A designer’s journey is one that’s littered with many portfolios. Many of which have been reduced to a mere 404 error page, an abandoned link or another archive in the folders. Recently, while updating my portfolio, all the forgotten versions that preceded came to mind. I thought it’d be interesting to have an

設計師的旅程充滿了很多作品集。 其中許多已減少到僅404錯誤頁面，廢棄鏈接或文件夾中的另一個存檔。 最近，在更新我的作品集時，我想到了之前所有被遺忘的版本。 我認為擁有一個

Even as I take inspiration from other designers’ portfolios, I am reminded that we all took a journey to arrive at our present-day version. My portfolio journey has been one that’s filled with frustration, procrastination and comparisons — and I believe I’m not alone.

即使我從其他設計師的產品組合中汲取了靈感，但也提醒我，我們所有人都在嘗試開發最新版本。 我的投資組合之旅充滿了挫折，拖延和比較-我相信我并不孤單。

I encourage us to take a look back at our previous portfolios, how we built and crafted them. Acknowledging (and sometimes laughing at) every cringe-worthy and embarrassing moment — that’s how we grow right?

我鼓勵我們回顧一下以前的產品組合，以及如何構建和制作它們。 承認(有時還嘲笑)每一個令人畏懼的令人尷尬的時刻-那就是我們成長的正確方式嗎？

背景 (Background)

Since university, the thought of a design portfolio has always lurked. Exacerbated by classmates seemingly armed with polished PDF decks and professors chiming in on the importance of documentation. Or simply just driven by a designers’ innate desire to display our craft.

自大學畢業以來，關于設計組合的想法一直潛伏著。 看起來似乎戴著拋光的PDF甲板的同學加劇了這種情況，而教授們則對文檔的重要性大加贊賞。 或者僅僅是出于設計師與生俱來的愿望來展示我們的Craft.io。

I’ve had countless conversations with my design friends — just unpacking the amount of stress and worry over creating and updating our design portfolio.

我與設計朋友進行了無數的對話-釋放了很多壓力，并擔心創建和更新我們的設計產品組合。

• “Is PDF or website portfolio better? Static vs. online portfolio?”
  “ PDF或網站組合更好嗎？ 靜態還是在線投資組合？”
• “Where should I host it on? Squarespace, Wix, Cargo, Weebly, Webflow, Adobe portfolio, Uxfolio, Notion, Wordpress… etc. ”
  “我應該在哪里托管它？ Squarespace，Wix，Cargo，Weebly，Webflow，Adobe產品組合，Uxfolio，Notion，Wordpress…等。”
• “How frequent should I update my portfolio?”
  “我應該多久更新一次投資組合？”

Truth is, there are no right or wrong answers, as long as you start.

事實是，只要您開始，就不會有對或錯的答案。

I’ll briefly share some of my takeaways as I took a deeper look into my past portfolios. Scroll on for the tell-all, or browse my portfolio compilation here

在深入研究過去的投資組合時，我將簡要分享我的一些收獲 。 滾動查看全部信息，或在此處瀏覽我的投資組合編輯

2014年：通過儀式 (2014: The Rite of Passage)

A Behance account is probably the rite of passage for most student-designers. This portfolio marked the start of my path as a designer — tinkering with materials, obsessing over millimeters and learning to get my hands dirty.

Behance帳戶可能是大多數學生設計者通行的儀式。 這些作品集標志著我作為設計師的道路的開始-修補材料，癡迷數毫米并學會弄臟我的手。

I initially archived the projects as they were no longer relevant. But I’ve since made them live again — for me to relive the cringe anytime!

我最初將項目歸檔，因為它們不再相關。 但是自那以后，我又讓它們重新生活了-我隨時可以重溫這種恐懼！

Takeaway: It can be slightly embarrassing to display old works or past portfolios out in the open, but fundamentals always make for a good story.

要點： 公開展示陳舊的作品或過去的作品集可能會有些尷尬，但基本原理總是能造就一個好故事。

https://www.behance.net/maghuang/

https://www.behance.net/maghuang/

2015：網站模板 (2015: Website Templates)

I dabbled into website templates for the first time when I hosted my first ‘proper’ portfolio over at Cargo Collective.

當我在Cargo Collective托管我的第一個“適當”投資組合時，我第一次涉足網站模板。

There were zero thoughts given to the storytelling of each project and the process. It was simply a platform to ‘dump’ images and text.

對于每個項目和過程的故事講述，零思想。 它只是一個“轉儲”圖像和文本的平臺。

It took me multiple portfolios later, to realise the importance of storytelling through a design process, beyond the images.

后來，我花了很多時間來完成作品，除了圖像之外，還通過設計過程意識到了講故事的重要性。

Takeaway: By starting a portfolio early, I gave myself more chance to try and fail at it while earning more time to get better at documentation.

總結： 通過盡早開始投資組合，我給了自己更多嘗試失敗的機會，同時獲得了更多的時間來完善文檔。

https://cargocollective.com/maghuang

https://cargocollective.com/maghuang

2017年：大遷移 (2017: The Great Migration)

Looking to update my portfolio, I decided to shift hosting site onto Wix. This was the worst decision.

為了更新我的投資組合，我決定將托管站點轉移到Wix上。 這是最糟糕的決定。

There were a lot of frustration with Wix, but it made one thing clearer—Templated websites were starting to feel like a handicap.

Wix帶來了很多挫敗感，但這使事情變得更清楚了—模板化的網站開始感覺像是一個障礙。

The layout constraints that once made sense for someone with no coding background, started to feel more like a hindrance. The visual options that came with the templates were limited, and often, bad.

曾經對于沒有編碼背景的人來說有意義的布局約束開始變得像障礙。 模板附帶的視覺選項是有限的，而且常常是不好的。

Takeaway: There are plenty of website builder tools available in the market and they all work in very similar ways. A mistake I made was switching between 2 similar platforms for the sake of ‘updating’. Be very clear why you need to make a switch between platforms for your portfolio.

要點：市場上 有很多網站構建器工具，它們的工作方式都非常相似。 我犯的一個錯誤是為了“更新”而在2個類似的平臺之間切換。 非常清楚為什么需要在投資組合的平臺之間進行切換。

https://maghuang.wixsite.com/hello

https://maghuang.wixsite.com/hello

2018：令人不安的PDF (2018: Unsettling PDF)

After a rather disappointing run with Cargo and Wix, I decided that it was the end of templated websites. I ran back to the arms of Adobe’s InDesign.

在對Cargo和Wix進行了相當令人失望的運行之后，我認為這是模板化網站的終結。 我回到了Adobe InDesign的懷抱。

Yearning for that 100% control over each pixel and layout

渴望100％控制每個像素和布局

How ironic to seek ‘refuge’ with InDesign. Considering how much heartbreak it brought, through countless of force quits and unrecovered files.

在InDesign中尋求“避難所”具有諷刺意味。 考慮到它通過無數次退出和未恢復的文件帶來了多少令人心碎的事情。

Finishing up the PDF portfolio naturally felt accomplished — but also unsettling.

完成PDF產品組合自然感到很成功-但也令人不安。

In 2018, I was transitioning into the realm of digital product and UIUX. With a supposed claim in the craft of mobile and web experience, I was greedy for an online presence and the thrill of owning a domain.

在2018年，我過渡到了數字產品和UIUX領域。 憑借對移動和Web體驗的認可，我對在線業務和擁有域名的熱情感到非常貪婪。

Takeaway: PDF portfolio may be good during interviews but an online website gives you greater discoverability. An interactive and responsive website speaks louder of the craft in a way that a static PDF could not.

要點： 面試過程中PDF組合可能會很好，但是在線網站可為您提供更大的發現能力。 交互式且響應Swift的網站以靜態PDF無法做到的方式大聲疾呼。

2019年：拖延癥 (2019: Procrastination)

My 2019 resolution was to work on my website portfolio... It never happened.

我的2019年決議是要使用我的網站組合...這從未發生過。

Indeed, one’s portfolio journey is never complete without procrastination.

的確，沒有拖延，一個人的投資旅程就永遠不會完成。

2020年：今天 (2020: Present Day)

Portfolios have always seemed like another item on a designer’s checklist to complete. But…

項目組合似乎總是要完成設計師清單上的另一個項目。 但…

If a portfolio is a case study of yourself, then there’s no project more important, more fulfilling and more fun than that.

如果投資組合是您自己的案例研究，那么沒有比這更重要，更充實，更有趣的項目了。

Takeaway: Don’t let the pressure of perfection and completion get to you. Perfection is crippling. A portfolio is never completed. Aim for a MVP version and continuously improve from there.

要點： 不要讓完美和完成的壓力帶給您。 完美無能。 投資組合永遠不會完成。 爭取獲得MVP版本，并從那時起不斷改進。

For the first time, I approached my portfolio as a passion project rather than a to-do. Plus, I was relieved from the pressure of working against the clock. All of which, gave me room to have fun with it and enjoy the process.

我第一次把我的投資組合作為一個激情項目而不是一個要做的事情。 另外，我擺脫了日以繼夜的工作壓力。 所有這些，給了我充分的樂趣和享受過程的空間。

Takeaway: A portfolio will always be a chore — tedious but necessary (we should at least make it an enjoyable chore).

要點： 投資組合將永遠是一件繁瑣的事情，但乏味卻是必要的(我們至少應該使它成為一件令人愉快的瑣事)。

在制品和基輔 (WIP and KIV)

To end off, I’ll state the obvious. Portfolios will always be WIP and KIV — Work In Progress and Keep In View.

最后，我要說清楚。 項目組合將始終是WIP和KIV-進行中并保持關注。

Cheers to all the forgotten and archived portfolios that led to the present day. No matter how embarrassing or cringe-worthy, it is evidence of one’s growth as a designer and a testimony for further growth.

歡呼直到今天的所有被遺忘和存檔的作品集。 無論多么尷尬或令人畏懼，這都證明了自己作為設計師的成長和進一步成長的見證。

“Your portfolio is the biggest investment you can make in your career. Doing your best work makes your portfolio better. Making your portfolio better leads to more great work. And the circle continues” — Tobias Van Schneider

“您的投資組合是您職業生涯中最大的投資。 盡最大努力使您的投資組合更好。 改善您的投資組合會帶來更多出色的工作。 圈子還在繼續” – Tobias Van Schneider

I hope to inspire you to take a trip down memory lane and look back at our forgotten portfolios. I believe we’ll learn a thing or two about the growth we’ve made in our craft or the shift in our mindset. And hopefully, we’ll be reminded of the starry-eyed passion we had for our craft when we were just starting out.

我希望能激發您的記憶，并回顧一下我們被遺忘的產品組合。 我相信我們會從技術上的發展或思維方式的轉變中學到一兩件事。 希望能使我們想起剛開始時對Craft.io的滿天星斗的激情。

Credits to Lum E-Sean for helping out with the article. Illustrations doodled by yours truly.

感謝Lum E-Sean提供的幫助。 真正由您涂鴉的插圖。