ARTTECHES NEXUS • GRAPHIC DESIGNING MASTERY
- ARTTECHES NEXUS • GRAPHIC DESIGNING MASTERY
- FREELANCING & EARNING
- Portfolio Creation Guide
- Instructor: Ali Akbar Shah
ARTTECHES PRESENTATION WORKSPACE
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FREELANCING & EARNING
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- Overview
- ▸ Your portfolio is the single most important tool for getting design work.
- ▸ Clients rarely read long descriptions — they look at your work first and decide in seconds.
- ▸ This guide shows you how to build a portfolio that earns trust.
- ARTTECHES Nexus • Graphic Designing Mastery • Ali Akbar Shah
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- 1. What a Portfolio Is (and Is Not)
- ▸ A portfolio is a small, carefully chosen collection of your best design work.
- ▸ It is NOT a folder of everything you ever made.
- ▸ A weak portfolio with 20 average pieces hurts you more than a strong portfolio with 6 excellent pieces.
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- 2. Selecting Your 6–8 Pieces
- ▸ Best work first. If a piece is not your best, leave it out. Quality beats quantity every time.
- ▸ Show range. Pick pieces that show different skills: at least one logo (Project 1), one social media post (Project 2), one flyer (Project 3), one...
- ▸ One skill per piece. Each piece should clearly show one strength — a logo shows vector skill, a flyer shows layout and print skill, a social post...
- ▸ Fix before you show. Open each file in CorelDRAW, check spelling, alignment, and exports. A portfolio piece with a spelling mistake tells the client...
- ▸ Remove student exercises. Daily practice exercises are for learning. Only finished, polished projects go in the portfolio.
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- 3. Case-Study Structure: Problem → Process → Result
- ▸ For your strongest 3–4 pieces, write a short case study.
- ▸ A case study proves you think, not just decorate.
- ▸ Keep it simple: a) The Problem (2–3 lines) What did the client (or the brief) need?
- ▸ Example: "A new bakery needed a logo that looks warm and homemade, and works on packaging, signs, and Instagram." b) Your Process (3–5...
- ▸ Example: "I researched 10 bakery brands, sketched 15 concepts, picked 3, and built the final logo in CorelDRAW using the Bezier tool.
- ▸ I tested it at small sizes and in black-and-white." c) The Result (2–3 lines) What did you deliver?
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- 4. Setting Up Behance (Step by Step)
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- Go to behance.net and create a free account with your real name or studio name.
- 2
- Upload a clear profile photo (your face or your logo) and write a short bio
- who you are, what you design, and which tools you use (CorelDRAW, etc.).
- 3
- Click Create a Project.
- Give it a clear title, e.g. "Bakery Logo & Brand Identity".
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- 4. Setting Up Behance (Step by Step) (cont.)
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- Upload your images
- the final design, a mockup photo, and your case-study text. Use high-resolution exports (at least 1920 px wide, PNG or JPG).
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- Add relevant tags
- "logo design", "brand identity", "CorelDRAW", "packaging", etc. Tags help people find your work.
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- Publish the project. Repeat for each of your 6–8 pieces.
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- 4. Setting Up Behance (Step by Step) (cont.)
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- Group related projects into collections if needed (e.g.
- "Logos", "Social Media").
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- Copy your Behance profile link and put it on your Fiverr profile, Upwork profile, CV, and social bios.
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- 5. Honest Labeling: Concept vs Client Work
- ▸ Client work: work a real client paid for or asked for. Name the client only with their permission.
- ▸ Concept / self-initiated work: designs you made for practice, for this course, or for an imaginary brand. Label them clearly, e.g. "Concept project —...
- ▸ Never claim a fake client ("Designed logo for Nike") or show copied work as your own. That is plagiarism, and it can end your freelancing career...
- ▸ Never use another designer's mockup or artwork without checking its license. Use your own work or properly licensed mockups.
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- 6. Presentation Tips
- PRO TIP — Consistent covers: make every Behance project cover the same style (same background color, same layout) so your profile looks professional at a glance.
- PRO TIP — Show the design in context: use mockups — a logo on a business card photo, a flyer on a wall, a social post in a phone frame. Mockups help clients imagine the real result.
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- 6. Presentation Tips
- PRO TIP — Export cleanly: from CorelDRAW, export JPG/PNG at 150–300 DPI equivalent for screen viewing. Blurry images make good work look bad.
- PRO TIP — Proofread everything: check every word on every image. One spelling error can cost you a client.
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