A coffee shop chat in Denver changed how I order my portfolio projects

I was showing my site to a designer friend and she pointed out that my case studies were in alphabetical order by client name. She said, 'That's for your filing cabinet, not your audience. Lead with your strongest piece, always.' I've been putting my favorite branding project first ever since. How do you guys decide what order to put your work in?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.cole10d ago

Lead with your strongest piece" is the only rule that matters, lol. I used to sort everything by date, newest first, but that just meant my weaker, older stuff was buried at the bottom where nobody clicked. Now my portfolio is basically a highlight reel. The first project is my absolute best, the second is maybe my most recognizable client, and the third shows a different skill. It's not a timeline, it's an argument for why someone should hire me.

noah_black10d ago

But what if your strongest piece is also your oldest... do you ever worry it makes your skills look dated? I've got a project from five years ago that still gets the best feedback, but I'm scared to lead with it.