Create a professional design portfolio that gets interviews. Covers selecting your best work, writing compelling case studies, choosing a portfolio platform, presenting process alongside final designs, and tailoring your portfolio for specific roles.
Decide what type of design role you are targeting and curate work accordingly
A UX design portfolio needs case studies showing research, wireframes, testing, and iteration. A visual/graphic design portfolio needs polished final work showing brand identity, typography, and layout skills. A product design portfolio needs end-to-end case studies from problem definition to shipped product. A generalist portfolio weakens your positioning. Pick a primary direction and ensure 80% of your portfolio aligns with it. If you are transitioning from one design discipline to another, create 2-3 speculative projects in your target discipline rather than showing only work from your previous role.
Select 4-6 of your strongest projects, not everything you have ever made
Quality over quantity. Hiring managers spend an average of 3-5 minutes reviewing a portfolio. Four to six strong case studies are enough. Include only work you can speak about passionately and in detail. If you do not have 4-6 strong projects, create speculative projects: redesign an existing app (identify real problems and solve them), design a complete brand identity for a fictional company, or solve a design challenge from a company you admire. Label speculative work clearly as concept or personal projects. Remove weak or outdated work entirely.
Plan the narrative arc for each case study: problem, process, solution, results
Every case study should answer: What was the problem? Why did it matter? What was my role? What was my process? What did I create? What was the outcome? This narrative structure transforms a collection of pretty pictures into a demonstration of design thinking. The process (research, sketches, wireframes, user testing, iterations) is often more important to hiring managers than the final design. Showing how you think, make decisions, and handle constraints is what differentiates a portfolio that gets interviews from one that does not.
Create Compelling Case Studies
Write each case study with context, constraints, and your specific contribution
Start with a brief overview: the client or project, the business problem, and the timeline. State the constraints (budget, timeline, technical limitations, team size) because constraints show real-world design thinking. If it was a team project, clearly state your specific role and contributions. Hiring managers need to know what you did versus what the team did. A case study that says we designed without specifying your individual contribution leaves hiring managers guessing. Be specific: I led the user research phase, conducting 12 interviews that informed the information architecture.
Show process artifacts: sketches, wireframes, user flows, and iterations
Include early sketches (even rough ones), wireframes, user flow diagrams, moodboards, user persona summaries, and before/after comparisons. These artifacts prove you follow a design process and do not jump straight to high-fidelity mockups. Show at least one example of a design that changed based on user feedback or testing results. This demonstrates that you design based on evidence, not just aesthetics. A case study that shows only the final polished design tells the hiring manager nothing about your thinking process.
Include measurable results or impact whenever possible
Quantified outcomes transform a portfolio from good to exceptional. Examples: Redesigned checkout flow reduced cart abandonment by 23%. New onboarding flow increased activation rate from 34% to 52%. Homepage redesign increased time on page by 40%. If you do not have metrics (common with speculative projects), describe qualitative outcomes: 8 out of 10 usability test participants completed the task without assistance compared to 3 out of 10 with the previous design. If no outcomes exist, describe what you would measure and why.
Build Your Portfolio Website
Choose a portfolio platform that showcases your work effectively
Custom-built website: highest flexibility and demonstrates technical skills, but takes the most time. Good for developers and front-end designers. Squarespace (16-23 USD per month): clean templates, easy to update, professional results. Most popular choice among designers. Webflow (14-23 USD per month): more design control than Squarespace, good for showing interaction design skills. Cargo (13 USD per month): popular with visual designers and art directors. Notion or Readymag: free options that work for quick portfolios. Do not let the platform choice delay you. A great portfolio on Squarespace beats a mediocre custom-built site.
Design the portfolio itself as a demonstration of your design skills
Your portfolio is itself a design project. It should demonstrate: clear visual hierarchy, consistent typography (2 fonts maximum), intentional color usage, responsive design (test on mobile), fast loading (optimize images to under 500 KB each), intuitive navigation, and accessibility. Use high-quality images (2x resolution for retina displays) with consistent aspect ratios. Include a clear and concise about page with your photo, a brief bio, your design philosophy, and contact information. Add a PDF download link for recruiters who need to share your work internally.
Optimize for how hiring managers actually review portfolios
Lead with your strongest project on the homepage. Use thumbnail images that are visually compelling enough to make someone click. Keep case study pages scannable: use headers, bullet points, and images to break up text. Most hiring managers skim case studies in 2-3 minutes, so put the most impressive visuals and key takeaways near the top. Include a clear call to action (contact me, download resume) on every page. Your portfolio URL should be clean and professional: yourname.com or yourname.design, not xXdesigner99Xx.wordpress.com.
Get Feedback and Iterate
Get portfolio reviews from 3-5 designers or hiring managers before sending applications
Share your portfolio with experienced designers for honest feedback. Options: ADPList (free mentoring platform where designers offer portfolio reviews), Dribbble community feedback, design-specific subreddits (r/UXDesign, r/graphic_design), Twitter/X design community, and local design meetups. Ask specific questions: Is my strongest project obvious? Can you tell what type of role I am targeting? What would make you want to learn more? Incorporate feedback and iterate before actively job searching. Two rounds of feedback and revision significantly improve portfolio quality.
Update your portfolio every 3-6 months with new work and remove outdated pieces
A portfolio is a living document. Replace weaker projects with stronger ones as your skills grow. Update case studies with results data when it becomes available. Remove projects from more than 3-4 years ago unless they are exceptional. Add a blog or writing section if you produce design writing (this signals thought leadership and communication skills). Set a recurring calendar reminder every 3 months to review and refresh. The worst portfolio is one last updated 2 years ago. Keeping it current signals that you are actively engaged in your craft. This guide is informational only, not career advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many projects should I include in my design portfolio?
Four to six projects is the sweet spot. Fewer than 3 feels thin and does not demonstrate range. More than 8 dilutes the quality and suggests you cannot curate. Hiring managers spend 3-5 minutes on a portfolio, so 4-6 strong case studies ensure they see your best work within that window. Each project should be different enough to show range (different industries, design challenges, or project types). Include at least one project with a full case study narrative and at least one with particularly strong visual execution.
What if I do not have any professional design work to show?
Create speculative projects that demonstrate real design skills. Redesign an existing app or website (identify actual usability problems and solve them with research-backed decisions). Design a complete brand identity for a fictional company. Solve design challenges from platforms like Daily UI or Sharpen.design. Volunteer to design for nonprofits or small businesses (Catchafire connects designers with nonprofit projects). Personal projects with a structured case study approach are valued by hiring managers as long as you clearly label them as concept work and demonstrate a rigorous design process.
Should my portfolio be a website or a PDF?
Both. A website is your primary portfolio (easy to share via link, can include animations and interactions, always up to date). A downloadable PDF version is essential for recruiters who need to share your work in internal review systems where websites cannot be opened. The PDF should be 10-15 pages maximum with your strongest 3-4 case studies summarized. For UX and product design roles, a website is expected. For visual design and art direction, either format works. For print design, a PDF that demonstrates print design sensibility is particularly strong.
How important is the portfolio website design itself?
Very. Your portfolio website is a design project that hiring managers judge alongside your case studies. Inconsistent typography, poor hierarchy, slow loading, or a broken mobile layout immediately undermine your credibility. However, an overly flashy portfolio that prioritizes style over usability also raises red flags (especially for UX designers). Aim for clean, professional, and functional. The portfolio design should showcase your aesthetic sensibility without overshadowing the work inside it. When in doubt, simpler is better.