• What is the real role of a design portfolio website?
  • Author: Fabricio Teixeira
  • The Nuggets translation Project
  • Permanent link to this article: github.com/xitu/gold-m…
  • Translator: noturnot
  • Proofread by: LeviDing

What is the real role of designing portfolio websites?

“Or” Don’t judge a portfolio until you understand its purpose.”

Should the design portfolio be concise and easy to understand and focus on the work, or should it be a work of art that showcases the designer’s abilities and ideas? Is this a binary question?

Not long ago, I was browsing through my feeds and came across the following discussion:

If you’re not familiar with the portfolio discussed and shared above, here’s a screenshot that gives you more context and a link to test it out:

Have you seen this portfolio lately?

You’ve probably guessed what I’m about to say: a long and spirited discussion about usability versus creativity, form versus function, performance versus beauty, contrast versus legibility, Republicans versus Democrats, me and you.

But that’s what happens in most online discussions: people quickly become polarized and stuck in binary ways about what they think is right or wrong. Make no mistake: I don’t mean to criticize the participants in the discussion. The truth is that short online discussions like the one above can only be in-depth once all the complexities of design decisions are understood.

As I read through all the comments, my eyes began to glaze over. I couldn’t avoid taking a step back and asking myself, “Hey, what’s the real role of designing a portfolio first?” . Unless the people involved in the discussion realize what the purpose of the portfolio is, they will not draw productive conclusions from it.

So let’s do one of my favorite things: break a question into small pieces until it’s easier to solve or answer.

Question 1: What is the role of the design portfolio?

The first step is to understand as many of the angles that define portfolio roles as possible:

  • Is it used to showcase the designer’s final project? If this is the case, the design of the portfolio itself should be as simple as possible, focusing on content rather than form. Large, full-drain images are expected to be crafted to create visual impact. This is what platforms like CargoCollective, Behance and Squarespace are focusing on.

  • Is it meant to show the designer’s thought process? In this case, expect project pages with more text, behind-the-scenes deliverables, and long paragraphs of explanation.

  • Is it a work of art in and of itself to show the designer’s ideas? In this case, the portfolio itself is a way for designers to showcase their design skills and ideas without the constraints that are often associated with client-sponsored projects. It showed the world their ideas about good design in the purest way. In the case mentioned above, narrowDesign.com, their portfolio home page is showcasing designers’ knowledge of design theory (the Golden Ratio principle), their attention to dynamic design and animation, their good taste for color palettes — and much more.

These options are not mutually exclusive. While some people will say “all of the above,” having a clear focus will help your portfolio achieve its goals more effectively. But you have to ask yourself another question, which of the three areas you should focus on in order to really understand your portfolio.

Question 2: What is the purpose of the designer?

  • Is it to keep track of past work? These people update their portfolios simply because they don’t want to lose track of past projects. There is no hidden agenda: they are simply building a repository of past works that can be easily found in the future. A memoir.

  • Is it to find a new job? Is the designer actively looking for a new job? If so, what type of company are they looking for? Design studio? Agency? Business advice? The client? Product-centric? What types of projects do recruiters and managers look for?

  • Is it considered an expert in a particular field? Some people are redesigning their portfolio sites as a way to position themselves professionally slightly differently than before. As the old saying goes, “Put what you want to do in your portfolio, not what you want others to see.” This may be true for some designers, depending on where they are in their careers.

Simple, right?

And it isn’t. There is another level to consider when evaluating a portfolio…

Question 3: How do designers want to be seen by the world?

This question is about defining areas of focus in design and understanding how designers want to be seen by peers and prospective employers who are browsing their portfolios. While it’s important to demonstrate your ability to manipulate multiple design specialties, thinking about the value proposition as a designer keeps priorities in the right place.

What do you want people to leave your portfolio site with?

“Wow, this man is a real __ of __!”

Some examples:

  • Wow, this guy is a graphic designer who really understands digital.
  • Wow, this guy is an interface designer who really cares about motion.
  • Wow, this guy is a front-end engineer who knows a lot about design and user experience.
  • Wow, this guy is a print designer with years of business card design experience.
  • Wow, this guy is a creative director specializing in advertising campaigns.

Consider this concept of regularity + specialization as a way to make your portfolio more than ordinary and bring clear rewards to visitors – a simple way to point to you once you leave your site.

Although simply expressing who you are is not that simple.

Some designers I know can articulate who they are and how they want to be seen, but a few need a little help…

The New York times

Once these questions have been answered, you can begin to envision what the portfolio will look like, what should be presented, and what your priorities should be.

Then, and only then, can you judge whether a person’s portfolio will accomplish its purpose.

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