Today: Vivian Zhao

Vivian Zhao is still early in her design journey.

She has some time left before finishing her studies and is currently looking more toward internships than full-time roles. That puts her at a very different stage from some of the designers I’ve featured recently, many of whom already had several years of experience before returning to university.

But that’s also what makes this portfolio worth showing.

For where Vivian currently is, it sends extremely strong signals.

The work is considered. The portfolio is restrained. The case studies are already structured around the right principles. And while there are still areas that need polishing, the direction is absolutely right.

A good hiring manager looking at emerging talent is not only asking whether everything is perfect already. They are looking for signs of where someone could go with the right environment and support.

Vivian’s portfolio has plenty of those signs.

The Good

Restraint that keeps the work at the center

The first thing I really appreciate is the restraint.

That sounds simple, but it is one of the hardest things to execute well.

In 2026, it is easier than ever to add interactions, animation, playful elements, and custom-coded moments to a portfolio. That can be great. But it also creates a new temptation to fill every surface with something.

Vivian avoids that.

Her portfolio is minimal, and the work remains the focus. The hero is short. The introduction does its job. There is a small hover trail using what appear to be her own illustrations, which gives the page a personal touch without distracting from the projects.

The project previews are similarly restrained. They stay visually simple, then reveal a little more context on hover. That gives the portfolio enough interaction to feel considered without adding unnecessary noise.

Her About / Info page is one of the strongest examples of this.

The parallax treatment gives the page movement and personality, but the overall structure remains calm. There are a few execution issues, like text occasionally losing readability when an image overlaps it, but the intent is strong. She already understands that a page can feel expressive without becoming overloaded.

The same thinking carries into the case studies.

The visuals are large and easy to see. The headings usually carry most of the story. The body text fills in details rather than holding all the important information hostage. There is also some light use of motion and interaction to keep the experience engaging.

The case studies are also an appropriate length.

They do not feel rushed, but they do not drag either. That balance matters because most hiring managers are scrolling rather than reading every word.

Vivian seems to understand this already.

The execution will continue to improve with time, but the foundations are in place. For someone at her stage, that is a strong position to be in.

Personal treatment without forcing every project into one template

The second strength is how Vivian gives the work a personal treatment while still allowing every case study to have its own character.

The insurance project is a good example.

Insurance is not the easiest subject matter to make visually appealing. But Vivian brings in illustrations and small expressive details that make the case study feel lighter and more approachable.

Those illustrations are not added randomly. They support the story and fit the subject matter.

In another case study, the product itself already has a strong visual identity, so she lets that do more of the work. She does not force the same illustration style or decorative pattern onto every project.

That shows judgment.

A lot of junior portfolios are built from one rigid case study template. Every project has the same intro, the same section order, the same visual blocks, and the same treatment, even when the projects need different things.

Vivian does something better.

The case studies still feel connected because they come from the same designer, but they are not copies of one another. She responds to the needs of the work.

That may sound like a small distinction, but it is a powerful signal.

It shows she is thinking about presentation as design, not administration. She is not filling in a template. She is asking how each story should be told.

That kind of instinct matters a lot when evaluating early-career talent.

Some details are still rough. Some motion needs polishing. Some layouts need more control. But the underlying thinking is there, and that is usually harder to teach than the final layer of execution.

The Potential

Visual hierarchy and spacing need a more systematic pass

The first opportunity is visual polish, especially spacing, alignment, and hierarchy.

This is completely normal at Vivian’s stage. She is already doing better here than many portfolios from people with more experience. But there are enough small inconsistencies that they begin to affect the overall impression.

Spacing is one example.

Some sections feel too compressed, while others have more space than they need. Related pieces of information are occasionally separated by the same amount of space as completely new sections, which makes the hierarchy harder to understand.

A useful rule is that related elements should sit closer together, while new sections should have noticeably more separation.

Vivian already gets this right in some places. The issue is consistency.

There are also moments where the layout becomes too wide on larger displays. Text and information spread across too much horizontal space, which makes the composition feel less controlled. Hiring managers and designers often review portfolios on large monitors, so it is worth testing beyond a laptop viewport.

Some sections would benefit from a narrower content container and clearer left alignment.

The typography hierarchy also moves up and down in ways that can confuse the eye. A large result appears, then a smaller section heading, then an even larger subheading underneath it. The viewer has to stop and work out which level each piece belongs to.

That should feel immediate.

There are similar details in the motion work. Some prototype transitions still look like prototype transitions rather than interactions that could exist in a shipped product. One modal appears from behind an invisible clipping boundary instead of moving naturally from the edge.

Individually, none of these issues are severe.

The problem is accumulation.

A hiring manager will forgive one awkward spacing choice or one rough animation. But when many small things pile up, they start forming an opinion about someone’s baseline visual control.

The fix is manageable.

A four- or eight-pixel spacing system would already remove many of the inconsistencies. A typography audit would clarify hierarchy. Testing the work on larger viewports would catch width and alignment issues. And a dedicated polish pass on motion would improve the product recordings.

Vivian does not need a new visual direction.

She needs to make the current one more systematic.

The headings need to carry the story more consistently

The second opportunity is the consistency of the case study headings.

Vivian is already ahead of many designers here.

A lot of her headings communicate something meaningful. They help the reader understand the story without requiring the body copy. Some even make you curious enough to keep reading.

That is exactly what headings should do.

But then other sections fall back into descriptive labels.

They describe the activity, technology, or category rather than the insight, outcome, or decision. A heading such as “Agentic AI” tells me what the topic is, but not what she used it for or why it mattered.

In that case, I have to read the paragraph underneath to understand the point.

That breaks the scanning experience.

The goal should be for every major heading to move the story forward. It can still include a phrase like “agentic AI,” especially if that terminology is relevant, but it needs to tell me what role it played.

What did it unlock?

What changed because of it?

What user problem did it address?

What was the intended outcome?

Vivian already does this well in several places, which is why the inconsistency becomes more noticeable. When one section gives me a clear takeaway and the next one gives me a category label, I no longer know whether the headings can be trusted to carry the story.

I would go through every case study and test it in one simple way:

Read only the headings from top to bottom.

If they form a coherent story, the structure works.

If some sections require the body text before they make sense, those headings need another pass.

Vivian is already most of the way there. This is refinement rather than rebuilding.

The Verdict

Vivian Zhao’s portfolio is an extremely promising early-career portfolio.

It shows restraint, care, and an understanding of how to present work without overwhelming the viewer. The case studies are already structured around strong visuals, useful headings, short body text, and moderate length.

The personal treatment is another strong signal. Vivian gives each project its own presentation while keeping the portfolio cohesive. That shows judgment and a willingness to respond to the work instead of forcing everything into one template.

The main opportunities are visual consistency and storytelling consistency.

Spacing, typography, alignment, and motion need a more systematic polish pass. And the headings should carry the narrative more reliably from one section to the next.

But those are very fixable problems.

What matters more at this stage is that Vivian already has the instincts. She knows how to curate. She knows when to hold back. She knows how to give a project personality. And she is already thinking about case studies in a way many designers only learn much later.

With more experience and the right internship, this portfolio could develop very quickly.

If you’d like to craft a similarly impressive portfolio Framer is likely your best choice.

Still struggling to get your portfolio off the ground?

Don’t want to spend weeks learning yet another tool? Framer is my top recommendation for building your portfolio — fast, clean, and without the usual headaches.

If you’re just starting out (or even if you’re not), I think Framer is a perfect fit. Here’s why:

• Flat learning curve: The interface feels familiar if you’ve used Figma — plus, there’s a plugin to bring your designs straight in.

• Plenty of learning support: Framer Academy is packed with free tutorials, videos, and guides to help you go from zero to published.

• A huge template library: Tons of high-quality (often free) templates in the marketplace to help you launch quickly without starting from scratch.

• Free if you are a student: Although Framer already offers a generous free plan for everyone, if you are an enrolled student you can get Framer Pro completely for free!

And that’s just scratching the surface. I wrote more about why I recommend Framer here—but honestly, the best way is to try it for yourself.

Affiliate disclaimer: I only recommend tools I personally believe in. Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase — at no extra cost to you.

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