Portfolio Polishing

A client who had heard about my Marketing and Communications skills came to me worried about her portfolio. She was a seasoned 3D modeler and Illustrator. She had been looking for a job for a long while and was still searching. Based on her analytics, she assumed it was because her portfolio was not as strong as it could be. She had some projects that weren't on the site yet either, and due to a disability, she was having trouble writing out a case study for her work.

Goal: Transform the portfolio into a marketing tool that builds credibility, communicates value clearly, and drives engagement.

What she was missing:

She did not have clear breakdowns of her newer projects
More current projects weren't highlighted
She wasn't gaining viewers

What was good:

Her work was strong
Her projects had a clear but varied style
Her organization was clean, but not accessible

I encouraged her to write more for her most recent work, the children's book illustrations, and add it to the site. Most people want to see the process and individuals refection on highlighted projects. This emphasizes what type of worker you are and allows viewers a look behind the curtain, plus it builds a relationship between the audience and the creator.

She added the children's bool case study to the portfolio, but as we worked on the site, we realized that the formatting was missing something. It was causing blockers and looked too busy, while also lacking information to introduce the work to the viewer. We looked for a more accessible format that also allowed my client to do more intricate write ups.

Below is an example of the old website before transferring to the new format.

Below is an example of the new website.

The newest version was posted in June 2024. Although the website felt more aligned with what we wanted, the traffic to the site was still low. We decided to do a Pinterest campaign in December 2024. Within the next 6 months, my client's google analytics had an increase of over 100 new active users. This lead to her collaborating with new clients, developing her freelancing career, and being offered contract roles with Meta and Apple.

This project was a great learning experience for me. Although her work was already strong, I took the time to think and research what could make it better. We collaborated on best practices, her goals, and what we could do together to make a stronger example of the work she could do. Even after we finished the portfolio, we saw other opportunities outside of editing to gain traction. Before this, I had not realized how powerful Pinterest could be as a advertiser for creatives looking for work. Now I have a happy, successful client and a new tool in my belt.

View her portfolio here: jadebox.work