How to use design briefs to improve your portfolio

Generate practice briefs for your portfolio: FakeClients

The importance of a portfolio

The beginning process of trying to make it within the art world can be quite challenging. There is often much competition and art generally takes a lot of practice and expertise. To be able to work for actual clients, you must have some sort of record that shows off your talents. A portfolio is a perfect way to show potential clients your artistic worth and really stand out from the crowd. However, creating an original and yet personal portfolio is often very challenging. Inspiration is more often than not hard to come by, which makes it hard to impress clients with your skills. Therefore, using design briefs to improve your portfolio can be a perfect solution to this problem of lacking inspiration.

The benefits of using design briefs to improve your portfolio

Design briefs are either pre-written briefs of randomly generated briefs in with you are given a very simple to a more difficult task, in which you are asked to design a certain logo for example. These briefs are often very similar to how a real client would ask you for a design, which makes it an even better way of practicing your professional designing skills. It is easy to use, often by simply clicking just one or two buttons, and also makes for a very simple and fast way for you to get back on your creative flow of inspiration whilst still creating very original content. By using these briefs, you can work on your portfolio without losing to much time on the preparation part of designing a logo. Its efficiency makes it the perfect way to help you and your career along.

FakeClients briefs for your portfolio

FakeClients.com is one of these said websites that generates design briefs. It is not hard to use, simply click the start button on the homepage and you are ready to get to designing. However, there are even more great aspects of FakeClients that can help you improve your skill and your portfolio. For instance, if you get tired of the relatively short and lesser detailed generated briefs on the homepage, you can also look into the pre-written briefs. These briefs are longer, more personal and more detailed, which also makes them even more realistic. If you ever happen to run out of these briefs, you can decide to upgrade to a pro account, which gives you access to even more long pre-written briefs and loads of other amazing features. Think for example of the possibility to post your work onto the feedback section of the website, on which other designers can rate and criticize your work, and giving you the ability to improve your work even further.

Besides all of these great varieties of functions, FakeClients also allows you to broaden your artistic horizons. It does not keep you grounded to simply just one artistic platform, as it gives you the option to also test out briefs within other mediums. By going to the menu on the homepage, you can select all kinds of different platforms to receive briefs from, ranging from illustration to for instance web design.

Other platforms for design briefs

Another option for design briefs is Briefz.biz, a website with the same principles as FakeClients, but a bit more simplicity. It lacks the large number of extra features that FakeClients provides, but it is still a divine way to get generated briefs to help you with your portfolio. By clicking the button on the homepage, it gives you something to design. Not just logos as you do when using FakeClients, but all sorts of designing assignments. Other options are for instance DrawingIdeas.co, a website similar to FakeClients and Briefz.biz, but only focused on illustration ideas. It provides you with a subject to draw, but also which drawing technique to use.

All of these mentioned websites have similarities, as they are all great ways to receive generated briefs. However, FakeClients is broader, has a little bit more possibilities and is more focused on logo design, while the other websites are relatively more focused on other designing platforms and or drawings. All of these websites are great for working on your portfolio and for improving your general art skills, but also your skills within working with future clients. Creating a portfolio is more than essential for getting started within the art world, as it is the perfect way to put yourself on the market of artists.