Dive Club 🤿 Matt Sellers - What a top 1% design portfolio looks like
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Jan 21, 2026 Matt Sellers, a designer and portfolio creator, reveals the secrets behind crafting a captivating design portfolio. He explains why he removed over 80% of his work to focus on quality, emphasizing the importance of minimal text and powerful visuals. Matt shares his obsession with effective microcopy and how he tailored his portfolio for experienced hiring managers. He discusses using Framer for intricate animations and prototyping real app flows, showcasing a mindset that bends design tools for innovative interactions.
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Cut Your Portfolio Down To The Cream
- Subtract ruthlessly: remove older or weaker projects until only your best 10–15% remain.
- Prioritize craft over process and avoid creating surface area that lets reviewers poke holes.
Work Over Process
- Let the work be the hero by minimizing explanatory text and process.
- Excess process can signal the wrong things and distract from visual craft.
Design For A Specific Reader
- Tailor your portfolio to a specific audience and design for that person's expectations.
- Use microcopy to create shared signals that immediately resonate with peers and hiring managers.