Redesign Project Examples: How To Build A Portfolio

Portfolios are crucial for getting hired, especially as a freelancer. This is your chance to show what you can do! Your redesign project examples are your best bet at getting more jobs. But how to create a portfolio that actually wows your potential customers and hiring managers? Let’s discuss!

How to Incorporate Redesign Project Examples into a Portfolio

There are a lot of tips and tricks to portfolio building but let’s start with the basics. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind.

• Tell a story. The end result of your redesign project is important but not enough. That is especially true when your work is being reviewed by someone who is not well-versed in web design. You need to explain what you did, why, and how it improved things. 
• Use relevant examples. The more an example says about your skills and knowledge, the more relevant it is. The most impressive cases should be the easiest to see. 
• Do not forget visuals. It is recommended to keep the text-to-visuals ratio between 50/50 and 25/75. Pictures, diagrams, and sketches are very persuasive. Often, they are more valuable than text.
• Include highlights about your career in your portfolio. Often, hiring managers and customers look at the portfolio before your resume or CV. That means you need to include a very short introduction at the top of your portfolio. Consider writing about your experience in the various tools of website redesign, as well as leadership. Major achievements would also help. But since this is a portfolio and not a CV, be brief.
• Use good navigation. Most recruiters do not spend a lot of time reading your portfolio. Frankly, they scan it rather than actually sit down to read it. It is your job to make the process easier. If you are using a website, employ navigation to make it easy to jump between projects and their subsections. If you are using slides, make sure that their flow is logical. 

Portfolio Platforms for Redesign Project Examples

Consider the options that you have for developing your portfolio. Different platforms can be used, each with its strengths and weaknesses.

Offline Options

Your portfolio, in the end, is just a collection of text and pictures. Possibly, you will use an occasional gif or video. Any software that can manage those is suitable for the task. You can even use Microsoft Word for text and pictures, but it is more common to employ PowerPoint. 

When using such an option, you demonstrate your familiarity with the software. For example, to create a well-structured Microsoft Word portfolio, you will need to use the hyperlink headings. That is a disadvantage since you need to know how to use these tools. Learning to use them may require some time. But it is also an advantage because you show that you have mastered these programs. 

The main disadvantage of this method, however, is that you need to send the portfolio to your potential employer. If it is large in size from all the pictures and videos, that may be inconvenient. It is even more inconvenient if you send it to someone who does not have the software you have been using. Or they might not be very well-versed in that software. They might end up annoyed or completely unable to look through your portfolio. Offline portfolios are good, but there are better options.

Online Portfolio

How about an online portfolio? You can use Google Slides or create your own small website, for example, with WordPress. Canva offers special portfolio templates, and they are free! Even Adobe provides a portfolio creation option. You have a lot of platforms to choose from. 

The best thing about an online portfolio is that you can simply send a link to your potential employer. They will be able to view your redesign project examples from a mobile phone if they like. You can use the templates that the various platforms offer or customize as much as you like. Online portfolios give you a lot of flexibility, and when done by a professional (like you), they look great.

The key disadvantage is that you need to be familiar with the platform you are using. That is the only way to actually make an eye-catching portfolio. In other words, you might need to study the platform before you can produce a good result. 

A Special Option: Insolvo Portfolio

Sometimes, freelancing websites will give you the opportunity to create your portfolio. Insolvo is a marvellous platform that helps buyers find freelancers and vice versa. To facilitate communication on Insolvo, you, as a freelancer, can create your Insolvo Portfolio. It includes a space for a short self-description. As we have discussed, that is a best practice in portfolio making. It also incorporates information about your performance on Insolvo and a link to create a personal task. Those features are convenient to Insolvo users. Other than that, you can create “work examples” with JPEG, JPG, and PNG files and a cover. 

This option is very well-suited for working on Insolvo. It uses limited text, which may be a drawback. But you can include text in your pictures. Overall, this is a helpful portfolio feature, which you should definitely use when working on Insolvo. 

Opportunities don't happen, you create them.

Chris Grosser, entrepreneur

Portfolio Pitfalls

Quite a few things can go wrong when you are creating your portfolio. Here are some of the issues and advice on how to avoid or manage them. 

• Using old projects. You worked hard on this case, and it is very impressive! But it is old and not exactly relevant anymore. You have to delete it. Your employer or recruiter will only look at a few of your projects. If you use old ones, they might think you do not have anything new.
• Too much or too little information. Striking the right balance in delivering details is very difficult in a redesign portfolio. Most cases are so complex, they could use thousands of words for their description. The best solution is to include some key information and a main picture first and then provide details and other visuals. If you are making a website portfolio, the summary can link to a different page with an in-depth description. If you are making slides, the summary can have its own section title that is easy to look through. 
• Inconsistency. Sometimes a portfolio uses different styles or fails to arrange the case studies in a similar manner. This issue is connected to navigation. Make your redesign project examples uniform. Use similar formatting and structure. That will make the portfolio easier to look through. 
• Avoiding unremarkable cases. You have a variety of cases in your portfolio, and not all of them are particularly remarkable. But that does not mean you have to give up on them. In fact, an unremarkable case that diversifies the skills you showcase is very valuable. 
• Not using before/after pictures. Even if the initial visual hurts to look at, include it to show what you improved. Before/after pictures are the best proof of your expertise. 

Redesign Project Examples: Key Takeaways

In summary, a portfolio with your redesign project examples should be telling the story of your most recent and relevant case studies. Some of them can be unremarkable, but if they showcase your abilities, they are valuable. The portfolio should have good navigation first and foremost. Use visuals — even more than any text. You can create an offline or online portfolio, with the latter being often more convenient. And avoid the pitfalls of including old projects or being inconsistent in your portfolio design.

Portfolios are difficult to get right. It is always a work in progress. Search for the ways you can and want to present your work and use these tips to make your portfolio stand out!