subject: Building A Portfolio For A Freelance Graphic Artist [print this page] There are many opportunities available to freelance as a graphic artist. Large businesses as well as small ones are constantly in need of marketing and branding materials to enhance their businesses. There are a few things you can do, if you're a freelance graphic artist, to launch your career.
Build a Portfolio
A portfolio is a must for every working artist. If you went to art school, you probably made one there already. Don't be discouraged if you don't have one already built. With a little preparation, you can build a good portfolio that will be enough to get you started in your career.
The key to a good portfolio is that it sells you as a niche artist. So, if you want a job doing logos, you will need a portfolio of logos that you have produced. But if you have never designed a professional logo before, take heart and put on your creativity cap. The logo that you will be designing doesn't necessarily have to be for a real company. Design logos for fictional companies as samples of your work. If the client asks for references from these clients, be honest. Tell them that they are just sample designs and the companies are not real. Don't lie to your potential client, no matter what it is. That is the fastest and easiest way to lose a job and kill your credibility before you even had a reputation in the industry.
Although the next step might sound like a contradiction to what was previously said, it would eventually make sense. Although the bulk of your portfolio should be dedicated to the type of work that you are pursuing, you should also take a section in the back to show examples of your other work. Let's just say you've done a few good oil or water color painting, have a copy of it in your portfolio. Don't restrict yourself to paintings. Rummage through old sketch books and computer files. Whether it was produced in a manual or virtual medium, any of your extraordinary creations should be considered for your portfolio.
Surf the Web
Don't forget to do some surfing while choosing art for your portfolio. Design ideas, galleries, and instructional material to help you on your way to a freelancing career are in abundance in the internet. The internet can be an essential source for graphic artists and designers. Most, if not all, of the work that you do will find its way to the web. In fact, the computer is one of the most used mediums of art today with vector-based designs and other painting programs. To be a success in graphic art, you must learn how to use these programs. Online you will find many tutorials to help you get started. Every time you've created a design that you love, print it and place it in your portfolio.
