Behance: Recommended Tool
Behance is a social media platform owned by Adobe that focuses on showcasing and discovering creative work. The Columbia College Chicago Career Center recommends students present their work on Behance. Follow these steps to ensure you are included in the Columbia College Chicago network and showcase your work to employers looking to hire for freelance or employee positions and connections with potential collaborators.
Portfolio Types: Fine arts and media majors showcasing project-based work, documentation, and creative skill.
Adobe ID & Behance:
- Adobe IDs are free for anyone. You already have an Adobe ID and Columbia Single Sign-on as part of your tuition.
- You need an Adobe ID to create a Behance.
- Behance is free for anyone and not tied to the Creative Cloud.
Adobe Creative Cloud & Adobe Portfolio:
- Adobe Creative Cloud accounts will remain active for students who graduate for 90 days after graduation. Students who graduate should migrate to a personal account within that period to keep their assets. Details here.
- Adobe offers 1 year of Creative Cloud to Students after their graduation. Details here.
Additional Portfolio Profiles: Based on Industry Standard
Instagram
https://instagram.com
Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms.
Portfolio types: Fine arts, performing, and media majors displaying project-based work, documentation, and creative skill.
TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com
TikTok is a short-form video hosting service.
Portfolio types: Fine arts, performing, and media majors displaying project-based work, documentation, and creative skill.
Patreon
https://www.patreon.com
Patreon is a membership platform operated by Patreon, Inc., that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers.
Portfolio types: Majors producing content and products.
Etsy
https://www.etsy.com
Etsy, Inc. is an American e-commerce company focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies.
Portfolio types: Fashion, hand-made products, and fine art.
Art Station
https://www.artstation.com
ArtStation is a platform for creatives in the game, animation, film, and entertainment industries. industry, film, and entertainment.t to showcase their artwork.
Portfolio types: Game, Illustration, Animation, Fine Art, and CTVA majors.
Itchi.io
https://itch.io
Itch.io is a website for users to host, sell and download indie video games, indie role-playing games, game assets, comics, zines, and music.
Portfolio types: Game, Illustration, Animation, Fine Art, Music, and CTVA majors.
GitHub
https://github.com
GitHub, Inc. is a platform and cloud-based service for software development and version control using Git, allowing developers to store and manage their code.
Portfolio types: Design, Interaction Design, Software and Web Development majors.
SoundCloud
https://soundcloud.com
SoundCloud is a music streaming service that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio.
Portfolio types: Audio, Music, and Sound majors.
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com
YouTube is an online video sharing and social media platform.
Portfolio types: CTVA, Video, Theatre, Advertising, Motion Graphics, and Design Majors.
Vimeo
https://vimeo.com
Vimeo, Inc. is a video hosting, sharing, and services platform provider.
Portfolio Types: CTVA, Video, Theatre, Advertising, Motion Graphics, and Deign Majors.
Portfolio Website Templates
A foundational way to show your work through a professional website. This will be expected in many industries and gives you a lot of flexibility on how to display your projects. You don't need to build your website from scratch. You can host it on an established platform that will walk you through setting it up. Below are a few that are commonly used, but there are many more to choose from.
Template Site Provider Options:
It's a good idea to review and explore your options and choose one that works for you, your work, and your finances.
- Portfolio.adobe.com Recommended: Adobe Portfolio is a part of the Adobe Suite. Currently, it is included as a part of Columbia's tuition. It is free to all current students, but after graduation, there is a monthly fee. If you plan to pay the Adobe Suite after graduation, this is a great option as it will be included in your Adobe Cloud package. To learn more, please go to Adobe Creative Cloud After Graduation and Asset Migration.
- Squarespace.com: Squarespace is an easy-to-use platform and used professionally in many industries. It has a monthly fee but has a student discount.
- Wix.com: Wix has free and monthly fee options. If you choose the free option, please note that your website might have advertisements, and you will not be able to alter your URL. These can be frustrating for your audience when trying to visit your site. Check with the Career Center for a possible free trial code.
Domains: yourname.com
Did you create your portfolio content with a template site? Yes? What kind?
Portfolio Website: Hand Coded
If you decide to build a professional website, it is important to consider what you may need to launch your site and make it searchable for your audience. You will want your domain to be clean, short, and contain your name because it will be used on any of your professional materials (resume, cover letter, business card) and you want professionals to remember it. If it is extremely long, professionals will be frustrated when typing it or hearing it from you. We recommend "yourname.com."
Regarding your social media or industry profiles, it is wise to look in the settings to see if you can change your domain name. For example, in LinkedIn's settings, you can change the URL to http://linkedin.com/yourname. This will be handy when adding it to your resume to ensure recruiters can find you.
Your Domain:
You’re going to need a domain for people to access your website. The domain name will direct people to the location where your files are stored on the webserver you purchased or are utilizing through a template site.
There are three different parts of a domain name that assign meaning to the domain.
- Domain name: Google is the domain name in google.com.
- Top-level domain: This is the suffix at the end of the URL. google.com Other examples include .edu, .org, or .blog.
- Subdomain: This is a prefix that further classifies a domain. play.google.com.
Custom Built Site & Hosting Needs: