Get some serious inspiration for your UX portfolio. Take a peak at today’s best portfolio designs and learn how to incorporate their best design elements on your own site.
I personally love coming across a beautifully designed UX design portfolio. They can display a designer’s unique craftsmanship and refined expertise. Some of them show hints of personality sprinkled throughout their case studies and portfolio projects. An expertly designed UX portfolio is an absolute treat for the eye and the mind.
But how does a designer arrive at creating a brilliant portfolio? Below, we’ll dive into what should be included in your UX design portfolio. We’ll also explore a few excellent examples of portfolio UX design. You can also explore the Shutterstock library’s UX portfolio templates to kick-start your own projects.
What Should You Include in Your UX Design Portfolio?
Great question! Not every UX design portfolio should look and feel the same. However, there are a few key elements each portfolio should include.
A Clear Introduction to Yourself and Key Disciplines
As you’d find on any website, the homepage should display a clear and concise introduction of yourself. Include your key disciplines as a UX designer. Set the stage by opening with your background, key specializations, and overall approach to UX design. This can be done in simply a few sentences. Show off your work through screenshots or framed in computers or cell phones.
Recent Case Studies
Regarding case studies, less is more. Include only your best and most recent work. A friendly tip from a UX design enthusiast—don’t be overly formulaic in drafting your case studies. A bit of flare and personality is always a delight to come by!
Also, don’t shy away from displaying your creativity and individuality as a designer. You can include interesting animations or handwritten notes and arrows to highlight features within your projects.
Compelling Visual Design and Personal Branding
Your portfolio is your portfolio. Your website is an opportunity to showcase yourself and make a first lasting impression! Be professional but dress it up to communicate and convey your personality as a designer. Include bold photography, unique product displays, and interesting color palettes throughout your site branding.
Pro Tip: Learn more about crafting your personal brand at How to Design Your Brand’s First Impression. It’ll point you in the right direction as to how to design a true-to-self first impression.
With everything laid out, let’s get right into it. There’s a wealth of inspiration and learning to be found within portfolios that are on the web right now. Here are five of the best UX design portfolios to serve as inspiration.
The Best UX Design Portfolios Examples of 2023
Stunning Photography: Sophie Westfall
Sophie Westfall‘s portfolio is a gorgeous display of her empathetic, human-centric design approach. Both her Home and About pages introduce Westfall as a versatile designer with a personal touch. This is made evident through the diversity of her work, as it embodies her unique design philosophy.
Simply put, Westfall’s online portfolio is a true visual treat for the eye and the mind. It effectively and beautifully communicates her design skills, personal style, and commitment to resonating with the human experience.
Notable Takeaway: Westfall’s website embodies her empathetic design philosophy, with an editorial, minimalist aesthetic. For designers, this suggests the importance of choosing images that are diverse and authentic. Let your work take the spotlight, demonstrating your skills and creativity. Then choose images that complement your philosophy in a way that words alone can’t capture. Make a point to select gorgeous photos that display both your work and personality. You can find many examples of these within the Shutterstock library.
Attention-Grabbing Icons: Oishee Sen
Oishee Sen‘s portfolio is a playful, vibrant fusion of her professional and personal passions. Her site introduces Sen as a curious designer, image-maker, and storyteller. She uses cute and quirky visual motifs to cement this notion to the site visitor. Despite the quirk factor, these motifs don’t overwhelm visitors or underplay Sen’s creative visual storytelling expertise.
Notable Takeaway: Sen’s portfolio communicates her commitment to creating impactful designs with a cute, fun, and playful aesthetic. This approach to design truly supports her introduction as a curious designer, image maker, and storyteller. If you want to tell a similar story, try incorporating fun and colorful icons throughout your webpage.
Creative Typography: Bethany Heck
Bethany Heck‘s portfolio, under the name Heckhouse, is a dynamic showcase of her multi-disciplinary design skills. A designer, writer, and team assembler devoted to advancing typographic practice across all design disciplines, Bethany’s portfolio fully embodies her creative expertise across multiple disciplines.
Notable Takeaway: Heck’s keen approach in designing her portfolio demonstrates her devotion to the advancement of typographic practice. It also furthers the ethos established within her design — another delightful, innovative and creative take on let “the showing” do “the telling.” If you want to learn the basics of how fonts display emotion, check out this blog post.
Bold Multimedia: Alex Lakas
Alex Lakas‘ portfolio is a gorgeous, dynamic showcase of his skills as a product designer and art director. The site introduces his skills up front, then dives into his collaborations including UENO, Google, LinkedIn, and Nintendo. From strategy and product design, to mentorship and rapid prototyping, Lakas reveals more about himself and his journey as you scroll.
Notable Takeaway: Lakas’ portfolio culminates in a dark and almost moody, all-encompassing aesthetic wonder. You can find a variety of moody, drama-packed pictures to include in your portfolio on the Shutterstock library.
Non-Traditional Design: Fabricio Teixeira
Just about everyone in the UX design world knows about Fabricio Teixeira and his online publication UX Collective.
Nevertheless, as you’d expect from Teixeira, his portfolio is a sleek and modern showcase of his extensive experience and skills. His website effectively demonstrates his knowledge, philosophy, commitment, and passion for UX design.
Images via Fabricio Teixeira.
Notable Takeaway: Teixeira’s design approach in laying out the narrative flow for his portfolio cannot be overlooked. A creative, cohesive flow of story unfolds in each section, designed as an epic of sorts as it unveils itself upon scrolling. Not only does this demonstrate Teixeira’s creative individuality in design, but it serves as a visual testament to his 18+ years of experience. Feel inspired by his website’s funk factor, then incorporate funky designs, portraits, and more on your own portfolio.
Serving Up Some Sweet UX Design Portfolio Inspiration
Here’s hoping that these five UX design portfolio examples serve as inspiration in 2023 and 2024. If you’re looking to jazz up your own digital portfolio, you can find the world’s best graphics, photos, videos, and more on Shutterstock. Subscriptions make it easier than ever to license the content you need.
With Shutterstock Flex, you’ll have all-in-one access to millions of creative assets, along with the FLEXibility you need to select the right mix for every autumn-inspired project.
Dive in for even more creative inspiration:
Learn the ins and outs of using stock content across multiple platforms and for multiple purposes. We interviewed one of Shutterstock’s experts in licensing legalities to learn more.
Learn about the importance of timing in photography in order to optimize for light, exposure, color, and detail in your images.
With so many image formats, how do you know the difference between PNG vs JPG vs PDF (and more)? We’re here to guide you.
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License this cover image via KatePilko.
