Why Your Portfolio Should Actually Be About You.

There’s a phrase that floats around in the design world: “Your portfolio isn’t for you.”

And yes, I get it. Your portfolio is meant to showcase your skills, your range, your results. It’s a marketing tool, not a diary.

But here’s my take:

Your portfolio should still be about you.

Because if your work doesn’t reflect who you are, then what’s the point of building a site at all?

The Problem With “Perfect” Portfolios

When I started building my website, I did what a lot of designers do: I looked at what was already out there. I scrolled, clicked, browsed. And what I found was a whole lot of polished nothing.

Technically impressive? Sure.

Beautifully built? Absolutely.

But interesting? Authentic? Full of energy or point of view?

…Not really.

So many portfolios feel stale. Safe. Sanitized. Cookie-cutter.

And I don’t think it’s because the designers behind them aren’t creative or compelling. I think it’s because they’ve been told their work should do all the talking. That personality is unprofessional. That being memorable might cost them a job.

But here’s the thing:

I’m not hiring someone just because they can check the right boxes.

I do not want to be hired just because I check the right boxes.

I want to work with someone who makes me think: “Yes. This is someone I’d actually want on my team.”

I want to work with someone who thinks: “Yes. This is someone I’d actually want on my team.”

Your Website Should Pop Off the Page

We’ve all heard the cliché about making your résumé stand out, but your portfolio should do even more than that. It should help someone get a sense of who you are, how you think, and what it would be like to work with you.

Are you strategic? Are you bold? Are you intuitive?

Are you the kind of person who just gets it?

Show. Me. That.

Your site isn’t just about proof of skill, it’s about vibe match.

If your personality can shine through, and your work supports it?

That’s what gets remembered. That’s what gets callbacks.

Here’s What I’m Doing Differently

• I made sure that my site says “this is who I am” in the first three seconds.

• I made the unicorn metaphor obvious, because I am one.

• I didn’t hide behind a sterile case study grid.

• I acknowledged where I’m still growing (instead of pretending I’ve done it all).

Will this approach resonate with every recruiter? Maybe not.

Will it repel someone looking for a “safe hire”? Possibly.

But if it attracts the right people… the ones who value originality, perspective, and emotional design… then it’s working.

Final Thought

Yes, your portfolio is for your future client, creative director, or hiring manager.

But it should also be about you.

Because if you don’t tell your story, you’re just another link and another resume in a sea of sameness.

Make it bold. Make it weird. Make it real.

Just don’t make it boring.