What can you add to your portfolio to make it a little more personal? I love to write, and I've a...What can you add to your portfolio to make it a little more personal? I love to write, and I've a...
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What can you add to your portfolio to make it a little more personal?
I love to write, and I've always kept a journal (often several on the go at once). I thought it'd be nice to add a work journal to my website so that my clients and colleagues can explore my processes and the messy inner-workings of my brain. Have a look at: https://www.onyourtiptoes.com/journal and have a click through my highlights below.
It only took a couple of hours to build in Figma and Framer, but now the real challenge is keeping the entries going! In spirit of building in public being more popular than ever, I'd love to see what you're making at the moment too. Let me know in the comments and we can share notes 💌
Alex's avatar
Contra Labs logo
This is so cool @Cara Ellis. What is everyone else making?
Cara's avatar
onyourtiptoes logo
Thanks Alex, it was so fun to make! Now I just need to decide what to write about tomorrow 🤔
Tabish's avatar
Working on a personal site overhaul right now! Cara's journal idea is making me rethink how I share my process too.
Cara's avatar
onyourtiptoes logo
oo keep us updated!👀
Maty's avatar
The work journal idea is smart, it turns "trust me I know what I'm doing" into something clients can actually see unfold. Did you set a rule for what's worth posting versus keeping private, or is it whatever crosses your mind that day?
Cara's avatar
onyourtiptoes logo
Whatever crosses my mind and is relevant to my work (I'm probably not going to write what I had for dinner etc lol)
Tabish's avatar
Love this idea! A work journal is such a smart way to let clients see your thinking process, not just the final result. Makes your portfolio feel a lot more human.
Cara's avatar
onyourtiptoes logo
Thanks Tabish, glad it landed how I wanted it to!
Boluwatife's avatar
Really solid work 👏 Adding an unedited work journal gives potential clients such genuine insight into your thinking process.
Cara's avatar
onyourtiptoes logo
It's been really enjoyable to make and write in!
Daxesh's avatar
really cool
Cara's avatar
onyourtiptoes logo
Thanks Daxesh!
Andrés's avatar
Red Mage logo
Peeped the new hero, hell yeah 🙌
Patrick's avatar
A work journal gives clients a bit more context than finished screenshots alone. Short entries about one decision or revision would be worth reading too, without needing a full case study each time.
Cara's avatar
onyourtiptoes logo
soo true, great idea!
Nazar's avatar
Yasno Design Agency logo
a work journal is such a good idea, stealing this
Rohan's avatar
A work journal is a lovely way to make the process feel tangible—especially the messy bits that polished case studies usually hide. The Framer/Figma pairing makes those entries feel like part of the work, not just a blog.
Thomas's avatar
Love how simple your journal is! I might want to steal the idea. I made a playground (https://www.thomasbudiman.com/playground) where I post things unrelated to client projects.

thomasbudiman.com

Work

Designer, Doer, Builder of things that matter through the interplay of UX, creativity, and technology.

Joyjit's avatar
Great concept. Thanks!
Mario Busto's avatar
Mario Busto Studios™ logo
love this idea. absolutely brilliant
Wisdom's avatar
A work journal is a great way to give your portfolio some texture beyond the finished screens. I've found clients trust the process as much as the outcome, so even short notes on what you tried and why it didn't work land better than a polished case study every time. Curious...
Syahrul's avatar
Great Job!
Raghvendra's avatar
Looks amazing Cara. I'm trying to build a system that can help me self-host a server on my laptop for it to act as extra storage for my phone. And I'm trying to build a brand identity concept around it too.
Aroosa's avatar
Nice approach to build a connection
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