From Wix to Webflow | How I Redesigned My Portfolio
I recently made the decision to switch from Wix to Webflow and in the progress completely redesign the contents of my work. Let me outline my main reasonings for why I made the leap
- What happened? A sudden realisation that my current portfolio just wasn’t cutting it anymore!
- Where did it happen? Going from Figma to Webflow
- How did it happen? Looked around for inspiration and then designed in Figma and then developed my portfolio on Webflow with the help of the Relume component library.
So without further comment, that’s get into it!
So What Happened?
I am not sure if this is something that all designers feel, but one day I just had a realisation that my portfolio didn't reflect my work and my image as a designer.
Yes, I know that this is a loaded statement, but as my portfolio is a reflection of my abilities as a designer, a real example and representation of my value as a creative, I wanted to have it truly represent my skillset.
I have been wanting to switch to Webflow for two reasons; first I have heard wonderful things about the platform and the opportunities it provides designers to express their own personalities. Secondly, the rise of no-code tools has given designers such as myself, a priceless chance to expand our impact directly into the development process rather than being wholly isolated to the designing section of a product/website lifecycle. So with that in mind, I wanted to challenge myself and develop a new skill set.
Where did it happen?
As a beginner in Webflow aside from my basic understanding of HTML and CSS, I would have been lost without the careful guidance of Relume and their component library.
What is Relume? It is a Webflow component library created by two Australian designers (seriously check them out — they have an amazing social media footprint) that allows designers/developers to quickly copy and paste a design into a blank Webflow canvas. It was truly invaluable in making my portfolio.
However, before even stepping into Webflow, I focused on getting a general structure and feel to my portfolio through Figma.
How did it happen?
I suppose this is the meat of my article — how did I do it? Well, I treated my portfolio as I would with any other project/product, I used the double diamond approach (or at least I followed it as best as I could!) and went to work with my design process going through these four phases;
- Research
- Design
- Development
- Feedback
Research
So what do I mean by research, this is my portfolio after all? Well like all designers, I’m influenced by the work around me, so aside from my own portfolio inspiration folder, I looked at Bestfolios and this amazing article Uxfolios for some well-needed inspiration
Design
This of course was in Figma. Using the Relume Figma file, I was able to have the skeleton of a design and importantly a design that I could replicate in Webflow and go from there.
Develop
This is where the beauty of Relume comes into its own again. I love Webflow for its creative scope but I was mindful of the steep learning curve that comes with the platform.
Relume gave me the confidence to initially build out my portfolio and then explore the workings of Webflow from the safety of having the MVP of my platform completed. Below is the final draft of my portfolio after it had been worked on in Webflow.
Feedback
In a way, I treated this as a certain usability test phase. Getting an understanding of the pitfalls and taking onboard advice from the many amazing mentors/designers on ADPList, I was able to tweak and refine elements of my portfolio to make it more competitive, and more workable for recruiters, employers and clients to look through.
So that's it, that’s how I designed, developed and iterated my portfolio in a week from scratch. While this sounds like a straightforward approach, rest assured there was manic stressing and panicked redesigning included in every step of the process.
What’s next?
I noted earlier that portfolios are live showcases of a designer. So as I develop as a designer, my portfolio will naturally evolve with me.
With that in mind, my portfolio is already morphing and being built around my preferences and with my newfound knowledge of Webflow, I am able to execute any changes to my portfolio in a much faster way.
If you would like a glance at my portfolio and how it is now, please do check it out! (https://samlimby.webflow.io/)
