Your design portfolio profile on Gradiently: what you own and make

Your design portfolio profile on Gradiently is a public page at gradiently.design/<username> that shows the Marks you own, the Marks you have made, the designs you choose to put on show and the templates you have published. It is built from your real work in the product, so it stays current without you maintaining a separate portfolio, and nothing private appears on it unless you put it there.

This guide covers what each part of a profile shows, how to set yours up, how showcasing works, and a few ways to make the page do the job of a portfolio. It pairs well with personal branding if the profile is part of how you present yourself.

What a Gradiently profile shows

The top of the page carries your picture, name, @username, a short bio, up to four links and three counts: followers, following and Marks. Behind it sits a cover that wears one of your Marks, live: the first Mark you own, or if you don't own one yet, the first you created. A small line names the Mark it's wearing.

How to set up your profile

Open your own profile and choose Edit profile. The editor opens beside the page, and every change shows on the profile as you type, but nothing becomes public until you save.

1. 1

   Add a photo

   A clear face or a simple logo reads best at small sizes. You can change or remove it later.

2. 2

   Set your display name

   One to 60 characters. This is also the name shown as the holder of your Marks.

3. 3

   Choose your username

   Three to 24 characters: lowercase letters, numbers and single hyphens, not at the start or end. It sets your address, so pick the one you use elsewhere if it's free. The editor checks availability as you type and suggests alternatives.

4. 4

   Write a bio

   Up to 200 characters. The prompt says it well: what you make, and who for.

5. 5

   Add links

   Up to four, such as your site, a shop or a social profile. Write them plainly, like yoursite.com or x.com/you.

6. 6

   Save

   If you changed your username, the confirmation tells you your new address.

Your email address is used to sign in and is never shown publicly. When you share your profile link, its preview uses your name, your username and your bio, which is one more reason to write the bio carefully.

Choosing which designs to show

Designs are private by default. On your own profile, the Designs tab has a Choose designs button that lists everything you have made, each marked as private or on your profile. Showing a design makes its link public; taking it off makes it private again. Only the designs you choose are ever shown.

Treat the tab as an edit, not an archive. Six strong pieces that show a range of formats say more than forty near-identical posts. A mix of a portrait post, a story, a poster and a slide shows that your look holds across shapes, which is exactly what a client or collaborator wants to see.

Owned Marks and created Marks

Gradiently separates owning a Mark from making one. Every Mark has exactly one owner at a time, and its creator never changes. That is why a profile has both a Marks tab and a Created tab: if you craft a Mark in the Forge and someone else later holds it, it stays on your Created tab, labelled with its current owner.

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Secret Hall

See this Mark

Tiles on the Created tab say where each Mark stands: still yours, owned by another member, or ready to claim. For how codes and ownership records work, see Mark codes and certificates, and for making Marks of your own, making a Mark in the Forge.

Following people and the verified check

Anyone signed in can Follow a profile. Your followers and the people you follow each have their own list, reached from the counts at the top of your page. Follow the people whose Marks and designs you like, and you can find them again in one place. Search also finds people: type @ and a username.

Making your profile work as a portfolio

A good profile answers three questions within a few seconds: what you make, what it looks like, and how to reach you. The page already gives you the structure; these habits fill it well.

• Wear one Mark consistently. The cover uses the first Mark you own, so the Mark you design with most becomes the colour of your page. Brand consistency explains why repetition builds recognition.
• Match your username across platforms. People find you faster when @yourname is the same here and on social.
• Refresh the Designs tab each season. Swap in newer work and take older pieces off; they become private again, not deleted.
• Publish one or two templates. A template others can start from shows how you think about layout, not just colour. See templates.
• Link the work, not everything. Four links is a limit worth respecting: your site, your shop, one social profile, a way to contact you.