Ah, designing for yourself. Even if you follow the same process that you use with clients (ie: setting goals, mapping pages, drawing inspiration, etc..) it is infinitely more difficult than creating something for someone else.

My portfolio site is constantly evolving. Not only as I add new projects to it, but also as I strive to find the balance between enough design to create my own brand, but not so much that others can’t see their own projects executed by me. In some way, just having a good portfolio design in and of itself is enough — if people like what they see, they’ll have more confidence that they’ll like what you create for them. But in another way, you don’t want to pigeonhole yourself into a particular aesthetic.

I know that people hire me because they’re looking for an uncomplicated design, and that thread runs across all of my projects. So, I start with that. I choose colors and fonts that express a friendliness and informality that’s important to me and my process. I try to make the site as easy to navigate as possible, and provide enough examples of recent work that someone can get an idea of my range, but not so many that someone gets lost in them. I give people a way to get in touch with me, and some idea as to what I’m like as a person.

While I continue to be both a full-time user experience designer and a moonlighting freelancer, I consider the goal of the site. It’s not to find another full-time user experience position, so I remove elements that would present me that way. It *is* to create more freelance business, so I highlight projects that I think will help with that goal. When I transition over, I’ll have to reassess given the change in my schedule. Do I need a 1-800 number? What about a business address?