Building a digital design portfolio that stands out

Creating a digital design portfolio can be a tricky proposition: digital design is an umbrella that covers such a wide range of skills. Whether you’re a UX, UI, web designer, or developer, your portfolio needs to showcase what you can do – as well as convey your creativity and the practical value you can bring to a role or project. It’s a tall order. Luckily, we’re here to give you some insider insights on how to stand out right from the get-go.

What to consider before you get started

A truly compelling portfolio will demonstrate how you think, solve problems, and bring value to an agency’s clients.

Before you begin, take some time to plan the most effective way to show your work. You need to think about what your strongest skills are and which projects best showcase them. What work you’ve done will best fit the role you are applying for? Are there some particularly successful examples that will impress a prospective employer with their impact?

Presenting your work in a digital format

If you are applying for a digital design role, your portfolio must demonstrate your digital skills. You’d be surprised how often people don’t do this! Just including a Behance or Dribbble link isn’t enough.

Rather than relying on an off-the-shelf template with little customisation, present something that reflects your personality, creativity, and attention to detail. In most cases this will mean creating a website. Platforms such as Webflow and Framer are ideal for this, allowing you full creative control but remaining accessible for designers without advanced development experience. They also don’t require much maintenance once setup, meaning you won’t end up with a never-ending to-do list.

Whichever platform you use, it’s vital to make sure you test everything thoroughly. As with a project for a client, errors such as broken links, spelling mistakes, slow loading times, or responsive layout issues ensure a negative first impression. Employers will be concerned if they’re presented with work that isn’t polished, professional, and reliable across all devices.

Be sure to show your process

One of the biggest mistakes designers make is only showing the finished product.

While the final designs are important, employers also want to understand how you arrived at that solution. Showing your process demonstrates how you think through a problem.

For example, a website project could include research, wireframes, user journeys, concepts, prototypes, as well as the final designs and product. You don’t need lengthy explanations (walls of text will detract from your work) but there should be enough context for someone reviewing your portfolio to understand the challenge, your approach, any key decisions and why you chose the solution that you did.

Commercial relevance

Any company you apply to will want to know that your designs can solve problems and contribute to their business objectives. Showing commercially relevant work helps them imagine how you would work with their own projects and clients.

If possible, show measurable outcomes for things like improved engagement, increased conversions, better user experience and improved accessibility etc. These can provide evidence that your work is effective, and even just some small details around business impact can make projects feel far more professional and credible.

Conceptual work still has value, especially when demonstrating creativity, but practical work that solves real business problems will carry more weight during the hiring process. It’s all about giving agencies and businesses more confidence in you.

Tailor your portfolio to the role

Different agencies and companies prioritise different skills, tools, and workflows, so what you present and the work you include needs to be tailored to them. Before applying, research the company and the type of clients they work with. Dive into the services they offer, their visual style, and the technologies and platforms they use. It can make you feel like a good fit from the start.

Creativity is also essential. Employers are not just looking for technical ability, they want to see originality, and the ability to approach challenges in interesting ways that push boundaries and create work with added value.

Sometimes it's the presentation and execution of your portfolio itself that elevates you above other candidates.

Curate your work

When it comes to portfolios, quality is always more important than quantity. It is far better to have four or five strong, well-explained projects than 10+ average ones with little depth or explanation.

Every project included should feel polished, demonstrate clear thinking, show your process, support the type of work you want to do professionally and show the final outcome.

Careful curation shows confidence, professionalism and will help make sure employers see your real strengths.

Extra details that help you stand out

The strongest portfolios show more than just your headline projects. Often employers are looking for, and are impressed by, small details that demonstrate deep understanding of digital design considerations.

Consider highlighting things such as accessibility, interaction design details, design systems, components considerations, typography choices, communication skills, or SEO/AEO. It’s a great way to give you extra credibility as a well-rounded candidate capable of building successful and rewarding digital experiences.

Final thoughts

As we’ve mentioned above, you should be treating your portfolio like you would a real client project, and that includes being prepared to talk confidently about digital design and the details of each project you’ve included. Have a think about what you might typically be asked by a client and have those answers ready should you be invited to interview. It’s not just about showing your work; it’s about giving you an opportunity to talk with expertise and enthusiasm about what your digital design skills can do for them.

At Proctor + Stevenson, we help clients with every aspect of their digital design needs. If you’d like to learn more about what we do, and how we can work with you, drop us a line at marketing@proctorsgroup.com.