Having a stellar portfolio allows you to stand out to prospective clients and employers. Portfolios establish a level of trust by visually displaying your projects and design abilities. Creating your very first portfolio, or even revamping your current one, can be a daunting task. Consider this article as a resource of inspiration for you as you embark on this journey.
Kate Syuma is a product designer at Miro focused on business growth and people leadership. Their website is content focused and straight to the point. The hero content on the page clearly validates Kate’s top skills and calls to action on how these skills were applied in designs. As you start building your portfolio or make updates to the one you have now, complete an audit on what your skills are and if they are effectively showcased in your work. Having a cohesive portfolio that tells a story rather than dumps irrelevant information, already sets you apart from others.
Takeaway #1: Showcase skills in your projects
Lilibeth Bustos Linares is a lead product designer at Nuvocargo and an incredible teacher at Memorisely. She is passionate about creating and improving internal processes while working with multi-disciplinary teams. Lili does a great job showcasing her work and her personality while exuding professionalism. I'd like to direct your focus to the space in Lili’s portfolio where she added a list of credible references. This establishes even more trust between herself and her employers or clients. Perhaps you are just starting and you don’t have a little black book of past clients. Chances are, you can pivot the work you've done to match what you are currently accomplishing. For example, if you have worked in the service industry, you could ask your previous employer to speak about your performance in creating a good experience for a customer. This directly ties into digital user experiences you can create and foster.
Takeaway #2: Include references or referrals from past colleagues
Grace Walker is a Freelance Web Designer and Webflow Professional Partner. She specialises in helping businesses scale and grow. Her portfolio is a great example of using colour and shapes to amplify work. The way she chooses to display her work on Webflow looks effortless and is a portfolio piece in and of itself. Make sure you are catering your portfolio, both the visuals and content, to the position you intend to apply to. Having a balanced meld between the designs you have created and the design of your portfolio can be beneficial.
Takeaway #3: Use colours effectively to amplify your work
