What to put in my portfolio if I have not had any clients yet?

Question

I am a newbie self taught web designer. My skills are HTML/CSS web designs. My problem is, how do I start marketing myself or what type of web designs should I put in my portfolio if I have not had any clients yet?

Answer 1

My best recommendation would be to create "dummy sites", or sites that do not belong to a real business but a site that will appeal to the type of businesses you are trying to get business from.

As an example, if you're trying to find Lawyers as your target market, begin creating a portfolio of Legal sites that will appeal to them.

Create a few of these and you'll realize that some will want that specific design but with their own branding.

Start going to networking events and hitting the phones until you find someone that you'll be able to design a site for. Do the first one for free or low cost so you can start building the portfolio quickly. Increase your price as you get more experience and positive customer feedback.

It's important to understand that while you're young, it's okay to make mistakes. Don't give up and keep pushing forward. Make those mistake NOW so you make less when you're fully invested in this very competitive field.

I would also recommend you familiarize yourself with the WordPress platform and Divi theme. This theme gives you great creative control over websites and allows you to create sites easily and quickly.

I hope this helps!