Creative Brief: My Portfolio WebsiteJulia Smith

The purpose of creating my portfolio website is to demonstrate my skills and style as a designer to potential clients. Therefore, the focus of my site will be on my portfolio pieces; meaning that I will want to produce a website with a minimalist style to allow my portfolio pieces to create lasting impressions on the viewer. To create a user-friendly website, I will ensure that I use a simple and sleek design that is easyto follow.

After looking at many portfolio websites from various designers, I was consistently drawn to the websitesthat focused on highlighting the designers work, rather than trying to catch the viewers’ attention through the use of flashy animations, bright colours, etc.

One of the most important goals for my website is to create a positive user experience. This means that I will need to focus heavily on key characteristics such as quick load time, ease of navigation, consistent styling/branding, mobile-friendly interface, and so on. Similarly, since the ultimate goal of my website is to gain clients, I will give viewers multiple ways to get in contact with me. I can add links to my LinkedInpage, my email, as well as a contact form built into the website to give viewers multiple avenues of contact. Another key goal I hope to fulfill is to create a comprehensive site that clearly displays and convinces the user of my unique skillset, which will help differentiate myself against competitors.

The target audience that I am trying to reach is anyone (company, charity, business, individual) who is looking for creative materials (brochure, poster, advertisement, website, photography, logo, package design, business cards, etc.) to promote their product/brand/cause. I want to keep my target audience quitebroad for the time being, as I am just getting started and finding out where my true passions lie.

Some key messages that will attract and motivate audiences to engage with my services are… I am a competent designer who works well with clients to meet their needs I can help clients realize their vision for their company I can produce creative materials that align with a client’s current branding, or design consistent

branding that aligns with a client’s vision

My direct competitors are my fellow peers in Humber’s Graphic Design for Print and Web program. However, I also need to consider other graphic designers who are already working in the industry. In order to differentiate, I will showcase my entire skillset on my portfolio website (it may also help to have a link to my resume on my site so clients can assess whether or not my skillset/experiences will work for them). In addition to including skills that I have learned in this program, I will want to include samples of my photography/artwork. I also feel that my coding skills will be an asset to my portfolio website, because many designers do not have knowledge of coding. Therefore, I will want to code my portfolio website from scratch, rather than using a WordPress template.

Finally, I believe that adding client testimonials to my website (once I have clients!) will also be a key differentiator. Viewers will be much more likely to contact me if they see positive feedback from previous/current clients.