Back before the internet was a thing, designers had to put together physical, printed portfolios and hope that someone would book a meeting with them so that they could show off their work. These days, everyone who has access to the internet can see your work at the click of a button. But how do you get your portfolio out there in the public eye and how do you ensure that it stands out from your competitors? Here are a few key points to follow:

• Be thoughtful about what you include
  Don’t simply grab everything you’ve ever created. Instead, set aside some time to go through all of your projects and exclude anything that you’re not proud of or don’t think is your best work. People have short attention spans, so don’t make them go digging through tons of projects.
  
  
• Select only your strongest work
  Once you’ve weeded out those projects that you don’t like for whatever reason, you need to pick out only your strongest work from the remaining projects. These are the projects that you know were successful, got rave reviews and had good results.
  
  
• Showcase your most unique and creative work
  These are the sorts of projects that buck the latest trends and may not follow what everyone else is doing. You want people to think “wow – now this is cool!” when they look at your portfolio. Make sure that you also include some more traditional projects, too.
  
  
• Go for some variety
  Don’t include only one form of design, as you want people to know that you can do a variety of different forms. This doesn’t mean that what you pick shouldn’t work together, however. Ensure that it all looks like one person’s work and flows together nicely.
  
  
• Determine how many pieces to include
  The number of pieces you should include in your portfolio will differ depending on who you talk to. At the end of the day, go for quality over quantity. Generally speaking, go for around 10 on the lower end and no more than 20 on the higher end of the spectrum.
  
  
• Stay as current as possible
  Don’t include any projects that are more than 3 years old. Trends, techniques and technology changes quickly, so you want to avoid looking dated. Even the way you choose to present your portfolio can show that you’re up to date with the latest trends.
  
  
• Give the client some street cred
  Whilst some projects are pretty self-explanatory, others aren’t. Be sure to include a few notes about it, who the client was, what skills were used and how the project was marketed. This can give people an idea of what sorts of clients you work with and how you can help them out.
  
  
• Get a second opinion
  By now, you’ve probably looked at all your projects upwards of three dozen times. It's understandable if everything is becoming a blue. Before finalising your portfolio, get someone else to take a look at it and see what they think. Does it flow, look professional and easy to use?
  
  

So, you’ve looked through your work and carefully chosen the ones that show a lot of variety and creativity to display in your portfolio. But now what? If you already have a website, add a portfolio section. If you’re right out of school or don’t have a website, try a free online community like Behance or Dribble to show off your work. Or use Instagram to create an unofficial portfolio that you can then share on other social media platforms.

Author Bio: John has been working as freelance writer for Zeemo, a Melbourne web design company offering web design, digital marketing and web development Melbourne to their clients for a decade now.