New portfolio and why I am using Squarespace
After almost 3 years I have finally released a new portfolio. Over the years I have used many tools to build my portfolio. Until Squarespace I used basic html and css, Netlify for hosting, and deployed with Github. Previously I tried a lot of different tools (Webflow, Kirby CMS, Wordpress, HTML on shared hosting, etc). Each stack has their own unique set of use cases but all of these require a significant amount of time to start and make updates.
One of the reasons I found I was not updating my website is it was too hard to make changes as often as I would have liked. It would feel overwhelming to update my portfolio after letting it sit for a year or even six months. Brian Lovin covered this topic in a post from 2 years ago in the section of “Too Hard to Add and Edit Content.” Brian’s post towards the end really had me thinking of why Squarespace is right for me, “Low friction means I'm eager to add, extend, and edit.” With Squarespace I am able to add, edit, and delete content easier than any other method or tool I’ve worked with. This is the most important requirement for me. I am tired of tools getting in the way of design and content.
Pressure from the industry
In my opinion there is a perception in the product design industry that a custom portfolio is better. While I think it is good to have an understanding of technical limitations and restraints when working with engineers I am not convinced that building your portfolio custom will teach you that. I have heard from many designers that recruiters and hiring managers spend little time on your portfolio, the process is broken, and often they are checking a box that is required for their hiring process.
I personally really enjoy browsing designer’s portfolios. I think it could set you apart from other designers throughout the hiring loop. With that being said, how you present and share your work in the portfolio review is much easier for me to understand your experience as a designer than from reviewing your portfolio. This is based on my recent experience when interviewing other designers for a recent role at New Relic.
Should Designer Code lol
Oh the old debate…So many hot takes on this and I could care less about if you can code or not as a hiring manager for most roles. I enjoy learning code and coding my own personal projects and I can still do this without having to worry about my portfolio being my own code. For the most part, my portfolio is for potential employers to learn more about my work. Eventually I would like this to evolve where I can share what I learn with the design community or at least a place where I capture what I am learning.
There are other ways I can share my other projects using Squarespace. I could have an experimental section. I could share out coding projects in a blog like this one. I could have a section in my portfolio that is just for side projects. The options on what I want to do are limitless.
Why Squarespace is right for me from a technical perspective
I had a lot of limitations with other platforms. Kirby was a great option for me a few years ago but for some reason the code was bloated and load times for my simple portfolio were too much (I could never figure out why).
My customer portfolio in HTML and CSS worked great until I needed to password protect my work. There was no simple way around this.
Wordpress is what my first portfolio was on. It was a great start but at the same time it didn’t feel like there is a difference between using Wordpress and Squarespace for my use cases. I really don’t feel like managing hosting anymore either. I know there are companies that can take care of this now (WP Engine) but these companies are pricey. While I have used Amazon Lightsail to spin up a Wordpress it was still time consuming and I’d prefer to not relearn how to.
Webflow was an excellent option and I will probably mess around with more but it felt like it was more than I needed. The options Squarespace have with their grid layout felt like I could tackle anything in my portfolio that I might do with Webflow anyway.