Professional Web Portfolio Design Training

web design portfolio

Web Portfolio Design OK, so you're a designer, and a damn good one. But if you haven't developed an online portfolio, you're missing the opportunity to reach thousands of design clients.

This course, led by Nancy Taylor, is a practical guide for designers who want to present their work to potential clients via the Internet. Students will learn how to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses as a designer, selecting works that best highlights their design talents. The course also focuses on the process for developing a portfolio site to showcase your design work.

On this page: enrollment details | instructor | class projects and objectives | prerequisites

Class Title: Web Portfolio Design Start Date: Classes start daily. Enroll today and gain immediate access. Class Length: Three months of access to class materials and instructor feedback. Instructor: Bruce Bicknell Other details: Self-paced, online, 24 access to online learning environment

THIS CLASS IS OFFERED AT SESSIONS COLLEGE: get the details (Check the syllabus at Sessions College for updated class information.)

Class Instructor Bio: Bruce Bicknell is a writer, instructor, illustrator, animator, Web designer, video editor, marketing pro, and graphic designer based in Tampa, Florida. In his career he has worked on projects for Adobe Systems, ATI, Photoshop Elements Techniques, MacTribe, Yellow Machine and Mac Design to name a few. Bruce has degrees in Computer Animation and Web Development from The International Academy of Design and Technology. LEFT: Andrea Hill, Ohio, built this online portfolio to attract prospective clients.

Class Projects and Objectives:

This online class is packed with projects and tips.  Students can expect to: 

• Learn how to critically evaluate work and examine strengths and weaknesses.
  
• Create a comprehensive outline for a portfolio site design project.
  
• Identify and target an audience for a portfolio site.
  
• Critically examine existing Web portfolios to evaluate their strategy and goals.
  
• Visit portfolio sites and select at least two for comparison.
  
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of navigability, usability, layout, and composition.
  
• Provide an honest and thoughtful review of design skills, interests, and career aspirations as part of the portfolio overview.
• Select and collage several outstanding or representative work samples for inclusion in a portfolio plan.
• Learn about site structure and how to organize and present content using flowcharts.
  
• Evaluate and write persuasive and professional content for real-world marketing.
  
• Learn how to prepare digital work and digitize non-digital work to represent creative work on the Web.
• Identify site structure and decide on the categories for the site.
  
• Create a flowchart indicating site architecture.
  
• Provide writing samples of the text for three different pages.
  
• Create three mock-ups of actual pages of a personal site: home page, category page, and a project detail page.
  
• Include on each page writing samples and any necessary graphical elements, such as a logo, buttons, or work samples.
• Learn the best way to save and optimize Web work.
  
• Learn how to digitize and edit work for the best possible Web appearance.
  
• Understand the pros and cons of using Flash vs. regular HTML.
  
• Learn tips and techniques for creating compelling and interactive Web pages.
  
• Learn the basics of establishing a Web presence and getting traffic to Web sites.
• Digitize and optimize all images for the individual Web site.
  
• Create a home page, navigation page, and content page for personal artwork.
  
• Use the initial pages as a blueprint for the remaining pages of the site. (optional)
  
• Publish files to a Web server.
  
• Test all pages to check for browser/platform inconsistencies or broken links and images.