The Project Page Formula

Six easy sections for your project pages that show what you bring to the table.

You have the skills — so why didn't you get the interview?

Real talk: hiring teams aren't just looking for your design skills, they want to know what you'll be like as a team member.

They're asking questions like:

How do you manage your workload? How do you solve problems? How do you build and use systems? Why do you think your design solutions are right? Are you familiar with processes like ours? How do you interact with clients? How much do we have to teach you? Will you bring new skills or knowledge that can level up our team?

The Project Page Formula is a structure that's designed to help you show hiring teams how you work, how you think, and what you'd add to their team.

Section

What to include

1. Basic Info

Your role on the team, your responsibilities, and where you completed this project (company name or freelance).

2. Project Background

The client request, the problem you had to solve, who you worked with on the project, and other context for your work.

3. Research & Direction

Share the observations from your research and the conclusions you came to. Explain the creative direction you chose based on what you learned.

4. Design & Rationale

Highlight a creative aspect of this project that aligns with work you want to do more of and explain your conceptual thinking and rationale. Repeat this section 1 - 3 times to showcase different aspects of your work and thinking.

5. Results & Metrics

Share any challenges or hurdles you overcame while working on this project, systems you developed that remain in place, how much work you produced, and any stats or metrics resulting from your work.

6. Bonuses

Did you win any awards? Was your work published or featured? Did your client, boss, or employer have anything significant to say about your work or it’s outcomes?

Use this structure to talk thoroughly about your experience and thinking, and show what you're like to work with as a teammate.

Showing how aligned you are with the roles you're applying to is how you stand out and break through.

Need more?

This is part of Portfolio Support System, our program to help designers build their careers. We're sharing our knowledge of design, hiring, and business to bring transparency to the process and level the playing field through resources and portfolio reviews.

We've written a full guide on how to apply the Formula, with more insights into what hiring teams are thinking, how to be strategic with your portfolio, and writing templates to help you capture every important detail.

Follow this guide to make your next portfolio update a breeze.

Check out the full guide Apply for a video portfolio review

The Project Page Formula

Six easy sections for your project pages that show what you bring to the table.

You have the skills — so why didn't you get the interview?

The Project Page Formula is a structure that's designed to help you show hiring teams how you work, how you think, and what you'd add to their team.

Use this structure to talk thoroughly about your experience and thinking, and show what you're like to work with as a teammate.Showing how aligned you are with the roles you're applying to is how you stand out and break through.

Use this structure to talk thoroughly about your experience and thinking, and show what you're like to work with as a teammate.

Showing how aligned you are with the roles you're applying to is how you stand out and break through.