Manifestation is having a cultural moment. From Dua Lipa manifesting her dream performance in Glastonbury, to the actual neuroscience behind it being researched in Stanford University, it seems that everybody, everywhere, wants to harness the power of manifestation to their own good. This makes perfect sense - who wouldn’t want to have the power to make their wishes come true? 

To manifest, according to the Mirriam-Webster dictionary, is “to make evident or certain by showing or displaying.” When we manifest something, we turn an idea or desire into reality. More often than not, though, manifestation is considered to be about bringing something tangible into existence through attraction and belief. 

But we’re here to discuss the aspect of manifestation which deals with action: the steps we take in order to achieve our dreams and realize our passions. 

Creativity and manifestation are intrinsically linked. A huge chunk of the creative process and its cycle is all about imagining, before we actually begin the act of creating. Another place where these two themes intersect is the portfolio. 

A portfolio is the ultimate space for creative manifestation - the way you present yourself there will determine and shape your future, help you achieve your goals and follow your passions. What you choose to show and the way you show it will attract specific types of projects and clients. You can manifest your creative future into existence by creating the right portofolio. So how do you do that? 

We are joined by Nofar Daskal - lead designer in the Wix Agency team, whom you might remember from her Mentor Spotlight participation. Nofar recently participated in a portfolio review event with design students, and the experience left her with lots to share. Having been in direct conversation with creatives who are now facing this exact challenge of portfolio building, she came back buzzing with fresh tips and considerations. So here is her list of  10 essential tips for curating and designing your portfolio website:

1. Pick & choose

When curating your works and choosing which to include in your portfolio, think quality, representation, and consistent visual language. Ask yourself: which works represent me the most? Which are of the highest quality? Which images or media are the strongest from each project? 

And in more detail: If you have a gallery of projects in your homepage, the strongest image of each project should represent it in your home page. If you designed a book for example, choose up to six of the best spreads that will show the vibe and will flatter the project the most.Think of how you want to showcase the projects - real life mockups/ flat on a solid background/ flat on an image/ as a gif/ as a video… Try to create a visual language that is versatile enough to showcase different projects.

2. Focus: showcasing works from a chosen discipline that highlights your strength

Young designers tend to include every type of project possible, out of belief this shows they can work across multiple disciplines. This approach can have the opposite effect though. The thing is, we all have a certain aspect of our design skills in which we excel, and this is what we should stick to and put out there. Don’t settle for including projects ‘just because it shows another side of you’. If something isn’t up to standards - it shouldn't be included. 

Look at your work and genuinely look for your strengths. What are you most passionate about?  If you are not sure, ask a friend, a mentor, or a teacher to examine your works and give an opinion.If you are one of those lucky multi-talent creators - carefully consider how to translate that into the design of your site.

3. First impressions matter! 

Carefully consider the first fold of your website. The hero section or welcome fold is the ultimate place to catch the eye of a recruiter or potential client. It’s up to you to create a Wow effect that will make them want to scroll and dive deeper into your world. 

If your homepage includes a written message or statement, describe who you are as a creative in a clear and concise sentence. Include your strengths in it and phrase it in a way that is in line with your tone of voice.

4. Let your uniqueness shine

There is no one else like you out there, so make sure to bring it out! Highlight what sets you apart and differentiates you from the rest. Many designers I meet choose the same platform and template of a simple grid of thumbnails for their portfolio. Even though this layout works of course and there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, visitors of the site won’t get to see your unique personality that makes you one of a kind. Think of how the site can stand out and reflect your brand, personality, and tone of voice. For example if you have a great sense of humor, let the copy and the design show that. It can be with small elements that appear on hover effects, custom cursors, or any other type of design choice in your site.

5. The medium is the message

Your portfolio design should reflect your career focus. If you want your portfolio to focus on UX - think how to design the site that reflects this - you might want to add elements like filters, loaders, arrows in a playful or trendy way. If you’re into fashion art direction, consider implementing elements from the fashion world like clothing labels designs and icons. If you’re into illustration for gaming - let the visitor feel as if they are entering a playful and magical game that is your portfolio.

6.  Don’t forget usability 

When it comes to user experience, there’s no need to come up with strange new ways of navigating or to demonstrate experimental creativity. Make sure you create a clear and straightforward user experience that doesn’t confront your visitors. Look at other portfolio site structures for inspiration and let the layout and your works shine. Your portfolio is a great place to let your creativity show, but keep accessibility conventions in mind. 

7. A grid is there for a reason

Remember your grid structure - and work with it! Create one grid system for the project pages and make it flexible enough to serve different kinds of projects. For example, you can use a 12-column grid as it gives you enough flexibility to then work with a 2, 3, or 4 columns layouts in different sections or pages and they can still work nicely together.

8. Be consistent in your consistency

Pages, mockups, typography, descriptions - you name it, it needs to be consistent. Here are a few examples: if you use project images on your homepage, take a close look and examine how they feel side by side. If something feels off, edit them so they will work better together; When it comes to copy, decide on a format for the description text of the projects to make sure that all of them will have the same formatting and length; make sure that all the project pages have more or less the same amount of media.

9. Personal projects deserve their own category

Showing your personal passion projects in your portfolio is a wonderful way to introduce more layers of yourself as a creative. However, separate them from the rest of your professional work - in their own page, category, or section, so they receive the appropriate context and volume.

10. Textual information is as important as your designs  

Writing for your portfolio can prove tricky for many creatives who are used to expressing themselves visually, not textually. If that’s the case for you, make sure to first check out our handy guide: Writing for Designers. And after reading that, here are some things to consider: When describing projects and processes, make sure to explain the challenges and solutions and provide a background context for each project - this creates an intelligent and professional impression. If you find yourself with elaborate, long texts, make sure you break them into smaller digestible paragraphs, that’s easier to read. And lastly, always maintain a coherent tone of voice that is consistent with your overall branding.