“Spec” Work Makes the Dream Work for Creative Professionals

A professional portfolio is a key element of the hiring process for many creative professionals. Whether you are an aspiring writer, designer, or photographer, your portfolio is vital extension of your resume. By going a step beyond your educational background and work experience, you give yourself an opportunity to show your skill in relevant work environments, thus making yourself more appealing to potential clients.

For those just beginning their professional journey, this can be a daunting task. After all, how do you begin to build a portfolio without any professional experience?

One popular method is to simply "assign" yourself various projects and develop them from the ground up. By doing so, you can use established brands and design new websites, imagery, or logos for their products.

It goes without saying that this process comes with a few caveats. It is important to label any and all unsolicited projects as speculative (commonly referred to as "spec" in industry circles), and any profit from this work would be an ethical concern. However, many established advertising agencies engage in this practice with regularity, and it is widely regarded as acceptable.

Once you've decided to do speculative work, there are a number of elements to consider in order to make the process worth your time and effort. For starters, don't try to "fool" anyone by using fake product names or similar taglines. Instead, label your work as speculative and produce content you would want these brands to see if asked. This makes the work more appealing in the eyes of your prospective employer.

You should also come prepared to answer for the artistic decisions you made with your work. Show that you have done your research by speaking about a brand's image, perception, and your interpretation of their goals and direction. By adopting this "big picture" approach, you show that you have considered the project beyond what appears in your portfolio.

Speculative work is a great way for new designers to begin to build a portfolio of projects to showcase their talents. As long as it is done correctly, you have an opportunity to bolster your chances of being hired. For more information click here https://www.reddit.com/r/web_design/comments/eh6f4s/question_about_portfolio_work/.