Don't Build a Portfolio
If you're a creative, don't waste your time building a portfolio.
Instead, build these 3:
- Library
- Lounge
- Lickbook
Let me break it down:
1. Library
This is a place where you document everything you've worked on throughout your entire career.
The more organized & the more accessible, the better.
Example: I've archived most of my works on my Behance moodboards
behance.net/sayyyyid/moodboards
Whenever a prospective client asked, "Do you have samples of [work type]?", I could just send them the collection/folder of said type of work.
2. Lounge
Think of Lounge as a hotel lounge with a few magazines on their table.
This is a place where you showcase only a handful of curated, most impressive works that represent your skillset & thought process.
Lounge is your "greatest hits".
No recruiters & leads will have the time to go through your entire "discography", so in most cases, this is the "portfolio" that you'll show to them.
Example: my personal website
dub.sh/sayyyyid
3. Lickbook
You might be thinking:
What the hell is this dude talking about?
Shouldn't it be "Lookbook" instead?
And that's the point of Lickbook.
It's the "scroll-stopper".
The kind of work that makes people scratch their heads and surrender their attention to your work.
It might be the work itself or the way you present it.
It can be super clean, or it can be bizarre & experimental.
The point sticks: push boundaries to pull people's eyeballs.
That's how you get people to check on your Lounge—and ultimately—your Library.
Examples: I've posted my work regularly on Threads.
Here are some that gained traction (and brought me leads)
I hope it's helpful for anyone trying to pursue (or at this point, survive) a long-term career as a creative.
Feel free to agree, feel free to disagree (: