Whether you are—or are striving to become—a graphic designer, UX designer, copywriter, photographer or other accomplished creative or marketer, you need a great digital portfolio. It’s what catches a busy hiring manager's eye and shows that you can actually do the kind of work they expect.
Even if you’re not actively job hunting, keeping a digital portfolio up to date helps you track your growth, clarify your strengths, and make your work easy for colleagues and stakeholders to understand. It also positions you for internal opportunities and unexpected chances to showcase your expertise.
So how do you build a digital portfolio that proves you’ve got what it takes to succeed in 2026? These seven tips will help..
1. Select your strongest samples
You might be tempted to throw a wide selection of samples into your digital portfolio. But as the old saying goes, less is more. Seven to 10 samples should adequately demonstrate your skills.
The samples you choose for your digital portfolio should:
Represent your core strengths, industry experience, technical ability and range
Be no more than five years old—unless it’s impressive work from a major campaign
Be tailored to the employer you’re targeting, whether that’s a Fortune 500 company or a scrappy startup
2. Include context with strong captions
A well-written, compelling description of each digital portfolio sample adds vital context on your contribution to the work and your creative process. Your caption information should include:
The client or agency
A few sentences outlining the main goal of the project
Your role in the project
When you completed the work
Did the work produce results? Then, say so. If a campaign boosted traffic by 40% or won an industry award, that's worth mentioning. Numbers stick with people.
3. Make it easy to browse
Hiring managers are busy. Don't make them hunt for the work they’re interested in seeing.
Keep navigation simple and intuitive. Use white space generously: a clean look always beats a cluttered one. Make sure images load quickly and everything works on mobile.
Two ways to organize your digital portfolio that work well:
By relevance (industry-specific). If you're targeting a specific niche, like healthcare, lead with samples that mirror that industry's style, function and regulatory needs.
By impact (skill-specific). Instead of a strict timeline, group your work by the "problem solved." Lead with the projects that produced the most significant results—like the 40% traffic boost mentioned earlier—regardless of exactly when they were completed.
4. Give it a test run
A broken link or slow load time can cost you an interview. Don't let a technical glitch undercut your work. To get the best reception from prospective employers or clients, put your online portfolio to the test before sharing it.
Run through this checklist:
Are images loading quickly?
Is navigation intuitive?
Does it display correctly on phones and tablets?
Are photos of printed work high quality?
Have you (or better yet, a trusted colleague) proofread every caption?
5. Showcase your unique creative style
Companies and hiring managers want to get a sense of who you are. But here again, less is often more when it comes to adding personal flair to your digital portfolio.
One way to flex your creative style without going overboard is to match your portfolio’s design to your personal brand. Just make sure the elements you use are consistent with the look and feel of your other job search materials, like your website and resume.
6. Put it on LinkedIn
Many hiring managers search LinkedIn early in the hiring process. Take advantage of this by positioning your digital portfolio front and center on your profile page to immediately set yourself apart.
To make this LinkedIn placement effective, treat your portfolio as your most important client project. Just as you would for a high-stakes campaign, take time to research your target audience and understand their specific needs. By viewing yourself as the "client," you can more objectively design how you want an employer to experience your work from the very first click on your profile.
7. Show smart, ethical AI literacy
This may be the tip that matters most in 2026. Employers are paying close attention to whether candidates know how to use AI tools—and, just as importantly, whether they understand when not to use them. Since creative work is changing, your portfolio needs to demonstrate that you are keeping up with these shifts by using AI to handle routine parts of marketing campaigns or speed up brainstorming. And remember: While hiring managers expect AI fluency, they still hire for originality, taste, and judgment.
Feature AI-assisted work to show you are ‘AI-ready.’ Include pieces where AI sped up early exploration—like mood boards, slide decks or draft copy—but ensure the final product clearly shows your strategy and execution.
Explain your decision-making, not the tool’s ‘magic.’ Employers want to see when you chose AI and when you didn't—and why. A single line like, “Used AI to generate 30 headline angles; selected and refined two for A/B testing,” keeps the focus on your choices.
Be transparent and concise. Build trust by disclosing AI involvement factually and briefly, similar to how you would credit a collaborator. But avoid over-explaining prompts or showing ‘bad’ iterations; one clear caption is enough.
Address ethics and IP. If your industry has specific guardrails for licensing or data privacy, a quick note on how you complied demonstrates integrity and professional maturity.
Save the ‘how’ for the interview. Use your portfolio to prove you can do the work and produce results. If the hiring manager wants to dig into your technical workflow, save those details for the discussion phase.
Download our Job Search Strategies Guide
A digital portfolio that pops is just one part of a successful job search. Explore more tips on finding the right role—from networking to negotiating your offer.
