Graphic studios are probably among the most competitive Web-based freelancing firms nowadays. It seems that the number of graphic studios vying for some of the most important gigs has been on the rise in the recent years. I'm not really sure why. It's probably the economic crisis. It's probably because we are in an age when people suddenly became creative. Or it may even be that it's just now that some artists discovered the usefulness of the Web as a viable source of additional income.
The point is, if there's this much competition, a freelance designer should be extra creative with his/her portfolio and in presenting his/her work. Presentation is sometimes the key to attracting a good number of customers. The work may be good-looking, but without a fresh-looking portfolio, the potential clients might have this impression that there are far more better artists out there.
To give you some inspiration to do well with your portfolio, I have here a list of 30 fresh and inspirational works, compiled by SmashingMagazine.com. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of Flash-based works in the list, but there are also a lot of non-Flash websites as well, which just shows that your portfolio does not have to be that fancy in order to stand out.
Personally, I like Counter Fill the best. It's nothing flashy, yet it features a browsing experience probably not explored before. It's not that difficult to browse through the portfolio, either. It sometimes just give me this dizzy feeling of falling from a rooftop.
Have you seen other fresh-looking portfolios online that are worth mentioning? I know that the list is just comprised of 30 studios. Surely, there are more inspiring finds out there. Do tell us about them by dropping by the comments section.
