It is absolutely essential for a graphic designer to have a professional looking portfolio, irrespective of whether he works full time or is a freelancer. A portfolio is the best weapon for the designer to showcase the samples of his work. It is the most effective proof of how skills as well. For a prospective employer the portfolio of a designer is considered more valuable than his resume.
There are 3 types of portfolios a graphic design professional can have. They can have printed, online and digital graphic design portfolio. It would be prudent for a designer to have at least two types of portfolio. The employers may offer web based portfolio at times and there are some people who are fonder of touching and feeling the work. The latter kind will prefer to see the printed variety.
The Print portfolio was the only available option for the graphic designers before the mass penetration and growth of the internet. Till date it remains the most tangible type of portfolio. A graphic designer should be careful about what work samples to include in a print portfolio. He should prefer quality over quantity in this regard. The portfolio should be presented in a nice jacket or leather cover etc.
The web based graphic design portfolio is quite flexible to handle. The designer does not need to carry it physically which is quite convenient for him. There is no possibility of the work getting spoilt what can be the case with content stored on removable media like hard disc or DVD. The web based design portfolio can be accessed from anywhere through a plethora of means. The designers can access the online portfolio from laptops and desktops or even tablets. They can use the WiFi access points to showcase online portfolio to others when they are outside. The email service providers often provide free storage space and this enables the designers to store their work samples easily.