March 2025
Planning My Portfolio Website: Structure, Strategy & Goals
Every freelancer, marketer, and digital creator eventually needs a portfolio that truly reflects their skills. After years of working in digital marketing, dabbling in web development, and content design, I realized I needed my own space to showcase my work – so I’m building it from scratch.
Introduction – Why I’m Building This Portfolio
Why Now?
This website will be my professional hub—a place where I can share case studies, document projects, and attract opportunities in Vancouver and beyond.
The Goal?
I’ll be documenting the entire process, from planning to launch, sharing insights into design, development, and branding. This is Stage 1: Planning.
The Planning Phase: How I Structured My Website
Figma Jam Overview
Before touching any code, I mapped out my website structure in Figma Jam
Defining My Core Pages
- Portfolio: A place to showcase work.
- Case Studies: In-depth breakdowns of projects.
- Blog: Updates & insights.
- Contact: Easy way for people to reach out.
About: Who I am and what I do.
Deciding on Sub-Pages
Under ‘Portfolio,’ I split my work into Digital Marketing, Web Development, and Content Design. Under ‘Case Studies,’ I created two categories: Projects (detailed breakdowns) and Blogs (ongoing updates).
Challenges & Decisions So Far
Balancing Simpliity with Uniqueness
I wanted a site structure that felt intuitive—where visitors wouldn’t have to think too hard about navigation. But at the same time, I didn’t want a generic portfolio that looked like every other personal site. Striking that balance between easy-to-use and uniquely mine was a challenge.
Structuring Without a Visual Concept
Normally, design leads structure, but in this case, I was doing it in reverse—building the structure first, without a defined visual style. This made it harder to decide what pages to include and how they’d connect, knowing that the aesthetics could change later.
Personality vs. Functionality
I wanted the site to reflect who I am—not just be a sterile showcase of work. But there’s a fine line between making it visually engaging and keeping it clean and effective. Too much personality, and it risks being distracting. Too little, and it feels generic. Finding that balance was key.
To Share or Not to Share?
Another big question—should I start sharing updates externally now or wait until the final product is ready? On one hand, sharing early means engaging people in the process, building anticipation, and documenting the journey in real time. On the other, unfinished work risks giving off the wrong first impression. Ultimately, I decided to document as I go, using posts like this to take people behind the scenes.
Next Steps
Now that the structure is mapped, I’ll move into branding, typography, and visual direction. In my next update, I’ll share my color palette, fonts, and design inspiration.