Design your way

When you want to build your own UI designer portfolio you really need to consider what are you going to show in it and what are the rules that you need to follow.

Showing the story of your designs doesn’t mean that you need to write descriptions or do any kind of research material. We are not saying that it doesn’t work but there are also other alternatives. A UI designer portfolio can be really great if you want to present your solution in a way that reveals your way of thinking.

Even pro designers search for inspiration now and then when they are building their portfolio. So we decided to have a look at some of the best UX portfolios online so we can understand what they did good and why. If you are feeling a small creative block checking out someone else’s portfolio can be a great choice to get motivated again.

What Makes a Great UI Designer Portfolio?

Besides offering exposure another purpose of a portfolio is to show your skill level and what you can accomplish as a UI designer. It is perfect to show how you evolved in time and what you can do now.

Probably this is the general idea behind any portfolio, it is a statement of who you are as a UI designer and showing that gets a lot into your creativity because you will be showing your best work together with the way your design process works.

What to Include in Your Portfolio

UI designer portfolio examples have three to five projects usually but the number of projects should be really relevant to your skills and what you prefer to work on. So the idea is to choose smart when you are deciding what project you want to showcase. An easy way to think about it is to ask yourself what am I trying to gain by showing my portfolio? Here are some tips:

describe the projects by showing the problem and what did you do to solve it
show finished designs early so they act as a teaser for the readers to read further
show your design process and describe the decisions that you took in the process
show the final solution and explain why your design is the best
show what you learned from the project and how are you going to apply it in the future

What not to Include in Your Portfolio

design class homework or projects should not be displayed on your portfolio
there are a lot of ways to solve a design problem if you have a more distinctive approach to make sure to showcase that
stock photography should not be used because you risk the fact that somebody might be using the same photo as you
projects that you didn’t enjoy and you would not do a second type. We’ve all had this type of projects so for sure sharing them in our portfolio even if they look ok might still not be a wise decisions

UI designer portfolio best practices

Be Explicit

It is always good to go into details and show the tools that you are using and how many of experience you have on a certain type of work. Also always focus on how you resolved the design problem.

Describe your skills and how you use them. Mentioning also the projects that you specialize in can be a great idea as well. Just make sure you don’t go for too much information because sometimes that could be felt as pressure oriented.

A great UI designer portfolio should always have three or five projects that are well described. Remember the game is not about the quantity it is about the….quality.

So don’t be in a rush when doing this and try to go with what feels more natural to you. Also thinking in advance to who is going to see the project can be a smart idea because by doing so you can use a certain style.

Be Original

In the about section, you have the chance to be yourself without overdoing it. Remember to include a well-written cover letter, try to go for engaging stories that will surprise the person reading it.

If you want to bring originality you should also go for something that hasn’t been seen before. If you don’t know how to do that probably the best approach is to think at yourself as an individual, what makes you different and what do you want to showcase.

The idea can come from the position you have when you are working, or what kind of colors you use in your designs, think about every detail possible when you are trying to come up with this.

Show some personality

It is a good idea to check out the company atmosphere especially when you are really driven and want to go to a specific one. This can be helpful because you might gain some insights because recruiters don’t hire people based purely on skills but also based on personality.

You can also show some other ideas in your portfolio that don’t connect with the skill side, maybe a cause that you believe in or a certain project that you did for free and helped some people in need. Be smart and let people know who you are through your UI portfolio.

It’s All About Your Process

When you are building your UI designer portfolio you should focus on each detail and explain all the decisions that you took when you made it. Write it down if this helps you and see if you can come up with a set-up that will put you in your best form.

You can even do multiple portfolios depending on who you are trying to send them too. For sure employers are a different one from each other so why not make a unique Portfolio to showcase to each one of them?

UI designer portfolio examples

Liz Wells

Liz Wells is a senior user experience designer based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work combines a background in graphic design with technology and user-centered design thinking. Liz currently works at Stink Studios, where she is responsible for all phases of the UX process, from concepting and information architecture to wireframing and prototyping.

Balraj

Balraj a Freelance Product Designer from London, UK. He has been designing for over 8 years and gained experience working alongside visionaries ranging from startup founders to Googlers. Typically his client base hail from the Bay Area so he assists in bringing their vision to life from mere sketches on a napkin to the app store.

Sebastiaan de With

Sebastiaan de With is the Co-founder and designer at Halide camera. He is also a freelance designer and photographer. He loves to design icons and user interfaces.

Beta Takaki

A Senior Product Designer based in Vancouver. He is enthusiastic and passionate about the Design Thinking process. He enjoys creating meaningful and delightful digital products that balance user needs and business goals.

Mark Wheeler

He is an Art Director + Designer focusing on experience, interaction, and interface. Originally from the UK, now in Seattle working at Microsoft.

Corey Snyder

Tangerine Industries (TI) is the personal portfolio of Corey Snyder; an award winning Interactive Designer, and Emmy Award winning Motion Graphics Designer.

Jackie Ngo

Jackie Ngo is now growing a coliving housing startup’s brand and digital products. He is good at visual design, ui/ux, front-end dev, illustration, and branding.

Liana Kong

She believes that design is a tool for creating a better understanding between people and products, thinking about our future world, and creating unobtrusive yet immersive experiences. She loves designing around constraints, pushing my abilities to their outer edges and challenging my creativity.

Bryan Medway

Bryan Medway is a creative director with over seventeen years of experience creating award winning experiences and fostering innovative creative teams.

Kelly Kim

Kelly Kim is a Multidisciplinary designer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She loves producing beautiful visual experiences for all media. She is a firm believer in producing meaningful designs that exist to solve real life problems.

Dine – Initium

Dine is a creative design studio based in Beijing, China. We craft distinctive brand identities and create exceptional digital experiences.

Agustín Schelstraete

Agustin is a digital product designer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His work combines a background in communication, technology and design thinking.

Ivo Mynttinen

As a designer and developer, he understands the perfect user interface should look good and work better. Alongside his clients, he uncovers problems and solves them.

Selena

Through principles, psychology, and experience— she designs websites and mobile applications for real users to help them achieve their goals (no matter big or small).

Lea de Sousa

Lea de Sousa, UX/UI designer at Silvertree Holdings in Cape Town, South Africa

Ending thoughts on these UI designer portfolios

In conclusion, there are a lot of UI designer portfolio ideas that you can check out when you need some inspiration and chances are quite big that you will find something that you enjoy in particular. Just give it some time and chances are quite big that you will find something that works for you in the end.

If you enjoyed reading this article about UI designer portfolios, you should read these as well:

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