5 Tips to Get Your Design Portfolio Noticed

by Brenda Barron Stokes on Oct 28, 2022

As a designer, a portfolio is your calling card. It’s how you show off your skills and experience to potential employers and clients. Creating a strong design portfolio can be the key to landing your dream job or project. But with so much competition out there, how do you make sure your portfolio stands out? That’s what we venture to answer here today. In fact, we’ve put together five tips to help you get your portfolio noticed and stand tall above the competition.

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1. Start with a Strong Concept

Your portfolio should be more than just a collection of your best work. It should tell a story and communicate who you are as a designer. Think about what makes you unique and how you can convey that through your portfolio.

For instance, if you’re a web designer, your portfolio might focus on your ability to create clean and user-friendly designs. If you’re a graphic designer, your portfolio might showcase your skills in branding or packaging design.

A good example comes from McLean, a branding and packaging design agency. Their portfolio is simple and to-the-point, featuring numerous examples of branded packaging concepts and completed designs to give you a thorough sense of their capabilities.

Whatever it is that makes you special, make sure your concept is front and center in your portfolio.

2. Prioritize Easy-to-Use Navigation and Social Media Integration

Your portfolio should be easy for visitors to navigate. That means having a clear and straightforward structure. Include an About page that tells visitors who you are and what kind of work you do. Then, group your projects into categories so visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.

And don’t forget to include contact information! Make it easy for visitors to reach out if they’re interested in working with you.

In today’s social media-driven world, it’s also important to integrate your portfolio with your online presence. Include links to your social media profiles on your portfolio website and make sure your projects are shareable across platforms.

You can use tools like ShareThis to make social media sharing easy and seamless.

3. Use High-Quality Images and Videos to Showcase Your Work

Your portfolio is a visual representation of your work, so it’s important to use high-quality images and videos. So, when building your portfolio, make sure the photos and videos you use are clear and concise. And if you’re showcasing written work, be sure to use typography that’s easy to read and looks great.

Here are a few ways to ensure your images and videos really pop:

Use a professional camera or phone to take pictures and videos of your work.
Edit your photos and videos to remove any imperfections.
Choose images and videos that accurately represent your work.
Try to keep the images/videos thematically consistent.
Stick to a similar color scheme for your portfolio or divide it into sections with each highlighting a specific color scheme.

4. Write Clear and Concise Descriptions of Your Projects

When writing descriptions of your projects, it’s important to be clear and concise. Avoid using design jargon that might not make sense to everyone. Instead, focus on describing the results you achieved with each project.

For example, if you designed a website for a client, describe how the website met the client’s needs and helped them achieve their goals. If you created a logo for a company, explain how the logo represents the brand and what it was meant to communicate.

The key is to focus on the results of your work, not the process.

5. Stay Up-to-Date With the Latest Design Trends

It’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest design trends, both in terms of styles and technologies. That way, you can show off your skills as a designer and showcase your ability to keep up with the latest trends.

Check out websites like Awwwards to see what’s popular in the design world right now. And be sure to incorporate some of those trends into your portfolio.

Bonus Tip #1: Update Your Portfolio Often

Your portfolio is never really “finished.” You should always be adding new projects and updating your site as you evolve as a designer.

Bonus Tip #2: Share Portfolio Items on Community Sites

In addition to your own portfolio website, you can also share your work on community sites like Dribbble and Behance. These sites are great for getting noticed by other designers and potential clients. Look for industry-specific and theme-specific portfolio sites as well that like to feature artist’s work to better build a network.

By following these tips, you can be sure your portfolio will stand out from the rest. So get to work and good luck!