the future.

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  13. What a great post! I'm SUCH a fan of Dribble, but I'm excited to check out those other sites. Kudos on such a relevant post.

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  14. This is great information! Thanks for posting thins. Not many people now how to do this and do everything wrong. I didn't. Very important to know when you are in this field.

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  15. Thank you for posting this, Dribble and Carbonmade both look really cool. I'm wondering if they have app versions of these sites, that would be dope. But I think this is an awesome resource for anyone graduating soon and wanting to get hired ASAP (aka me).

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