Hey and welcome back to a new week! 👋 

In this issue:

• Struggling to Make It ‘Pop’?: I got you. Today I’m showing a couple of ways including tool recommendations to make sure your portfolio shows your work in the best light.

• Want to Get Your Portfolio Roasted?: I’ve partnered with Uxcel for a free portfolio roast session where I’ll review three portfolios. Scroll down to learn more!

• Shawn’s Portfolio: Fitting into the theme of visual splendor, I’m presenting a portfolio really well done visually.

🤝 TODAY’S PARTNER

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📅 JOIN ME LIVE

Join me for a live portfolio review session and have a chance at getting your own portfolio reviewed live on May 8th, 5 PM (GMT+2).

I’m going to review a total of three pre-selected portfolios live. Two are coming from the Uxcel community whilst one will come from the Open Doors community.

Even if you are not getting your own portfolio reviewed I’m sure there will be tons of takeaways for you if you decide to join me live (recording available too).

How to submit your portfolio

• Ensure it is a UX/UI / Product Design portfolio—sorry no graphic design or other disciplines this time

• Reply to this email with a link to your portfolio until May 5th, 9 AM (GMT +2)

• If you have a password on your portfolio or any of the case studies please include the password

I will randomly pick a portfolio a couple of days before the event and contact the chosen person but by submitting your portfolio you automatically give consent for me to review it live on the stream.

Good luck and see you live!

Make Your Portfolio Look Pro (Even If You’re Not a Visual Designer Yet) ✨

It’s often underestimated how fast a portfolio gets judged. Hiring managers and recruiters often spend less than a minute before deciding whether to dive deeper or close the tab entirely. Some leave after just a few seconds.

While we can't always control that outcome, we can make sure that how we present our work—visually and structurally—is the best it can be. And the good news is: you don't need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, trying to be too innovative or flashy can backfire. What does work is getting the basics right and using the right tools to help you do that.

This article is about exactly that: helping you make your portfolio look more professional without sinking weeks into polish. These are simple foundations you can apply (and revisit) no matter where you're at in your design journey.

Why Visual Presentation Matters (Even for Juniors)

Every junior needs to learn the foundations of visual design. There are no shortcuts. But many come from different paths: some have formal training in graphic design or visual disciplines, others are transitioning from unrelated fields. Wherever you're coming from, you're building up that "eye" for design over time.

Here's the kicker: the way you present your work in your portfolio is part of the work. It speaks to your taste, attention to detail, and ability to communicate clearly. These are all traits hiring managers look for.

Most portfolios don’t fail because the work is bad. They fail because the content is hard to scan, overwhelming, inconsistent, or simply not compelling.

That doesn’t mean your portfolio needs to be flashy. In fact, most junior portfolios are worse when they try to reinvent the wheel. The better approach? Create something visually simple, but polished in the details.

Today, I’ll walk you through four areas where presentation matters most—and share a set of tools that can help you get there faster.

1. Typography: Your First and Strongest Impression

Typography is the foundation of UI design. And it’s one of the hardest things to master.

Done well, typography instantly creates a sense of clarity, trust, and professionalism. Done poorly, it can make even great content feel unstructured or amateurish. Hiring managers with a sharp eye will spot bad type choices in seconds—and that could cost you the click into your case study.

Here’s how to set yourself up:

• Start with neutral, reliable fonts. Use something like Inter or Geist. These fonts are well-tested, accessible, and work beautifully for digital interfaces. Don’t be afraid of being ‘boring’ here please.

• Stick to one or two fonts. A heading font and a body font are usually enough. You can also get away with one font used in multiple weights and styles.

• Avoid fancy or highly stylized fonts. These are hard to read and often feel out of place unless you have strong visual design chops.

• Define consistent styles. Create text styles or tokens for headings, paragraphs, and captions. Don’t adjust everything manually. You save time and ensure consistency with styles.

Tool recommendations

• Font Duo (Figma plugin): Explore type pairings based on the vibe and lock in preferred fonts.

• TypeBalance (Figma plugin): Helps you balance line height, spacing, and hierarchy for clean, readable type.

2. Color: Keep It Simple, Intentional, and Accessible

Color can be a powerful brand element—but it can also quickly spiral into chaos.

Here’s the truth: every extra color you add makes things harder to work with. Instead of building big palettes, focus on a minimal, accessible system:

• A grayscale for structure and background

• A contrast color for key UI elements

• An accent color for buttons or highlights

Avoid using too many saturated colors. Borders, for instance, should rarely be full black or highly saturated. Low-saturation tones are much easier on the eye.

Tool recommendations

• Radix Colors: A professional color system for UI with accessible contrast and clear usage labels.

• Custom Color Generator by Radix: Build your own palette and preview it live on UI components.

3. Mockups: Show Your Work in Context

Mockups can help bring your designs to life, especially when they show a product in use. But be careful: poorly applied mockups (cropped, stretched, low-res) will do more harm than good.

Some recommendations:

• Don’t overdo it. Not every screen needs a mockup. Use them where they add clarity or realism.

• Use video or motion if you can. A short flow or interaction is often more engaging than static screens.

• Check your alignment. Make sure your screen fits perfectly inside the mockup frame. No skewed corners or awkward cropping.

Tool recommendations

• Content Core: Create beautiful 3D mockups, even with video inside. Tilt, rotate, and export as static or video.

• Jitter: Animate UI, build subtle interactions, and export as GIFs or video. Great templates included.

• Shots.so: Create simple, stylish static mockups fast. Ideal for case study hero sections.

Bonus: Record Your Screen Like a Pro

You’ve heard me say this before: Don’t just show your work. Talk about it.

Recording your screen is a great way to walk people through a flow or show a detail in action. It also helps break up text-heavy case studies.

Even if you don’t talk about it, make sure that your work is properly shown by setting up a prototype and recording that with a tool of your choice in high res.

Tool recommendations

• Kap: Open-source screen recorder. Great for capturing Figma flows or short UI demos.

• Supercut: Record your screen and yourself, add chapters, and embed it directly in your portfolio.

Summary

Strong visuals won’t fix a weak case study. But they will help a strong one shine.

These tools aren’t about showing off—they’re about removing friction. They help you present your work clearly, consistently, and in a way that builds trust.

Start with clean typography. Use color intentionally. Add motion or mockups where it helps. And speak about your work if you can.

None of this requires weeks of work. With the right tools and a focus on fundamentals, your portfolio can instantly feel more professional—and get the attention it deserves.

👀 Portfolio Showcase

Today: Dashan (Shawn) Ji

Shawn’s portfolio is a masterclass in visual storytelling and bringing real personality to your work.

From the first interaction to the last scroll, Shawn’s site feels crafted, polished, and memorable — exactly what you want as a junior (or honestly even mid-level) designer trying to stand out.

Let’s dive into what Shawn nailed — and where there’s a little room to tighten things up even more.

That’s it for this week—thanks so much for the support! ♥️

If you’d like to support my efforts on Open Doors further you can buy me a coffee. If you ever got any value from my emails consider it so I can keep this newsletter free and available to everyone out there.

Do you want your own portfolio reviewed in-depth with a 30-minute advice-packed video review? Or do you require mentoring to figure out a proper strategy for your job search?

I got you!

• Book an in-depth portfolio or resume review with me

• Book a mentoring session with me

• Book a quick 15 min chat to ask a question and see if we vibe

Keep kicking doors open and see you next week!
- Florian