Transcript

So here's the problem: I've looked around for different resources on how to create a portfolio but the problem I continually ran into was none of these resources describe the why and the how.

Understanding both the why and the how as a design professional is important because not only do you need to understand what to include in your portfolio but you also need to know and understand how to communicate that what's in your portfolio can create results in value for other clients.

To be honest for the longest time I was not doing this as a designer, when it came to working with clients I was engaged, I gave my best effort I gave different options and I would really give all that I could to make sure that the clients project was a success.

However, when it came to the conclusion of the project I wouldn't put in that same effort in my own portfolio, I somewhat just copy and pasted up different screenshots and I called it a day. I wouldn't give it very much detail because in my mind I had the skills and skills was all I needed to get clients. This was not true.

The issue is we tend to be a lot more critical and intentional with the work we do with clients rather than our own work. And perhaps you fall victim to the very same thing, when it comes to work with clients, you're very detailed, you're very intentional, and you give your best effort but when it comes to your own work and things for your own business, you don't have that same intentionality.

This creates a problem because it widens the gap between you as a creative professional, and other leading design agencies, and leading design professionals.

So the question is are you aware of where the gap is?

Founder, designer, and educator Chris Do says it like this, "Agencies sell the talent of their designers." So basically what he's getting at is the very fact that there's really not a huge difference between what you can produce and what an agency can produce.

An agency is only as good as the designers that they work with. So, if you really think about it, the only other thing that an agency would have advantage over you is, perhaps they have a network and perhaps they know how to present things in such a gauged way, that it reduces risk for a client and makes them want to work with agencies and want to trust an agency.

You as a design professional need to do the same thing, you have talent and if that's the case we need to work on how you present yourself or present your work specifically, so that a client can see that if they were to work with you you would be able to handle all the things that they need and working with you is a sure thing because you can reduce any risk that they may have.

Ultimately potential clients need to see that you have a process and if they were to follow the very same process that you've done for other clients they would get results and meet their goals as well.

So in terms of the blueprint framework it's not about the framework specifically but it's more about gaining an understanding so that you can learn and innately start to do the very habits that we discussed in this course.

I want you to think about a track runner on a track course. Now track runners have the option of running with what they call blocks or starting blocks or running on their own. Now anyone who runs track knows this, if you use the starting blocks it has a way of launching you out and helping you get a better start.

So even if you run the same speed as someone else, as long as you have a better start you position yourself to actually win the race. And when it comes to being a creative, many people are vying and racing towards the same goal but they have different starts. You want to give yourself a head start in the process, that's what the framework is.

I want you to ask yourself an honest question Behance it receives millions of website visitors a month. Now maybe you're on the platform or maybe you have not yet joined the platform but during this course you will but regardless of whether you're on the platform or not I want you to ask yourself this honest question:

Are you satisfied with your design portfolio?

If you're not satisfied with your design portfolio there's another follow-up question to that:

Are you satisfied with the type of clients you're receiving?

Let's take it a step further, maybe you have a design portfolio and it's never led to you receiving any client and if that's the case you definitely can benefit from the framework.

So as we go through the course I want you to have the right mindset. The mindset is we're no longer going to do the habit of an amateur, we're only going to do habits of design professionals because if you've created anything for anyone and they've paid you for it, then you are a professional. Now it's time to start acting like one.