Don’t have an online portfolio? Maybe it’s time to start one.
With the different tracks the Reynolds School offers, it’s easy to get confused on how to get a job in your chosen field. Just as with the different focuses and work that goes into each, you might wish to showcase your work in different ways online.
Get to know some of the different portfolio sites available for each focus within the Reynolds School, what they offer, and what they cost. Whatever site you choose, make sure to keep it refreshed and updated to match the work you’ve been doing.
News:
Pressfolios.com
Price: $$
Easy to use?: Yes
Customization: Limited
Best for: News
Pros: Free membership gives user room to work with.
Cons: Customization is limited and the design is clunky.
For those looking for a simple and clean option for their online news portfolio, Pressfolios offers a one-page site that includes a section for links stories and an about description. With their “Light membership” option, you can post up to 250 stories— that’s a lot! You can also link to your social media accounts and describe your skillsets. Here’s an example of a Pressfolios site at work.
Clippings.me
Price: $$
Easy to use?: Yes
Customization: Limited
Best for: News
Pros: Eye-catching header design and ability to order writing samples in sections.
Cons: Customization starts and stops with adding a header photo.
Similar to Pressfolios, Clippings offers a one-page site in which you can include writing samples called “clippings.” You can include social media handles, a header photo, a bio, and categorize your clippings by the type of story. Clippings can be writing, video and audio samples, offering a wide range for someone under the news focus. The free plan gives you up to 10 clippings to start, with upgrades available for $5.99 and $11.99 a month that allow for analytics, custom domains and more clippings. Examples of clippings.me portfolios.
Visual communications:
Behance
Price: $
Easy to use?: Yes
Customization: Limited
Best for: Visual Design, Photography
Pros: Sleek scroll-down design when members upload a new project for easy viewing.
Cons: Lacking a comment section to discuss with designers.
Behance, part of the Adobe family, is an online world for designers to connect with each other, share their work and get ideas. A user can add links to their social media or websites and write small bios. The user can also upload whole projects, instead of just simple images. The site’s community can look at designers’ work and “appreciate” projects to let the designer know how awesome the work is or reach out about job opportunities. The featured page showcases projects daily to inspire other designers.
Dribbble
Price: $
Easy to use?: Yes
Customization: Limited
Best for: Graphic Design, Typography, Illustration, UX design
Pros: Users can receive comments on their work and feel connected to the community.
Cons: Your portfolio will look the same as every other one on the site.
Dribbble, similar to Behance, is a combined social networking site and portfolio site that allows members to see other designers’ work and get inspired. To get a Dribbble account you have to be invited by a member. Members can comment on or like designers’ work to show appreciation. Dribbble also offers a Pro membership for $36/year (billed annually) which is $3 a month. The Pro membership allows members to organize their connections better and message them directly, while receiving a “pro” badge next to their name for extra clout. Dribble “shots” include a photo/gif of the design, a description and even a color scheme based off of the design.
Strategic communications:
Muckrack
Price: $
Easy to use?: Relatively
Customization: Limited
Best for: PR, News
Pros: Find stories, track tweets and stay involved in the PR/Journalism world.
Cons: No exact pricing is laid out, user must email to get quote if they want upgraded plan.
Muckrack, though it can be used for the news-focused portfolios as well, is geared toward public ralations pros and allows members to engage with others through its social media feel. The member can also update their profile, portfolio, bio and more. Muckrack also allows members to track their stories and social media campaigns and find other PR pros who are doing similar work. Check out the benefits to see if this savvy site is where your new portfolio will live.
Carbonmade
Price: $$
Easy to use?: Relatively
Customization: Wide open
Best for: PR, Photography
Pros: Eye-catching themes available.
Cons: The designs are centered around photos, so if a PR pro can’t think of a photo to accompany their work, they have to work around it.
This site is useful for multiple tracks, but can serve as a more visually compelling portfolio site for strategic communications professionals. They offer three packages priced at $6, $12 and $18 per month with differences in how much you can upload between the three. Carbonmade gives users sleek themes that almost always include images, a sure way to get noticed in the PR world.
Useful for multiple tracks:
Price: $
Easy to use?: Takes getting used to
Customization: Very Limited
Best for: Any track
Pros: Members can connect with professionals in their field, upload their resume and create their own brand.
Cons: Isn’t so great for portfolio design.
LinkedIn is similar to Facebook but not as fun or inviting. For a journalism professional this website is invaluable for sources and connecting with potential employers. LinkedIn’s advantage is an ability to reach out to business professionals in your field. By using LinkedIn’s alumni tool, a member can search by their own alma mater. LinkedIn can also be used for the job search, salary inquiry and to connect with groups that have similar interests.
WordPress
Price: $$
Easy to use?: Takes getting used to
Customization: Extremely open, with paid plans
Best for: Any track, especially news
Pros: Getting a paid membership with give you almost full customization, with new themes being added frequently.
Cons: Without a paid membership, the user doesn’t have their own domain and cannot edit themes too much.
While WordPress suits many creators, journalists have taken to this site for all of their publishing and portfolio needs. With a free plan that gives access to many different themes, WordPress allows members to upload their own content through a blog or upload samples of their work. Different pages or tabs on a members site can mean organizing different sections of their work. WordPress offers a free plan but also three paid plans ($4, $8.25, $24.92 per month) that give the member a custom domain, removal of ads and access to more customization options.
Wix
Price: $$
Easy to use?: After hours of messing around
Customization: Very Open
Best for: Any track, visual communications especially
Pros: The user-friendly customization page allows users to drag and drop things on their page.
Cons: Users almost have to spring for the membership to get rid of the huge, clunky Wix ad laid out at the bottom of their site.
Wix is a more user-friendly site that requires no knowledge in any coding to customize a template. Users can drag and drop sections on their portfolio or website with lots of flexible and visually appealing templates. Wix offers a free membership but in order to connect your own domain and remove their ads, you can choose between five different premium plans that range from $5-$25/month.
