Working in the world of greeting cards can be a wonderful journey. If you’re someone who loves to design, market, or write cards, then you probably are interested in getting your work noticed. In order for card companies to know about the amazing designs you create, you need to create a portfolio. A portfolio allows you the chance to showcase all of the designs you have created for a variety of cards from business thank you cards to simple greeting cards.
Take a moment to look over these tips and discover how to put together a greeting card business portfolio that is sure to highlight your work and garner you a bit of attention.
Review Your Work
The first step toward creating a portfolio is reviewing all of your work. You want your portfolio to feature a robust selection of what you’ve created. This means that the variety will be key when showcasing what you have to offer. Don’t simply show a few Happy Birthday cards and call it a day. Include everything from designs you’ve experimented with for business thank you cards to holiday cards. This part of your journey might take a bit of time. If you have a big body of work to sort through, dedicate several days to weeding through your options.
Be Concise
While you definitely want to showcase the depth and breadth of your work, you also don’t want to drown a potential client in images. A portfolio is a perfect example where “less is more.” Try to pick a handful of images that perfectly capture your range. In most cases, you want to limit yourself to about 20 or so examples. Some artists and designers travel with portfolios of only ten images. Do what you think is best, but be as concise as possible so you increase the odds of your work making an impression.
Physical or Digital
In the past, the most popular way of presenting a portfolio to clients was in a standard, black portfolio. While physical copies of your work can definitely help to capture how your images will look once printed on card stock, the current day and age have changed the industry standard for presentations. Now, it is more common for someone to bring along a digital portfolio when showcasing his or her body of work. Weigh out which option is best for you. Having a few printed examples of cards is never a bad idea.
Outside Eyes
Before you start arranging meetings with greeting card companies, you need to ask for feedback on your work. An outside perspective can make all the difference when you’re creating your portfolio. Don’t simply ask a friend or two for advice, either. You want relevant commentary from people who know how to critique. If you’re showcasing business thank you cards in your portfolio, for example, then run the work by someone you know in the business world and see if the design is at all intriguing. Use this feedback to make the right adjustments and get your portfolio ready for action.
There are a number of excellent companies out there when you want to learn more about the greeting card industry. Cards for Causes is a business that features a program where 20% of each order is donated to the charity of the client’s choice. Reach out to Cards for Causes and how you can use your portfolio to make a real difference in the world.
