How to quickly discover the top design portfolios between all the rest

How to quickly discover the top design portfolios between all the rest

When searching for the right designer you usually need to review dozens of different portfolios. The problem is that most of them look pretty good to you, but what exactly is it you need to look out for to find the best candidate. All the pretty pictures in the world will not help you solve that pressing business problem with your new designers. So a good portfolio should not only show you how it looks but also how the designer solves problems and how he communicates. 

Is a resume available and easy to find?

The first question to always ask yourself: "Is there a resume available?" Resumes are a great way to establish some basic details like: 

- Years of hands-on experience
- Formal design education
- Similar companies to mine he worked on before
- Past job titles (Interaction designer, visual designer, UI UX designer, etc.)

After only a short look at the resume, you have a much better understanding of how to judge the rest of the design portfolio. 

Portfolio Platforms (Dribble, Behance, ...) vs. Website Portfolio

I am a big fan of design communities. Seeing current trends, exchanging ideas, and helping other designers grow are some of the highlights. But on these, a designer never has full control over how his work is presented. You also can't get a clear picture of his process and other important factors. That's why every designer should have a portfolio website.
Today there are countless no-code platforms out there making the creation of a website, even for not so tech-savvy designers, easy. 
A good analogy would be: Would you trust a craftsman without a workshop to deliver the best work and improve your business? As a designer myself, I understand it. Times can be busy, you want everything to be perfect and other countless reasons to not publish your portfolio. But what impression does that leave on potential clients? I would say not a good one at best. 

Is the portfolio user-centered?

Over the years I found that designers are only marginally better at selling themselves than developers. Most design portfolios are about the creators and past work, which is of course an essential, but a big part that is missing is how he can help you as a client. From the first second, it should be clear that the designer approached his portfolio user-centered. From the typography, colors, and wording it should be all focused on one target audience. This means if you are a dentist and find a portfolio focused on design for premium hotels, you probably should look at another designer to help you. 

Clients are looking to achieve a specific business goal by hiring a designer.

Are the projects well-curated and written?

A well-designed portfolio doesn't need every single project the designer has worked on. It should be well-curated with only the work that shows the highlights of his career. I rather view two or three case studies with the full process documented than dozens of pretty pictures. On top of these case studies, there should be a quick summary of the problem, the solution, and the outcome to give me a quick rundown if I am short on time. The rest should show what design skills were used to solve the user's problem. 

Social Proof

A big warning sign is if there are no testimonials available on the site. That's why on the first page there should be at least a few testimonials of past clients and how satisfied they were with the service. This proves that the designer can deliver on the challenges he is given. Even better would be to have video testimonials where past clients give their honest reviews. 

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Does the website feel honest and have a personal touch?

The final decisions we make are never by only reason, emotions play the better part of it. So if it comes down to two candidates, they both have the exact skills to do the job, how do you decide? Always decide for the designer that put more of his personality into his portfolio. Be it through a joke or his writing style. That is also why there should be always a picture of the designer on his website. I want to have a picture of the person whose work I currently view and who I want to hire. This gives me already a better connection than an anonymous page with design work on it about someone I have no idea about. 

Is there a clear call to action?

What happens at the end of the page? Is the designer clear in his intention? First of all, any call to action is already a great step in the right direction. But it makes a big difference if the button opens up an empty email window or if there are selection fields for entering the necessary information. This shows that he put thought into his process of how clients reach him and making it easier for them. The last thing any designer wants to do is make it hard for potential clients to contact them for their dream project. Some contact info like a phone number under this form also is a good way to clear any pressing questions.