As a Designer/Creative, how do you use Instagram?

I've been putting off my professional Instagram because 1) Most of the assets used by my online portfolio don't look good in the feed and need to be redone...:( and it's a pain to upload all from the mobile 2) I'm not keen on having a replica of my portfolio website even if the audience might differ. So I was wondering if any of you use it in a different way? I have a lot of small projects not published (as I tend to use only case studies) so it might become the little sister (or brother) of my main portfolio? Maybe create a video showreel to use as a Story with the main works? Or I just need to be less lazy and get on with it?

Replies7

  • My thoughts is that it is an opportunity to show “you”. No squeaky “polished” photos but the real you. I build business based on relationships and no matter how good a website is you can’t replicate the personal touch social media platforms offer.
  • You seem to me that you have it all figured out, it is just a matter of taking the action. I guess the answer is in the question if you don't want to feel redundant use Instagram as a more "casual" way to share the not so complete projects and always call to action to your main website/portfolio. Stories are a great way to share behind the scenes and work in progress and you can maybe use posts for a POV of your day, I am thinking workspace while always showcasing a project in hands.

    That's a way of doing things, hope it helps!
  • Hi Anna,
    I think Instagram is a fantastic tool to build your persona online and make it extremely accessible to everyone. By posting work and keeping your page active, you get the chance to share more about your insight, your likes and your talents in a very relaxed and fun way that gives you far more liberty than a portfolio ever could.
    I personally use Instagram to share a lot of the fun new things I'm working on that I know could interest my audience and that may not be exactly what I want to put on my portfolios just yet. I like interacting with other artists and sharing other people's works in my story to widen the reach of my scene.
    If you wanna just take a look and see how I go about things you can check it out for yourself here www.instagram.com/upon_nothing/ but ultimately my big advice is to look at your IG profile as an opportunity to let your guard down a bit and let your true self shine. After all, getting to know the person behind the art is just as fun as looking at the art itself!
    Hope this helps, but I'm always available to chat more should you need a social media manager x
    Ø
  • Hi Anna

    As an illustrator I use instagram to showoff drawings and work in progress pieces, if it helps as well you can use separate apps like snapseed and hashtag buddy to cut down on work like choosing the right hash tags and getting the photo just right. thats just me though using it as a form of blogging. your mileage may vary

    kind regards
    Edmund
  • I cannot emphasise greatly enough what an integral part of showcasing my work and getting new clients Insta is.
    It’s a massive faff and seems time consuming and also sometimes feels empty constantly posting content but I can assure you it’s worthwhile.
    I’m no expert but spend an afternoon researching strategies and take it from there. There are many ways but I would advise keeping best work on your feed and use stories to showcase work you like less, posting two or three pics a day to stories giving narrative to you as a brand.
    Good luck. Xx
  • Hi there Anna,
    I use Instagram to share content that will attract new clients to my services, I showcase my recent projects to grab those clients attention and I sell small products. That way my Instagram is always on the run and bringing me new clients everydar :)

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