8 expert tips for creating a killer design portfolio

Homepage of portfolio by Colin Moy
A selection of work by graphic designer Colin Moy on his portfolio site (Image credit: Colin Moy)

You've put a ton of work into your portfolio. But it doesn't seem to be cutting through. What's going on? Well, remember that creative directors and hiring managers get dozens of portfolios daily. In fact, they might even get hundreds. So standing out requires more than just good design work. It demands strategic thinking, careful curation and compelling presentation.

The challenge lies not just in showcasing your technical skills, but in telling your unique story as a designer. Whether you're a recent graduate seeking your first role, a middleweight designer looking to advance, or a seasoned professional pursuing new opportunities, your portfolio needs to instantly communicate who you are, what you do, and why it matters.

Brett Shea's portfolio is purposely selective in the projects it features (Image credit: Brett Shea)
Mathieu Levesque's portfolio makes great use of white space (Image credit: Mathieu Levesque)
Yuki Asakura's portfolio site breaks down individual projects into their component parts (Image credit: Yuki Asakura)
Sergey Lisovskiy's portfolio is packed with personality (Image credit: Sergey Lisovskiy)

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Tom May

Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects. 

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