Florist Portfolio 101: Step by step guidance with examples
every Florist starts at the beginning—even with their floral design portfolio! (1)
Ready to take your floral design goals from dreaming to doing?
If you’re ready to join the floral industry—as a designer, a shop owner, a farmer-florist or any number of other creative business models—Bravo! We’re here to help you see it through.
In building your florist portfolio, you’ll be taking an important step to bring your floral career dreams into reality.
When you discover everything that’s needed to start a small floral business or a new career in the floral industry, It can be a bit overwhelming at first.
But every floral pro starts at the very beginning (yes, even your favorite designers on Instagram)—so just take one step at a time.
Team Flower Member Kelsey Lake writes, “One way to stand out and showcase yourself as a valuable asset, even as a beginner, is to create an online portfolio of your work for potential employers.” And this guide will help you do just that!
In this article, you’ll get the answers to the following questions:
1) What is a floral design portfolio?
2) What should your florist portfolio include?
3) How should you display or share your portfolio?
4) What types of floral arrangements should you include in a floral design portfolio?
5) How do you create a florist portfolio on a budget?
And much more! You’ll also get floral design portfolio ideas and real-life examples using experienced floral educator Kelly Perry’s floral design work.
What is a floral design portfolio?
A professional portfolio is something that every artist should have—yes, even florists! A floral portfolio is a way to showcase your skills, talents, and history of work with flowers. Think of your floral portfolio as your resume. It’s the floral design work you’ve done, what you can offer, and the kind of design work you hope to do more of in the future.
As you grow your experience, your floral portfolio will grow, too. As your floral design skills grow, the quality of your work will grow. And as your connections in the industry grow, your photography options will grow, too.
But getting content on the page is the first step. Remember this, and fervently guard yourself against comparing your work as it is today with people who have been in the industry longer than you. You’ll get there!
To get your florist portfolio started, you can take quality photos yourself as long as you know how to utilize the tools at hand! If you’re interested in learning how to snap gorgeous, professional images on your own using a smartphone, Team Flower offers a class on How to Photograph Flowers.
Building a portfolio requires some flowers, a few supplies, and a photographer (or a know-how with your iPhone!). (2)
How do you create a floral design portfolio?
Here’s a quick, high-level overview of the steps you need to take to create a floral design portfolio of your own.
Brush up on your photography skills or schedule time with a photographer.
Research and plan the floral arrangements you’ll need to create ahead of time.
Gather all floral supplies needed to create your planned floral arrangements.
Put in an order for your flowers and greens from your favorite floral wholesaler or local florist, or pick some up from a quality grocery store.
Schedule time on your calendar to build and photograph your arrangements in one piece of blocked time.
On the day you receive your flower order, process the flowers if needed.
Design the pieces for your floral portfolio based on your initial plan. If you have extra to work with, showcase more examples!
Photograph each piece from several different angles. (Or have your photographer do so.)
If you’re photographing your floral arrangements yourself, take time to carefully edit and select the best shots.
Add them to your website floral design portfolio page or your digital portfolio, and get ready to show them off!
Remember, the above list is just a quick look. You’ll get an in-depth education on what to include in your portfolio below, so keep reading!
What should your florist portfolio include?
There is no “one size fits all” portfolio type. your business model will guide what to include in your portfolio. (3)
Determining what you should include in your florist portfolio can be tricky. The answer to this question is going to vary from one business model to another—there is no “one size fits all” floral portfolio type.
To determine what’s right for your portfolio, you’ll need to consider what type of floral job position you’d like to have or what would work best for your business model.
Think through what you’ll be providing, whether that’s:
Wedding and event floral services
Flower farm bundles or farmer-florist designs
Floral wholesale
Or a brand-new retail floral shop to your community!
You’ll also need to think through your clientele and what they expect and would like to see. (This part is really important!)
And finally, consider what you want to create—over and over again!—as the floral designer. Your floral portfolio will act as a major marketing tool for your business, so what you market is likely what you’ll be asked to create.
No matter your floral career goals or business model, there are a few categories of items you should include in your florist portfolio. Let’s take a closer look!
Need the right flower arranging tools to get started? We can help with our floral toolkit!
Floral design portfolio ideas: Types of arrangements to include
Because your floral portfolio will be your number one marketing tool, you want to showcase a sample of each of the items you offer.
Get everything you need to know to start your floral career in our How to Become a Floral Designer online class. Take your next step with confidence. And receive guided feedback for your floral portfolio.
This can be quite a lot of work at first to create these essential designs for your portfolio, but we promise—it’s worth it!
To get started, we suggest participating in styled shoots, hiring (or doing a trade with) a local photographer, and/or taking professional photos yourself.
Key term: A styled shoot is a coordinated photography event planned in advance, usually with other wedding and events professionals. Everyone works together to contribute their offerings for a styled mockup, like a table setting or staged bride and groom photos. Check out this free guide to working with photographers for a styled shoot to learn more.
Team Flower has a slew of helpful classes for your portfolio building journey—including online floral design classes like How to Become a Florist, Foundations, Bouquets & Personals, and How to Photograph Flowers. You can have access to all of these courses (and more!) by joining the Team Flower Academy.
Here are a few suggestions of arrangements to include based on various business models:
there are core items you should include in your florist portfolio, like bouquets. (4)
Beginner Basics that Every Floral Design Portfolio Needs
No matter what work you do in the floral industry, it’s likely you’ll need photography of the following basics:
Floral arrangements in vessels, perhaps a variety of container styles
Bouquets
Wearables, like boutonnieres, flower crowns, and corsages
Retail Floral Portfolio
For retail florists, whether you’re in a brick-and-mortar shop or work out of a home studio, you’ll need to include the following in your floral design portfolio:
Floral arrangements in vessels, perhaps a variety of container styles
Live plants
Specialty holiday arrangements
Sympathy arrangements
Wreaths or swags
Wedding and Events Floral Design Portfolio
If you plan on servicing weddings and events as a floral designer, whether big or small, you’ll need to demonstrate you can create the following floral arrangements:
Bridal bouquets
Bridesmaids bouquets
Wearables, like boutonnieres, flower crowns, and corsages
Centerpieces of various sizes
Floral arbors and flower installations
Farmer-Florist Portfolio
Are you a flower grower and floral designer? Whether you have a micro farm or a robust, multi-acre growing setup, if you’re offering both farm-fresh flowers and design services, you’ll need to include examples of both. Some portfolio ideas include photography of:
Individual flowers by seasonality
DIY buckets for pick-up by brides or customers
Market bouquets and hand-tied offerings
flower CSA arrangement examples
Mobile Retail, Flower Truck, and Pop-Up Shop Portfolio
Do you run a small-scale, mobile floral retail business? Pop-up floral shops and carts, flower trucks, and even floral delivery bikes offer a unique shopping experience that can move to where customers are congregating! In addition to any other relevant designs or services mentioned above, you should showcase the following in your floral portfolio:
Hand-tied bouquets
Individual flowers for “Build Your Own” bouquets
Photos of your pop-up set-up or flower truck in action
Dried floral bouquets/centerpieces (if applicable)
Include a Range of Shapes, Styles, and Color Combinations in Your Florist Portfolio
Your business will grow (yay!) and so will your portfolio! Be sure to include various textures, design types, and color schemes. (5)
As your business and portfolio grows, capture the shape, size, color and texture variations in the arrangements that you offer.
For example, bridal bouquets can be an asymmetrical garden-style, a tight round pave, a teardrop cascade, or a large, wild bohemian design. (In our Bouquets & Personal online class, you’ll learn how to create round, cascading, and asymmetrical bouquets in a garden-style… all from scratch!)
And it’s important to keep in mind that floral wedding arbors can be round, rectangular, heart-shaped, triangular, and more!
Even everyday floral arrangements can range from large and full to a small hand-tied bouquet. So make sure to include a variety of shapes and sizes of your floral work as you grow your portfolio.
Basic Flower Bouquet Shapes to Include in Your Portfolio
Tailored Round: This bouquet usually features very little greenery and is arranged in a large, tight, round shape.
Cascading: This bouquet contains both flowers and greens which waterfall toward the ground from the hand.
Organic: This bouquet is inspired by how flowers grow in the garden and is typically large and wild.
Include a Variety of Arrangement Styles You Love
If you’ve dipped your toes into the floral design world, you know there are various types of styles to create in.
Maybe one particular style strikes your fancy, or perhaps you want to offer all types to your clients. It’s up to you to decide what you sell, but it is helpful to educate yourself on different styles!
Here is a list of a few of the most popular floral design styles and their descriptions:
Garden Style: These arrangements typically utilize a few varieties of blooms that are loosely tied or arranged. Flowers have space to move and dance in these bouquets.
Traditional: The blooms chosen in this style are those that are well-known (like mums, roses, babies breath, etc.). You’ll find round and tidy arrangements in this style!
Boho: Also known as “wild and free,” this approach incorporates a large variety of flowers in one arrangement and is typically large and luscious utilizing specialty blooms.
Luxury: Opulent and extravagant, this style will include large, very full arrangements and contain multiple types of more expensive flowers.
Hand-Tied: This style is often described as organic and natural. It is a simple design usually incorporating local farm-grown blossoms.
Include a Variety of Color Combinations
There are countless creative opportunities when it comes to color! If you’ve spent any time looking at flowers on Instagram or Pinterest, you know there are a variety of popular color combinations, including:
Neutral palettes (like blush and cream)
Classic palettes (like white and green or pink and white)
Bold, unique palettes (like orange and maroon).
Ideally, your portfolio will include at least one example of each category.
This is also the perfect place to include images of color palettes you most enjoy working with!
Do you love the large range of cool and warm hues in the color purple? Include arrangements utilizing both! Are you inspired by complementary colors? Don’t miss out on an opportunity to showcase your creativity!
Available Flowers
Your typical client may not know various types of flowers and when they’re available throughout the year.
However, creating a floral design portfolio that highlights a mixture of widely available flowers and seasonal flowers will set you up for success!
Your clients will be able to see what types of flowers they can expect in their arrangements. This helps set realistic expectations, and it helps you in not having to say “no” to everything your client requests.
This isn’t something you necessarily need to add to your portfolio if you’re just starting out, but it can be helpful as you grow.
Tips for Creating a Floral Portfolio on a Budget
Don’t spend more than you have to create a portfolio. You don’t want to start your business in the “red.” (6)
Creating arrangements to cover all of these categories takes time and money. Whatever you do, don’t go in the “red” simply to build your portfolio! Be creative in how you accomplish this mission.
Forage flowers and greenery from outside, grab blooms from the grocery store or your local flower shop, create an opportunity for a trade with a local photographer, and use the same flowers to make as many arrangements as you can.
In an earlier version of this article, Team Flower Member Kelsey Lake generously shared these four tips on creating a portfolio on a budget:
Find the nearest Trader Joe's or Whole Foods: Of course, it's always ideal to support your local florist, but that may not be the financially prudent option for this project. Most folks have a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods nearby with a great selection of affordable blooms and greenery. Plus, many locations allow you to put in a special order. Just give them plenty of lead-time. Choose 2-3 types of greenery, focal flowers, and filler flowers, all within a cohesive color palette.
Forage: Depending on the time of year and your location, you could forage for some material. Always ask permission to forage on someone else's property, and know what you are harvesting before you bring it home. (Safety first!) Click here to see best foraging tips and practices.
Search Your Home: Chances are, you have some fantastic options for vessels lying around your home. Get creative! Bowls, cups, glass bottles, urns—the sky is the limit, as long as it fits the aesthetic and mechanics of your design!
Keep Your Tools Simple: Choose designs that require tools you already own or can easily source. A local florist may let you purchase a few pieces of floral tape, wire, foam, or other materials for a reasonable price instead of paying for an entire package of something you may not use all of. Make sure to have a flower frog or two on hand as well. Local craft stores are also your friend here. And don't forget your blade! While different flowers ideally require various tools, all that hardware gets pricey. For now, any pair of garden clippers will do just fine!
For more tips on what florist tools and supplies you’ll need (and how to use them!), read Flower Arranging Tools 101.
BONUS TIP: Team Flower member Stephanie Young wrote an incredibly helpful guide on creating Beautiful Social Media Images on a Tight Budget of a New Floral Designer. This is a great place to start when you’re brand new in the industry.
“We all have plenty of holes in our skillsets when we first begin. Everyone starts somewhere! Fortunately, the Internet provides us with countless free resources to supplement our floral education. Right here at Team Flower, there's an endless supply of how-to videos and articles aimed at making you a better designer. Youtube videos, podcasts, blog posts—all of these resources can help build up your skills. If you are looking for a more structured way to learn, a reputable online class could help you master the basics before you put yourself out there for potential employers.” — Kelsey Lake
Stage a Styled Shoot
Another great way to build your portfolio is by organizing a styled shoot. Not only does it give you the opportunity to obtain professional photos, it also allows you to network within the event industry by allowing an opportunity to connect and work with vendors such as photographers, planners, caterers, dress makers, and more! And when you’re the one planning the styled shoot, you get to decide the scope of those involved.
For a comprehensive take, listen to how to plan a styled shoot on the Team Flower Podcast.
The best place to start when you’re a new florist is with Team Flower’s How to Become a Florist Class. In this online course, you’ll be equipped to confidently start your floristry career. You’ll learn floral industry language, get connected to suppliers, and receive step-by-step design instruction for building your floral design portfolio. Coaching with an instructor is included.
How should you display or share your floral design portfolio?
Once you create the foundation of your portfolio, the next step is to share it and gather a following of potential clients.
In a digital world, there are many opportunities to share your creativity and your work!
When people are shopping for flowers, they’ll often take to searching the internet and Pinterest. While incredible floral inspiration can be found this way (both by floral clients and florists alike), this can sometimes create unrealistic asks from potential clients.
Having a collection of professional images on your website and social media accounts of your own work will act as a guide for those seeking your design services.
Utilize Social Media
Social media can be overwhelming at first, so remember: One step at a time! You can share your floral work through social media platforms like FaceBook, TikTok, Pinterest, and Instagram.
We suggest choosing one or two platforms to focus on in the beginning. Once you get the hang of things, build your following, and expand your portfolio, you can add in other platforms to increase your reach.
Example of a retail floral shop portfolio on social media
Example of Team Flower’s portfolio on social media
Social media is always a hot topic, and our community members have shared their knowledge generously. Here are a few helpful articles:
Create a Website
Having a website builds your credibility with potential clients as well as with other florists in the industry. This should be high on your list of priorities when you start building your portfolio!
Example of event florist portfolio, philosophyflowers.com
Example of retail florist portfolio, cheerfulflowersandgifts.com
There are a multitude of website-hosting platforms you could utilize for your webpage—both free and paid. Squarespace, WordPress, and Shopify are some of the more popular sites. Each have pros and cons, so do some research as to which would be the best fit for your ideal business.
For a couple of real-life examples, check out floral educator Kelly Perry’s live floral design portfolios:
Visit Kelly’s flower shop in Chambersburg, PA
Check out Kelly’s wedding floral design services in Chambersburg
But remember, your website doesn’t have to be incredibly complex or involved—especially in the beginning! There are a few key things you need to include, like photos, your business location, and basic information about your floral design services.
Team Flower Member Marijo Anderson wrote this helpful article, 11 Must-Haves for Your Floral Business Website. This is a great start for getting your business’s website up and running!
Remember, you’re not in this alone! You’ve taken the first step of faith to do something you love, and we’re so proud of you!
Now it’s time to take the next step and capture your beautiful flower arrangements in a comprehensive floral design portfolio—that way, you can share that beauty with the world.
Contributing Authors and Photographers
Kaylee Young
Parts of this guide was originally published in a Team Flower article contributed by Team Flower Member Kelsey Lake. (Thanks, Kelsey!)
Kelsey is a newcomer to floral design and currently works as a design assistant at Shady Grove Flowers in Asheville, North Carolina. She can't wait to see where her journey with flowers will take her! Team Flower member since November 2019.
Team Flower Staff
Our mission is to connect and empower flower lovers with lifelong, global community support and education to help them love the world through flowers. We work together as a team to bring you the best free educational content for floral designers that we can. Have questions? Contact us via the chat button on the right!
Photography
(1) Almond Leaf Studios
(2) Jake + Heather
(3) Heather Payne Photography
(4) Marcie Meredith
(5) Almond Leaf Studios
(6) Almond Leaf Studios
