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Design students on the brink of graduating, or long time graduates, should always have an up to date portfolio of work. Whether their goal is to branch out and start their own business or to find a job within the many graphic design positions in and around the United States, a good portfolio can really help. There are always going to be questions asked in regards to building a good portfolio site, and physical documents, and whether both are really necessary, which can leave many people scrambling to figure out what to do next, but there are easy answers that can be explored. Consider the following tips and ideas to building a strong portfolio ahead of looking to compete with graphic designers Boston or anywhere else.The first thing to do is to make sure that the print work and the web site layout follow the same design flow. A print portfolio and an online version should possess similar qualities, flow easily, and have clear navigation and design hierarchy. Remember, every aspect of self promotion is important for graphic design Boston and beyond. Without having a uniform design flow, a company looking to hire might not be so quick to give the job away to someone that doesn’t know how to self promote.

Aside from samples of work, and a partial or complete client list, a graphic designer needs to provide several pieces of collaborative work to show any potential business that they can work well on their own and as a team player. Many positions in the modern design world rely heavily on collaborations between web designers, developers and graphic designers to bring together the best of each world to the table, and create something useful for all involved. Without any collaborative examples of work, a graphic designer might not have the strength of portfolio required to advance to the upper levels of a graphic design company Boston.

There is one thing that a graphic designer should stay away from, and that’s too much flash. Flash is a great overall tool, but over using it for a portfolio can leave a bad taste in many designer’s mouths. The unfortunate thing with flash is that when it is over done, it can mire the work that should be given more attention. Less is more, and not building portfolios that are flash heavy can showcase work in better ways than to have animations, music, and lots of bells and whistles jumping at the viewer. Always look to have a steady portfolio, solid gallery of work, and line it up with a print example as well.