How to build a web design portfolio with no experience

01Six ways to get portfolio projects

1. 1Redesign a real sitePick a local business or nonprofit with an outdated site, identify its problems and redesign it. Label it as a concept.
2. 2Work with friends and familyA friend's bakery, a relative's practice, a club's event page. Real feedback, real constraints.
3. 3Volunteer for a nonprofitMany small charities need help and will give you a testimonial.
4. 4Invent a realistic briefA fictional brand in an industry you want to work in, with goals and an audience.
5. 5Join a design challengeCommunity challenges and hackathons give briefs and deadlines.
6. 6Build your own product pageA side project, newsletter or tool gives you a client: yourself.

02What a good case study includes

Screenshots alone say you can make things look nice. A case study shows you can solve problems, which is what people pay for.

• The problem: what was wrong, for whom, and why it mattered.
• Your role and constraints: time, tools, content you had.
• Process: research, sketches, wireframes, iterations, with a few images.
• Key decisions and why you made them.
• The result: final design, and any results or feedback.
• What you would test or do next.

03Be honest about concept work

Label redesigns as concepts or self-initiated projects, and never imply a company hired you when it did not. Honesty costs you nothing: hiring managers know beginners do concept work, and clear labeling builds trust. When a real client later lets you use their project, add it and move the concepts down.

04Choose projects that match the work you want

If you want to design for restaurants, put two restaurant projects in the portfolio. If you want SaaS work, redesign a SaaS pricing page and onboarding. A focused portfolio tells clients you understand their world, and it makes your outreach easier. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that people can demonstrate their abilities through prior work or projects, which is exactly what a focused portfolio does.

05Publish the portfolio

Put the case studies on your own site with a clear headline saying what you do and for whom, an about section and an easy way to contact you. What makes a good portfolio website? and best portfolio website examples cover structure, and how to host a website for free covers getting it online cheaply. Then reach out; web design clients with no experience covers finding the first paying ones.

06Turning concept work into paid work

Use each concept as an opening. Send the business you redesigned a short, friendly note with a link and one specific improvement you made, without pressure to buy. Some will ignore it, some will reply, and a few will hire you or refer you. Ask friends and nonprofits you helped for a testimonial and a referral. After two or three small paid projects, replace the weakest concepts with real work and raise your prices.