LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 560 million users worldwide. For graphic designers, LinkedIn can be an invaluable platform for showcasing work, connecting with potential clients, networking with other designers, and finding job opportunities. However, crafting an effective LinkedIn presence as a graphic designer takes strategy and planning. What graphic designers choose to post on their LinkedIn profiles and pages can make a big difference in how they are perceived by potential employers, clients, and professional connections.
Post examples of your best work
One of the most important things for graphic designers to post on LinkedIn is examples of their best work. Posting a strong portfolio of design work on your LinkedIn profile allows potential clients and employers to quickly assess your skills and style. When curating design work to showcase, graphic designers should select pieces that highlight their strongest design capabilities and demonstrate their personal design aesthetic. For example, if you specialize in logo design, feature your best logo projects. If you excel at publication design, select spreads from magazines, books, or brochures you’ve designed. Feature between 5 – 10 strong pieces that exemplify your talents.
For each design you feature, include a brief description of the project, your role, and the programs, techniques, or skills required to complete it. Be sure to only post work where you own the rights or have explicit permission from the client. Also ensure any descriptions spotlight your specific contributions if the work was created collaboratively.
Share design tips, tutorials, and guides
Posting design advice, tips, tutorials, and guides is an excellent way for graphic designers to demonstrate their expertise on LinkedIn. For example, you could share tips on effective logo design, color theory explanations, typography pairings, or layout recommendations. Step-by-step tutorials that illuminate design techniques are also valuable content. For instance, you might post a tutorial on creating a hand-lettered logo in Adobe Illustrator, manipulating photo filters in Photoshop, or arranging type in InDesign. Such instructional content enables you to showcase your design knowledge while assisting others in the field.
When sharing tutorials and guides, aim to teach readers specific skills they can immediately apply in their own work. Break down complex concepts into easy-to-follow steps. Use visuals like screenshots and before-and-after images to illustrate each stage. Offering downloadable guides, templates, or resources to accompany your tutorials gives added value.
Share peeks at your design process
Giving LinkedIn connections a behind-the-scenes look at your graphic design process is an impactful way to generate engagement and demonstrate your skills. Post screenshots of works-in-progress along with explanations of your thinking. For example, you might share early logo sketches to reveal your initial ideation process. Explain why you pursued certain concepts and how you chose which one(s) to develop. You could also post altered drafts of a brochure layout, for instance, describing how and why you refined the design over time. Offer insights into your decision making to reveal the problem-solving involved in graphic design.
Spotlight client work and collaborations
LinkedIn is the perfect platform for showcasing collaborative projects and client work. When appropriate, share posts announcing that you’ve been brought on for a graphic design job. For example, “Thrilled to share that I’ve been commissioned by [Company Name] to design their 2023 catalogue and branding assets.” Once the project has launched, post a case study detailing your process and results. Be sure to tag and thank collaborators and clients. News of client partnerships, new brand identities you created, or publications you designed can all be amplified through LinkedIn.
Join and engage with LinkedIn Groups
Joining and actively participating in LinkedIn Groups related to graphic design is a great networking strategy. Groups like Graphic Design Professionals, Graphic Designers Networking, and Adobe Creative Designers provide forums to connect with fellow designers, share work, exchange ideas, and more. Comment on other members’ posts, offer advice and feedback, and post discussion topics or polls to establish yourself as an engaged community member. You can also share your own work with the group to gain valuable visibility. Position yourself as a thought leader.
Follow and connect with brands and professionals
Following leading design agencies, top designers, prominent brands, and other industry pros on LinkedIn is recommended. Comment on and share others’ posts to join relevant conversations. Like and congratulate connections on shared wins and projects. Endorse connections for their skills and offer recommendations when appropriate. Proactively connecting with desirable employers, creative directors, collaborators, mentors, clients, and even design school alumni can strengthen relationships and spur future opportunities.
Share articles and insights
Posting and sharing graphic design articles, opinion pieces, and trend reports allows you to weigh in on industry topics while keeping your audience apprised of need-to-know information. For example, you might share an article forecasting popular color palettes for 2023 or summarizing principles for effective logo design. Offer your unique takeaways and perspectives in the comments. Contributing posts as a LinkedIn Publisher provides more extensive opportunities to establish thought leadership. You might publish a post about emerging styles in typography or the growing role of motion graphics, for instance.
Promote events andspeaking engagements
LinkedIn presents excellent opportunities for self-promotion. If you will be speaking at a design conference or hosting a creative workshop, share the event details and registration links on LinkedIn. Post reminders as the date approaches. You can also live tweet your experience at events using #hashtags to maximize your visibility. Promote creative meetups you attend through posts and photos highlighting your involvement. Such activity boosts your professional reputation.
Announce awards, publications and major accomplishments
Big career wins warrant LinkedIn announcements. If your work is honored with a design award, featured in a major publication, or included in a gallery showcase, let your network know through a post. Share images of the published pieces, award certificates, or exhibition promotions. Thank anyone who played a role in the accolade. Announcements about speaking engagements, new clients, project launches and other successes can also be posted. LinkedIn provides a perfect outlet for unabashed professional promotion.
Post job openings and internships
LinkedIn is one of the top channels for posting job and internship openings. As a freelancer or agency, list graphic design roles you aim to fill on LinkedIn Jobs to tap into an engaged talent pool. Vet applicants through the platform and keep connections updated on openings at your company. You can also post company culture content like photos of team events to showcase your workplace. Promoting open positions reinforces your business activity.
Share personal perspectives
While primarily professional, LinkedIn also allows room for some personality to shine through. On special occasions like International Women’s Day or Pride Month, share your perspectives related to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Promote causes and nonprofits important to you. An occasional slice-of-life peek or travel photo makes you more relatable. Just ensure the overall balance skews toward professional content.
Post sparingly and consistently
When sharing on LinkedIn, impact matters more than volume. Avoid posting too frequently, which can overwhelm connections. But also refrain from infrequent and sporadic posts. Consistency and quality are key. Once or twice per week is often optimal. Crafting an annual LinkedIn content calendar can help plan and space out posts strategically. Tie posts to relevant happenings like national design competitions and Adobe version releases. Support text with eye-catching images. Keep language professional but approachable.
Use hashtags and tagging strategically
Leverage relevant hashtags like #graphicdesign or #logodesign to help surface your posts. Follow and tag brands/clients to strengthen connections. Tag associated creatives and collaborators on projects to recognize their contributions. Comment on industry leaders’ posts and use related hashtags to grab their attention. Reply thoughtfully to others’ content to grow engagement organically.
Promote, but don’t oversell
While showcasing your talents is expected on LinkedIn, hard-selling comes across as unprofessional. Avoid being overly self-promotional. Instead, focus on sharing helpful advice, meaningful perspectives, and stories that resonate. Let your work speak for itself. Follow ethical rules on self-promotion, credit all collaborators, and secure client permission where needed. Prioritize inspiring your audience over making a sales pitch.
Make connections personally and professionally meaningful
The true power of LinkedIn is in the connections. Networking effectively involves being deliberate about who you connect with. Seek out designers with complementary skills for potential collaborations. Connect with past colleagues and clients to maintain those bonds. Follow leaders at brands or agencies you admire. But avoid randomly amassing connections, or accepting invites from those you don’t know substantively. Nurture connections through thoughtful engagement.
Keep your profile updated
As your career progresses, keep your LinkedIn profile fully up to date. Refresh your featured work samples. Add new skills and certifications. Include each role on your experience timeline, highlighting key achievements. An accurate profile allows connections to endorse current skills, recommend you, and gain insight into your work. Ample, compelling content on your profile makes you more discoverable.
Be active and engaged
Simply creating a profile is not enough. You must be actively involved by posting content, commenting on others’ posts, joining groups, making connections, and sharing updates. The more you engage, the more the algorithm boosts you. Regularly interact by liking and resharing others’ posts. Achieve LinkedIn Publisher status by publishing long-form posts. Comment first on others’ content when possible to maximize visibility.
Follow Company Pages
Following the LinkedIn Company Pages of brands, agencies, clients, employers, and vendors you want to connect with is wise. Engage by liking and commenting on their Page posts. Company Pages showcase businesses’ projects and accomplishments. Getting on their radar can lead to partnership opportunities. It also provides market insights and competitive analysis.
Conclusion
In summary, graphic designers have many opportunities for effectively leveraging LinkedIn to advance their careers. Curating an impressive portfolio showcase, demonstrating expertise through tutorials, promoting accomplishments, connecting strategically, and engaging actively with your network are impactful approaches. Consistent posting of valuable content aligned to your professional strengths and the field at large can organically grow your reputation and visibility. With some diligence and creativity, LinkedIn can become an invaluable platform for graphic designers to build their personal brand and expand their reach.