Essential Projects That You Must Include In Your Online Portfolio As A Web Designer

Essential Projects That You Must Include In Your Online Portfolio As A Web Designer
Essential Projects That You Must Include In Your Online Portfolio As A Web Designer. Image source: Supplied

If you are a web designer, whether you have a stable job in the office or dedicate yourself to it as a freelance, you need to have an online portfolio. You can start your online portfolio immediately on websites such as Behance, Carbonmade, Portfoliobox, etc. These platforms are perfect for web and app developers, illustrators, and typographers because you just have to sign up to access and have a personal account to share your content. Although they offer limitations on free accounts, they give you the possibility to create your portfolio in minutes.

Other web and app developers and web designers prefer to have their website. It has become common that not only web designers, but also photographers, illustrators, editors, and artists have their domain and website that serves as a kind of curriculum vitae. This may be your case and you have your website. Whichever option you choose, your online portfolio should contain only your best projects. You may have had the opportunity to work on different projects and are wondering exactly what projects you should include in your online portfolio. In this article, we will indicate the types of essential projects your online portfolio should include as a web designer.

The design of a new website

This is the type of project that should feature in your online portfolio. You likely have several projects like this in your portfolio and it is perfect because there is a great diversity of websites such as online stores, blogs, online newspapers, etc. Each website has different functions and designs, so you may have tried various features such as grid layout, vertical menu, image sliders, single page design, hamburger menu, etc.

By presenting a wide variety of original web designs in your portfolio, you demonstrate the large number of features that you can implement in each design.

To make your portfolio more effective, analyze the different characteristics of each website that you have designed. In this way, you avoid presenting designs that have the same characteristic or that do not possess any differential attribute. We recommend you carefully analyze the sites chosen for your portfolio to avoid presenting similar designs.

Redesign of an existing website

While presenting projects related to the design of a new website tests your ability as a web designer, redesigning existing websites also has the same goal.

Although the redesign process is quite similar to designing a website from scratch, it is probably a slightly riskier project. This happens because in most cases, there are already several customers and followers of the brand. Therefore, a web redesign is always a sensitive issue for many companies. You can say that you are working under greater pressure and many of your clients recognize it.

Another point in favor is that in a redesign, there is already a point of comparison between the old and the new design that you have created. By placing them side by side, customers can appreciate the most representative changes and how the essence of the brand has been maintained, if applicable. In some redesigns, the brand changes completely, but that is because the corporate identity is also completely modified. Thanks to this comparison, you can measure the success of web redesign.

A template for some type of specific website

Another project that you could add to your portfolio is a template that you have made for some type of site. As you should know, the templates are usually created based on some type of website in particular whether it is online stores, landing pages, online newspapers, blogs, forums, etc.

Although the templates do not take into account the brand, since it is a design that can be used by any company that has the same type of website that you have designed, they are an excellent way to show your future customers the versatility that you can apply to a web design, since templates must have certain options that allow brands to adapt them. Also, tell your future customers how well you know the basic needs of a certain type of website. A template serves to demonstrate these skills, what kind of solutions you can offer, how much you know about current trends and how they are used and exploited in the design of your template.

The interface design of a mobile application

Although it is a type of project that may not be directly related to your work area, you can include the design of a mobile application. Currently, the design and development of mobile applications is an excellent option to grow professionally. Due to the increasing importance that mobile devices acquire, a large number of companies need web and app developers who can create mobile applications related to the brand. Even some companies start in the digital field and begin to establish themselves through a mobile application. So, without a doubt, your career will be positively affected if you have also considered this growing trend and decided to create a mobile application.

If you have not had the opportunity to work on a similar project due to the little experience you have in these areas, we encourage you to do it as a personal project. The concept behind the application doesn’t need to be completely new as a service, you can create a simple application to make online orders, organize notes, etc. Instead, focus on the design and user experience.

You can also try redesigning a mobile application if you don’t want to create a brand from scratch. Just make sure that the mobile application that you decide to redesign presents failures, otherwise, you will not be able to put your skills into practice or show the final result in your online portfolio.

In conclusion

Deciding the projects that you will include in your portfolio is a task that must be done very carefully. As a web designer and web developer, it is obvious that many of your projects are from new site designs, but if you want to differentiate yourself from the rest, you can add a greater variety of projects to your website. In this way, your potential clients can know your skills more accurately, the variety of tools you can handle and your versatility as a web designer.

Author Bio:

Melissa Crooks is Content Writer who writes for Hyperlink InfoSystem, a mobile app development company in New York, USA and India that holds the best team of skilled and expert app developers. She is a versatile tech writer and loves exploring latest technology trends, entrepreneur and startup column. She also writes for top app development companies.