The short version
- A design portfolio gets you hired when it shows fewer projects, each explained through the decisions you made and why.
- Put your strongest and most relevant project first, because reviewers often judge the whole portfolio on it.
- A Dribbble shot is 1600×1200 pixels and a Behance project cover is 1616×1264 pixels.
- A case study works best in a clear order: the brief, your role, the problem, the process, the decisions and the result.
- Presenting every project on a consistent background makes a portfolio look curated rather than collected.
On this page
The design portfolio tips that matter most are simple: show fewer projects, put the most relevant one first, explain each through the decisions you made, and present everything on a consistent ground so the work, not the frame, is what people notice. A hiring manager or client wants to know two things: can you do the work they need, and can you explain why you did it that way. Everything below serves those two questions.
Choosing what goes in a design portfolio
Four to six projects is a healthy range. More than that and reviewers start skimming; fewer and they can't see range. Choose for the job you want, not the jobs you've had. A brand designer applying to a product team should lead with work that touches interfaces, even if it was a side project.
Leave out
- Every project from the last five years
- Work you would not want to do again
- Three versions of the same kind of thing
- Student exercises once you have real work
- Anything you can't talk about for ten minutes
Include
- Four to six projects, strongest first
- Work that matches the role you want
- A spread: identity, digital, print or motion
- One self initiated project that shows taste
- Projects with a story behind the decisions
Order matters. Put the strongest relevant project first and the second strongest last, so the portfolio opens and closes well. If you are early in your career, the advice in student portfolio on filling gaps with self initiated briefs applies.
How to structure a design case study
A case study is a short story about a problem and your decisions. Reviewers read the headline and the images first, then the words if they are interested, so make each section scannable on its own. Case study design covers the layout in more depth.
- 1
The headline result
One line at the top: "A new identity that let a regional bakery open its second shop." Readers decide here whether to continue.
- 2
The brief and your role
Who it was for, what they asked, what you personally did and who you worked with. Be precise about credit.
- 3
The real problem
Often different from the brief. Show you noticed.
- 4
Process, edited
Two or three moments that changed direction, not every sketch. Show a rejected route and why it lost.
- 5
The decisions
Type, colour, layout, motion: each with a one sentence reason.
- 6
The result in use
The work in the world: on a shopfront, a phone, a poster on a wall. Add outcomes only if they are true and you can share them.
Dribbble shot size and Behance cover size
Even if your main portfolio is your own site, Dribbble and Behance are where many recruiters and clients browse. The Dribbble shot is 1600×1200 pixels (4:3) and the Behance project cover is 1616×1264 pixels. Behance crops covers in different grids, so keep the important part of the image near the centre. Dribbble shot size and Behance cover size have the full details.
Dribbble shot 4:3
1600 × 1200
Behance cover
1616 × 1264
Website hero 16:9
1920 × 1080
Instagram 4:5
1080 × 1350
A Dribbble shot at 1600×1200: one project title on a consistent ground.
The Behance cover at 1616×1264, the same presentation with words kept central for cropping.
Presenting work so it looks finished
Raw exports on white look unfinished next to work shown in context. You don't need elaborate mockups; you need consistency. Pick one ground for the whole portfolio, a soft gradient or a muted colour, and present every image on it with the same padding. The work changes, the frame doesn't, and the portfolio reads as curated.
- Lead each project with the work in use, not a moodboard.
- Keep image widths consistent within a case study.
- Caption images with what the reader is looking at and why it matters.
- Show detail crops of type and texture; reviewers love to zoom.
- Check every page on a phone: many first looks happen there.
Portfolio website, PDF, Dribbble or Behance
Many designers keep all of them, each for a different moment. The website is the home of the full case studies. A PDF of eight to twelve pages goes with applications when a recruiter asks for one, and should open in a second on any device. Dribbble and Behance are for being found.
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Your portfolio is also your brand
The portfolio site, the PDF you send, your Dribbble and Behance profiles and your LinkedIn banner are all part of one impression. Use the same type, the same ground and the same tone of voice across them. Personal branding explains how to keep that consistent without it feeling forced, and visual hierarchy helps each page lead the eye.
Gradiently is useful for the presentation layer: put your case study covers, Dribbble shots and LinkedIn banner on the same Mark, a living gradient background that is yours alone once claimed, and with Pro resize one design to each platform in one step. Your Gradiently profile at gradiently.design/username can also showcase designs and published templates alongside the Marks you own.
Questions people ask
How many projects should be in a design portfolio?
Four to six is a good range. Choose the projects closest to the work you want next and put the strongest first.
What size is a Dribbble shot?
1600×1200 pixels, a 4:3 landscape frame.
What size is a Behance project cover?
1616×1264 pixels. Keep the important part near the centre because Behance crops covers in different grid views.
What should a design case study include?
A headline result, the brief and your role, the real problem, an edited process, the key decisions with reasons and the work in use.
Should I include personal projects in my design portfolio?
Yes, one or two, especially if they show the kind of work you want to be hired for. Label them clearly as self initiated.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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