Samantha Lynn

To begin the project, I took a collaborative approach by presenting Sam with several design examples to understand her aesthetic preferences. These examples covered key elements like typography, color palette, and overall tone to help pinpoint what she liked and didn’t like. This provided valuable insight into her vision for the site. With this information, I crafted two distinct design directions, each offering a unique take on how her portfolio could be presented.

I also created a mood board that reflected the overall vibe we were aiming for. This visual guide helped us refine the look for the project, focusing on how users would feel as they came across it. Sam was then able to provide input to shape the direction she ultimately chose, ensuring it aligned with her goals.

With our design direction established, I moved forward by creating wireframes for each page of the site, showing both desktop and mobile versions. These wireframes focused strictly on layout—helping us determine where key elements like text, images, and buttons should be positioned—without any design details. I included my suggestions based on the structure we had previously discussed, but the main goal was to clarify the flow and organization of content across all pages.

After walking Sam through each page, she was able to review the wireframes closer and provide additional feedback. We made a few revisions to get the layout just right, ensuring everything was positioned in a way that made sense for the user experience.

After finalizing the wireframes, I moved on to creating the comps that combined the chosen dark aesthetic with a subtle pink accent—reflecting Sam's vision for her brand. I kept the design clean and simple, ensuring her graphics and photography would take center stage. Incorporating grid textures, a recurring element in Sam's work, and adding a touch of noise throughout helped create depth and added visual interest to the site. For the case study pages, I designed immersive header images to give them a unique, 3D feel.

Once Sam approved the comps, I began building the site in Webflow, following web design best practices and ensuring it was structured in a way that would allow her to easily add and update content as her portfolio grows. The build also included smooth animations, such as button hover effects and clean scroll transitions, enhancing the user experience and adding an extra layer of interactivity. After making final adjustments, I helped her set up her account, transferred the site over to her, and assisted in configuring her new domain.

In the end, Sam received a sleek, professional portfolio that not only elevates her online presence but also gives her a competitive edge in her field.