YujiItadori
Newbie
- May 30, 2026
- 11
- 5
I want to get design clients, but most clients ask for a portfolio. How can I make a good portfolio if I have never worked with a real client before?
No Clients, No Portfolio. How Can I Start?
- Thread starter YujiItadori
- Start date
Eskubi Dubi
BANNED
- May 12, 2026
- 15
- 6
First choose the niche you want to work in. Then create 10 strong sample projects based on your skills before starting freelancing.
When clients come to you they will usually want to see samples related to their niche. The 10 samples you have already created can be shown as examples of your work. Clients mainly want to evaluate the quality of your work so having solid samples makes it much easier to gain their trust and win projects.
When clients come to you they will usually want to see samples related to their niche. The 10 samples you have already created can be shown as examples of your work. Clients mainly want to evaluate the quality of your work so having solid samples makes it much easier to gain their trust and win projects.
YujiItadori
Newbie
- May 30, 2026
- 11
- 5
Will try that.
CheapAndBest
Junior Member
- Jan 4, 2012
- 150
- 29
To get started, you should try with Fiverr / Freelancer dot com
You can easily get projects there as a newbie.
Create an account and watch projects, bid with low quote, increase your reviews and start finding New clients and money
You can easily get projects there as a newbie.
Create an account and watch projects, bid with low quote, increase your reviews and start finding New clients and money
Canada oliver
Newbie
- Jun 3, 2026
- 2
- 0
Start with Fiverr after your portfolio build then go further
- Oct 29, 2021
- 8,346
- 3,583
If you are good at design then you must have something to showcase to your clients. Initially it might be tough but not impossible. Keep your work in dribble or other design platfrom and send the clients some of the recent designs. You are good to go.
Have some patience.
Have some patience.
XSMMDoctor
Junior Member
- Jun 7, 2026
- 127
- 33
doing free work is usually a trap imo. those clients are always the most demanding and they rarely give good testimonials. i did this a few years back and it just wasted my time.
instead of fake clients, find real local businesses with awful branding and redesign their stuff. put it in your portfolio as a concept redesign. looks way more realistic than imaginary brands. @YujiItadori you can even email those businesses afterward and show them what you did... sometimes they actually buy it from you.
instead of fake clients, find real local businesses with awful branding and redesign their stuff. put it in your portfolio as a concept redesign. looks way more realistic than imaginary brands. @YujiItadori you can even email those businesses afterward and show them what you did... sometimes they actually buy it from you.
The WP Nerd
Regular Member
- Jun 7, 2026
- 206
- 63
the local business redesign angle is solid but i'd add one thing... dont just redesign random places, pick ones in the niche you actually want clients in. if you wanna do restaurants, redo 3 restaurant sites. that way your portfolio reads as specialist not generalist and people pay more for that.
free work i'm mixed on. it works but only if you set boundaries first, like one revision round, clear scope. otherwise yeah it turns into the nightmare clients everyone warns about. the testimonial isnt worth a month of unpaid edits.
also dribbble is fine for showing work but it wont get you clients on its own, nobody hires off a dribbble shot alone. you still need an actual page where the work tells a story... problem, what you did, result. even if the result is made up for the concept ones just frame it as "concept" honestly.
free work i'm mixed on. it works but only if you set boundaries first, like one revision round, clear scope. otherwise yeah it turns into the nightmare clients everyone warns about. the testimonial isnt worth a month of unpaid edits.
also dribbble is fine for showing work but it wont get you clients on its own, nobody hires off a dribbble shot alone. you still need an actual page where the work tells a story... problem, what you did, result. even if the result is made up for the concept ones just frame it as "concept" honestly.
- Apr 18, 2026
- 108
- 25
watch competitors work, do the same for free - and post it on social media - consistency is a key
Campaigns By Mike
Junior Member
- Jun 7, 2026
- 121
- 36
Redesigning local sites is definitely the way to go... i tried the fake client thing years ago and it just looks fake to anyone who actually hires. But don't just send them a flat image of the redesign. Record a quick 2 minute loom video showing their current site and then pop your redesign on screen. Tell them why the new one will actually make them more money. @XSMMDoctor is right about free work being a trap, people who pay nothing always expect the world. If you do the redesign first, you already did the work so there is no scope creep. Either they buy it or you just put it in your portfolio anyway. It's a win win.
- Aug 24, 2020
- 5,123
- 1,661
It depends on what your niche or marketable skill is. Play to your strengths. For one, you can start by making the portfolio. For example, create mock projects, redesign existing brands/websites as a proof of concept, make concept work, or design something for a fictional client, etc. A strong portfolio piece is still a demonstration of your skill even if nobody paid for it. Plus, it's output that potential clients really look at.
You can also start smaller too. Look for family or friends who need what services you offer. Maybe local businesses, small scale projects of that sort of nature.
You can also start smaller too. Look for family or friends who need what services you offer. Maybe local businesses, small scale projects of that sort of nature.
Nexora550
BANNED
- Jun 8, 2026
- 68
- 25
one thing nobody mentioned... the way you present the concept work matters more than people think. dont just dump images on a page. write 2-3 lines for each piece, what the brief was, what problem you were solving, what you changed. clients skim but that little context makes you look like you think about business not just pretty pixels.
also the loom idea for local redesigns is good but be careful not to spend a full day per business when you dont even know if theyll reply. i'd batch it... do the redesigns first, pick the best 3 for the actual portfolio, and only loom the ones youre planning to pitch. otherwise you burn a week chasing cold emails.
and yeah the niche thing is real. specialist gets paid more, generalist competes on price. pick one lane even if it feels limiting at first, you can always expand later once you have a name.
also the loom idea for local redesigns is good but be careful not to spend a full day per business when you dont even know if theyll reply. i'd batch it... do the redesigns first, pick the best 3 for the actual portfolio, and only loom the ones youre planning to pitch. otherwise you burn a week chasing cold emails.
and yeah the niche thing is real. specialist gets paid more, generalist competes on price. pick one lane even if it feels limiting at first, you can always expand later once you have a name.