The Ultimate Guide to A Great UI Designer Portfolio

UI Designer Portfolio
Created by CakeResume

As a UI designer, the abbreviation for User Interface Designer, you will be in charge of designing all the interfaces through which a user will move on a website, app, or in a video game, and creating visual elements that facilitate this movement. UI designers will have to work closely with UX (User Experience) designers and other design specialists. That’s why you may see many professionals work as UX/UI designers at the same time.

If you’re new to this field or have completed plenty of projects, it’s important to have your own UI designer portfolio to showcase your talent. A stunning UI portfolio website can help you with employment seeking in the future, especially for freelance UI designers/artists. A UI portfolio helps a UI designer showcase their skills through their past projects to attract employers/clients.

What Is a UI Designer Portfolio?

A UI designer portfolio can go by other names like UI design portfolio and UI artist portfolio. Regardless of the term, a professional UI portfolio should be able to give the full picture of you as a UI designer/artist. It means that you need to showcase your works so the viewers can know your values and visual design skills. Similar to a resume, a top-notch UI design portfolio will help you get a leg up on the competitive job market. 

You might wonder, where should you publish your UI artist portfolio?

There’s no right or wrong answer for this as it depends on many factors, such as:

  • Which UI designer portfolio website is popular in your region, especially for recruiters and employers.
  • Whether or not you have knowledge about coding.
  • The number of UI design projects for your portfolio.

What Should Be Included in a UI Designer Portfolio?

1. Home page

Think of this as the exterior of a restaurant that looks good enough to attract you to walk into and dine. The homepage of your UX/UI portfolio website needs to be eye-pleasing, but able to direct users around your site with ease as well, as this essentially is the main responsibility of your job.

UI designer portfolio website by Sam Small Design 
UI designer portfolio website by Sam Small Design

The homepage of his UX/UI design portfolio displays a brief enticing headline statement about Sam on a blue gradient background. The background color also changes when you hover the mouse around. 

2. About me section

Sometimes you can see this under another name “Personal Bio” on a UI design portfolio. Think of this section as a brief self-introduction that pitches yourself directly to the viewers. A compelling paragraph can give you an advantage over other applicants. It doesn’t need to be formal, but always has to be concise, coherent, and most importantly, best expressing yourself.

About me section in a UI artist portfolio by Thomas Moeller
About me section in a UI artist portfolio by Thomas Moeller

3. Contact information

After viewing your UI portfolio, a potential client’s next step would be to get in touch with you. Therefore, always include the following details in your UI artist portfolio: 

  • Full name
  • Email address 
  • Social media
  • The city and country you’re currently based in (optional) 

📝 Note: All of your contact information should be accurate and up-to-date so recruiters can reach out to you for further action. 

4. Resume

If you are seeking employment, it’s necessary to attach your resume along with UI portfolio projects. The information listed on your resume allows the recruiters to get to know more about you, in terms of educational background, work history, and achievements.

It’s recommended that you use CakeResume, a free UI portfolio maker, which allows you to attach your digital resume directly to your portfolio page. 

With CakeResume’s resume builder tool, resume templates and resume examples, you could showcase your best qualifications to land your dream job. Try making a resume online (free download) now!

5. Your UI design projects for your portfolio

When it comes to the showcase of your works, focus more on the design process, not just the finished work. Make sure you provide a detailed description of your UI portfolio projects as well as clearly explain your contribution. This way, hiring managers can see a wide variety of your skills, from UX/UI design to drawing or illustration. 

Below is what should be seen in your UI designer portfolio projects:

  • Context of the project – Including client’s name, project name, and a brief description of the project.
  • Design process – Briefly explain what steps you took throughout the project 
  • Problems & solutions – What problems need to be solved and how you’ve resolved them (i.e., specific requests from the client)
  • Visuals – What visuals you’ve adopted (i.e., scientific visualization, information visualization, 3D photogrammetry, etc.)

Example:

UX/UI portfolio website by Tom Parkes 2
UX/UI portfolio website by Tom Parkes
UX/UI portfolio website by Tom Parkes

Tips for Making a Great UI Designer Portfolio

💡 Choose the right medium. 

According to the purpose of your UI portfolio, you need to choose the most appropriate medium. Read on to check out the pros and cons of UI design portfolio websites mentioned below, which can help you reach more target audiences and display your works effectively. 

💡 Focus on the quality of the works, not the quantity.

Future employers and clients expect to see the UI portfolio projects with high quality and clear explanation. As mentioned earlier, they would like to see the design process you went through and the contribution you’ve made to the project. Also, good-quality works also mean that they have no problem when viewing the documents and images you upload to your UI design portfolio website.

💡 Keep your UI portfolio up-to-date. 

Though it might take a lot of time to update your UI design portfolio website, doing it regularly will be helpful to your personal branding in the long term. These revisions might include adding new projects or changing the design of your UI portfolio sites to catch up with the latest creative trends.

💡 Check for any grammatical errors or typos.

Before publishing your UI design portfolio, ensure that it doesn’t contain any grammatical errors or typos. This can be a deal-breaker that could cost you the job as it shows that you did not pay attention to details. 

💡 Don’t limit yourself to just images and text.

As a professional working in the creative field, you need to show that your UI design portfolio is unique, eye-catching, and professional-looking. You can try to adopt the right visual elements to take your UI designer/artist portfolio to the next level. 

Platforms to Create a UI Design Portfolio/Website

1. CakeResume

This platform is a great portfolio builder for UX/UI designers who want to showcase their works easily in a digital format. 

UI designer portfolio by Tsou Yi
UI designer portfolio by Tsou Yi

FEATURES:

  • You can link your UI design portfolio directly to your digital resume created on CakeResume. 
  • Free for registered users.
  • Allows users to create multiple portfolios under a single profile. 

PROS: 

  • No limit on the number of media in your UI designer portfolio.
  • Viewers find it easy to go through the works. 
  • Suitable for entry-level UX/UI designers. 

CONS:

  • Limit the size of file uploads to 5MB.

2. Carbonmade

Though Carbonmade is a rather new platform, it has earned much attention in recent years. The builder is aimed at those who don’t want to bother with a web hosting service and work in the creative industries. 

UI portfolio website by Allen Laster
UI portfolio website by Allen Laster

FEATURES:

  • Allow users to personalize their layouts specifically for a specific profession.
  • Upload images and videos.
  • The before/after block allows you to share your process and show how you make an impact.
  • Present your works and projects in a beautiful slideshow format.

PROS: 

  • Unlimited photos & typeface options. 
  • Able to see how many people visited your UI design portfolio and which of your UX/UI projects is most popular.

CONS:

  • Limited selection of themes.
  • Very few features in the Beginner plan.

3. Dribbble

Dribbble is well-known as a place where designers and stylists gain inspiration, feedback, community, and jobs. Thus, consider this site if you’re looking to build a professional UI design portfolio website. 

UI artist portfolio by Mengdi Zhang
UI artist portfolio by Mengdi Zhang

FEATURES:

  • Build responsive UI design sites with full breakpoint control.
  • Explore other professionals’ UI portfolio projects.
  • Offer various design courses and workshops. 
  • Hire freelance UX/UI designers. 

PROS: 

  • Limit the size for uploading to 10MB. 
  • Too many ads.

CONS:

  • Limit the size for uploading to 10MB. 
  • Too many ads.
  • A great place for you to check other peers’ ideas and get inspiration. 
  • You can get feedback from other designers within the community. 

4. Squarespace

Squarespace sites are best known for sleek, professional-looking, and well-designed templates. Hence, try this builder if you plan on creating a stunning UI artist portfolio.

UX designer portfolio by Charlies B. Kreizberg
UX designer portfolio by Charlies B. Kreizberg

FEATURES:

  • Offers flexible layouts, custom color palettes, built-in photo editing capabilities, and more.
  • Provides high-quality images through Unsplash for free.
  • Set a post as featured.
  • Run and manage eCommerce stores. 

PROS: 

  • Easy and quick to set up. 
  • The backend design is simple to use. 
  • Highly optimized for SEO and mobile viewing. 

CONS:

  • Templates can be limited and less flexible than other UI designer portfolio websites. 
  • The price for upgraded plans is quite high.

5. Behance

As the top free online portfolio builder for years, Behance has now become a part of the Adobe family where creatives can showcase and explore creative works.

UI designer portfolio by Herman Scheer
UI designer portfolio by Herman Scheer

FEATURES:

  • Publish and share your UX/UI projects with anyone. 
  • Add relevant metadata like creative fields and keywords. 
  • Connect and interact with other peers on Behance.
  • Share and apply for job openings. 

PROS: 

  • Easy to use and don’t need to know about coding. 
  • Suitable for those who are looking for internships and freelance work. 

CONS:

  • Users have the same overlook due to the uniformity and simplicity of Behance. 
  • .pdf, .psd, .tff, and .doc files aren't compatible.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

It would be a pity if you don’t have your own UI portfolio or it’s not professional-looking enough, even though you’re a talented UI designer. 

Whether you have plenty of experience or just enter the field, having an impressive UI design portfolio will give you many job opportunities. Make sure it includes all key elements such as a personal statement on the homepage, UI portfolio projects/works, contact information, and social media. 

--- Originally written by May Luong ---

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