,

Building a portfolio that wins you the work you want

,
Building a portfolio that wins you the work you want

Does your portfolio attract the right kind of clients? Is your portfolio reflective of your current skill set, or is it outdated? These are questions I want you to consider as you read today's guest post by Hannah.

Hannah is part of Ditto, a creative design and branding agency based here in the UK, and her and the Ditto team have pah-lenty of experience in building a portfolio that attracts the right clients with the right budget. Read on to learn how they created such a successful, money-making, client-getting portfolio!

Nesha xo

--

 

If there’s one thing that’s made winning business immeasurably easier for our branding agency, it’s been developing a portfolio that plays to our strengths and showcases our signature style.

People come to us at Ditto knowing exactly what to expect, and are much, much easier to convert into paying clients since they’ve seen a portfolio full of work that they already love. It gets them excited to work with us and fills them with confidence, overcoming much of the decision-halting anxiety that often plays a part when shopping for a designer (will they understand me? What if they show me something that I don’t like?).

It wasn’t always this way.

Around three years ago, we were a fairly generic design agency that undertook pretty much any work from anybody. We did branding projects, sure – but we’d also do plenty of one-off projects with tiny profit margins. Most of our clients were super-local; we’d design business cards, flyers – even bus timetables. We made money, but business was frustrating and getting clients on board felt like wading through treacle. Uphill. In a snowstorm.

7 courses that will drastically improve your web design business

7 courses that will drastically improve your web design business

I'm sure you've noticed by now that the blog world is going crazy about online courses. I'm right there in the middle of the hype. I LOVE online courses because they're an amazing way to gain new skills and learn from others. 

Online courses give you the opportunity to:

  • Gain new skills without having to go through a college/university course to get them. 
  • Learn from others who have been in your position and can show you how to grow from there. 
  • Learn at a fast pace instead of having to experiment and research everything yourself. 

There are millions of online courses out there for all kinds of people, but let's focus on courses that will specifically help web and graphic designers (like you and I) to grow or improve their businesses!

100 Blog Post Ideas For Web & Graphic Designers

100 Blog Post Ideas For Web & Graphic Designers

Blogging is a very powerful way of getting potential clients to visit your website, become familiar with you, and inquire about your services. 

The reason I started my business was because of my blog (you can read my story here). My business would have been a complete flop without it. A lot of my clients have even told me that the reason they decided to hire me instead of another designer was because my blog posts proved to them that I was trustworthy and knew what I was talking about. 

So, in a nutshell, your blog posts will:

  • Attract potential clients to your website
  • Show off your expertise and prove that you're trustworthy

A question that I often get asked when coaching designers is 'What should I blog about?!'

Because the majority of blog posts in our niche are about business, money and marketing, you may feel like you should blog about that. 

Stop right there. 

If you sell products, courses and coaching based around helping people grow their business and their income then go ahead and blog about those things. But not if you don't.

You're mainly selling design services, right? That means your blog posts should be centered around those services. Your posts need to attract potential clients who are interested in investing in design, so your posts should:

  • Educate potential clients on why investing in design is worth it and what it will do for their business
  • Showcase your skills
  • Show potential clients that you're an expert
  • Show potential clients that you're trustworthy

Brainstorming blog posts can take up quite a bit of time so I've done it for you! Below are a list of blog post ideas that web and graphic designers can feel free to use. These posts are centered around your skills, expertise and services. 

Happy writing! :)

5 reasons why all freelancers should use a project management tool

5 reasons why all freelancers should use a project management tool

You've probably put off using a project management tool because you don't know what they are or you haven't had time to figure out how to use one.

Don't worry, when I first heard the PM word my heart sank at the prospect of having to learn how to use yet another tool. I feel your pain, but stick with me. Your PM tool will become your MOST used and valuable business tool, so it's well worth investing a little time in.

In case you don't know, a project management tool/app is a safe, secure space online where you and your clients can keep all files and conversations. Inside your PM tool you can create tasks, to-do lists, deadlines and discussions.

If you've just started freelancing, I'm guessing that using a PM tool hasn't been high on your to do list. You've probably been experimenting with invoicing tools, bookkeeping tools and social media management tools instead, right?

Even though those tools are awesome and you're on the right track, you should have started using a project management tool as soon as you started working with clients.

I'd go as far as saying that a PM tool is the most valuable tool you'll use in your business, and it's never too soon or too late to start using one!

I can think of a million reasons why you should use a project management tool but today I'm going to share just five.

How to offer web design when you don't know how to code

How to offer web design when you don't know how to code

Nesha here! I'm so excited that I finally get to share this blog post with you guys because it's soooooo good! Krista Rae, a strategic Wordpress developer, is here today to show you how to offer web design services when you don't know how to code.

I would have died for a blog post like this when I first started my design business. (Okay, I probably wouldn't have died. But I would have paid a shed load for this kind of information, for sure.)

When I decided I wanted to be a freelance designer, I knew a bit about HTML and CSS, but not enough to start offering web design services. The thought of screwing up someone's website because I couldn't code properly put me off from actually offering web design for a long time. But there are things you can do if you don't know how to code and still want to design websites for a living. Read on to hear Krista's awesome tips!

--

Web design is a great complement to a branding or graphic design business. With that combination, you can find the perfect clients and keep them, rather than offering branding and then referring them elsewhere for a website.

Luckily, if web design is something you’re looking to add to your business there are several options for how you can do it, both with and without coding on your end. In this post, we’ll cover 3 of the best options for doing just that, the pros and cons of each option, and the details of the option that will give you the most freedom. Let’s dive in!

cheatsheet.png