How to create and print a portfolio?

The portfolio is for all creative professionals, it's essential they build one for their career because it showcases their work and creations. Anyone working independently in the arts or entertainment industries must have this famous portfolio in order to attract new clientele and nab new gigs.

When you work in a creative profession, it's rare to be employed by the same company for a long time and have a position with set assignments and a fixed salary, it's an extremely competitive field where talent overrides everything else. And the visual appeal of the portfolio helps to stand out among 7 billion other human beings.

Portfolio, a work necessity

In the professional world, especially when our work relies on image, fine arts, photography, or cinema, a portfolio is an essential item to always carry with you.

But what is a portfolio, exactly? For those unfamiliar with the field, it's a compendium of the entirety, or at least the most significant parts of a creator's work, the jobs completed for various clients, notable or not, as well as personal and volunteered projects. With images accompanied by brief explanations, letters, memories, a portfolio isn't simply an exhibit of someone's work, it's a consecration, it's the memory of a creator. This portfolio reflects the creator's artistic identity, their inspirations that make them authentic.

A model brings their portfolio to every casting; casting directors at fashion shows will pay special attention to this tool revealing the model's potential.

A photographer will include their best shots and potentially their published and awarded works. A professional makeup artist will add their top creations, makeups done for private clients, brands, and more.

Whether it's a writer, videographer, graphic designer... It's very useful when seeking new opportunities or simply making oneself known, it's a true visualization tool and career projection.

The portfolio can take many forms to meet everyone's needs and mold to the desires and artistic identity of everyone:

1. The printed portfolio: Original version on paper of varying quality, it's not necessary to invest a lot of money in it, sometimes it's enough to gather your snapshots and others in a plastic sleeve, but this won't reflect your professionalism. Thus, at reasonable cost, you can create a high-quality paper portfolio that conveys what you want to communicate about your work. The person is free to organize the portfolio content and provide the necessary details about their participation in a project.
2. The website portfolio: With the rise of the internet, more and more creators are building custom websites, usually serving as virtual portfolios since they provide a unique exhibition of the artist's work and more or less accurate descriptions of their motivations and inspirations.
3. Social media as a portfolio: Increasingly popular, an Instagram or Facebook profile becomes the new generation portfolio.

In short, the portfolio evolves to fit everyone's desires and why not create a mix of the above, always have your printed catalog on hand and take advantage of social networks to reach a wider audience and not just potential clients.

How to create a portfolio?

It must be impeccable, simple, clear, and readable, it should be easy from the first pages for the reader to feel the energy emanating from it, the atmosphere surrounding your work. It should normally contain:

1. Some personal information and contact details in an "about me" page, for example.
2. Relevant and striking examples of your professional experience.
3. References, letters of recommendation, and evidence of customer and trainer satisfaction.

Once this content is added to the portfolio, the arrangement and ideas conveyed will be the key that will take a career to the next level. If you opt for a web page to complement a paper medium, make sure that its design is clear and that navigation is smooth and intuitive.

But who to trust for printing your portfolio?

Why not consider the services offered by FlexiLivre? A website that offers various models for creating photo books, but not only. By choosing to create a classic photo album, you can modify it to your heart's desire. Everything is possible, from adding text to formatting images to the arrangement of pages and their content. You will receive one or more copies of your fully personalized portfolio, printed and laid out with quality materials for a result that is professional and above all aesthetic.