Revitalise Your Professional Portfolio with Jaz, Your Pricing Queen
Apr 28, 2024
For most creative professionals, an online portfolio is not just a tool—it’s a silent salesperson and primary means of communication with potential clients.
Many creatives complain that their portfolio is old and tired because they are too busy to add new work, but if your portfolio isn’t up-to-date, it is probably telling the wrong story about you and your brand.
What projects are you missing out on, not because you lack the talent but because your portfolio doesn’t reflect your best work or latest accomplishments?
Even the most talented lettering artists can be overlooked if you don’t have a portfolio that speaks clearly about your value proposition and capabilities.
Jaz, known to Typism Summit audiences as Your Pricing Queen, is also a seasoned creative professional whose clients include prestigious names like The Australian Open, Rolex and Red Bull.
Jaz would be the first to admit that, at least in the early days, her portfolio sucked. Like many creatives, she thought a collection of mock-ups and pretty pictures would be enough to sell her skills, so that’s what her portfolio was made of.
Thankfully, this is no longer the case for Jaz; she has learned many lessons along the way, which is why we have asked her to share her secrets with us now.
For example, Jaz argues that many creatives don’t know the formula for a persuasive and compelling portfolio. They don’t know which pieces to include, which to leave out, or even how to make those choices. They’re stuck in the mindset that their work will ‘speak for itself’ without realising it doesn’t work like that.
Through trial and error, Jaz transformed her portfolio from a collection of random projects into a powerful, targeted presentation that accurately showcases her evolution and expertise. The change was profound, not just in the quality of her portfolio but in the opportunities that followed.
Jaz has recently developed a three-week done-with-you course, Portfolio Al Dente, designed to breathe new life into your tired portfolio, but it is more than just a refresh; it’s a guided transformation process aimed at helping you communicate your unique creative identity.
We asked Jaz to give us a sneak peek into what she will cover with her students over the next three weeks.
Here are the three phases Jaz recommends to update your portfolio:
- The Audit
- The Rebuild
- The Strategy.
Let’s look at each phase in more detail.
1 The Audit
Start by auditing your portfolio to determine its current state and identify necessary improvements. Use a structured approach like the K.N.E.A.D framework Jaz uses to assess each piece in your portfolio methodically.
Keep: what do you want to Keep in your future portfolio?
Need: what needs to stay because it’s linked to your blogs or services?
Eliminate: what needs to get chucked out because it no longer brings you the work you actually want?
Add: what can now be added back in that wasn’t there before?
Develop: can any project story be developed further to show progress since you hit publish?
The goal here is to:
—Identify which pieces best represent your skills and meet the needs of your target audience.
—Determine what’s outdated or no longer reflects your best work.
—Recognise gaps where you could add new projects to showcase a broader range of skills or newer capabilities.
—Review your portfolio with the mindset of a potential client: Does it clearly show what you can offer?
—Be critical and honest about which pieces showcase your skills effectively and which don’t.
—Consider setting up a simple spreadsheet or using a tool like Notion to track your assessment and organise feedback if you can gather any from peers or mentors.
Jaz also has an awesome Notion template she shares with her students.
2 The Rebuild
The next step is to refresh and reconstruct your portfolio based on the audit you conducted in Step 1.
Focus on including case studies that showcase your best work and detail the process and problem-solving involved.
Jaz uses the S.T.A.R.T method to construct her case studies:
—Situation: the context of the project.
—Task: What were you required to achieve?
—Action: the specific actions you took to address the task.
—Result: the outcomes of your actions.
—Testimonial: feedback or quotes from clients or project stakeholders.
3 The Strategy
The final step is to use your portfolio proactively as a sales tool, not just as a passive display of past work. Understand the customer journey and identify strategic points to share your portfolio.
Jaz uses the C.H.E.F method, which involves:
—Connection: Establish a rapport with potential clients or employers.
—Highlight: Emphasise key projects and skills relevant to the client’s needs.
—Engage: Keep potential clients engaged with updates or new additions to your portfolio.
—Follow-up: Proactively reach out after initial contact with tailored messages and additional information that might interest them.
Following Jaz’s strategies will help you transform your tired portfolio into a more dynamic and effective tool for attracting and converting your perfect clients.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the thought of updating your portfolio on your own (but know that it desperately needs to be done), join Jaz and a community of fellow creatives for a three-week sprint this May and get it done together.
Learn how to leverage your value and thrive as a type and lettering artist.
Typism’s brand-new Pathway to Pivot mini-membership will get you started building your profile, creating your product ecosystem, and packaging your expertise.
The first mini-membership cohort will be launching in June.
Add your name to the waitlist and get ready to break free from freelancing.
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