The Read.cv default problem
The work is good. The portfolio is on the same template as 4,000 other designers.
You've redesigned it three times. It's still on the same Read.cv, Notion, or Framer template as 4,000 other designers — because designing your own portfolio is the worst design brief a designer ever gets. The case-study heroes are screenshots of the work itself, same scale and crop as everyone else's. Hiring committees scroll 30 portfolios in an afternoon and yours blurs into the rest.
You don't need to redesign the whole portfolio in Figma. You need a *frame* — case-study hero treatment, OG cards that pull, supplemental art that elevates the case-study scrolls — that makes hiring committees actually stop on yours.
Pick an artist. Their voice carries the case-study frame, OG cards, and supplemental art. Your work stays the focus; the frame stops being a default.
Why it fits designers
Built for the case-study scroll, not just a homepage.
Case-study hero per project
Each case study gets a hero in the same voice — but distinct enough to read as different work. Pulls hiring committees in past the homepage.
OG cards that travel
Case studies get linked in DMs, posted in Slack, shared on Twitter. OG cards in your voice — not Read.cv defaults — increase the share-driven traffic.
New case study fits the system
Add a project. Same hero treatment, OG, supplemental art. The portfolio compounds without restarting the visual identity.
Built for the job-search arc
Recruiters scroll portfolios fast. Visual signals that you understand visual voice (beyond just the work) is what gets to first calls.
Project shapes
From a frame refresh to a complete portfolio system.
Some designers need the case-study heroes upgraded. Some want the whole frame redone. The brief flexes.
Hero + OG + section art
Homepage hero, OG card, About page art, section dividers. The frame, drops into your existing portfolio platform.
Per-project hero treatment
Hero treatment for each case study. Same voice across the portfolio, distinct enough that each project has its own pull.
Hero + OG + case studies + social
Complete portfolio surface. Site frame, every case study hero, OG cards, social rollout for case-study launches.
Brand for the design practice
If you're shifting from in-house to consulting, the brand for the consulting practice — site, OG, About, lead magnets.
Same artist across the year
New case studies quarterly. Yearly portfolio refresh. Job-search-driven asset bursts. Voice consistent across the practice's evolution.
The math for designers
What a portfolio designer charges. What you'd actually pay yourself for.
| Approach | Cost | Time to ship | Distinctiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hire a brand designer (boutique) | $3k–$8k | 6–10 weeks | Excellent — but ironic for a designer to outsource |
| Read.cv / Notion / Framer template | Free–$15/mo | Hours of customization | Same template as 4,000 other designers |
| Build it yourself in Figma + Webflow | Hours of your time | Weekends for weeks | Excellent if you ship; most don't ship |
| OKSLOP brief + retainer | Subscription — see plans | Days for hero, weeks for full surface | Locked to one artist across the case studies |
Costs are rough market ranges, not quotes. A subscription covers site, OG, case-study heroes, social, and the retained artist from one credit pool. See plans.
What ships per portfolio
Every case-study surface. Same voice.
Site hero & OG
Homepage hero, OG card, About page art, section dividers. The first impression hiring committees get.
Case-study heroes
Per-project hero treatment. Same voice across the portfolio, distinct enough that each project has its own pull.
Per-case-study OG
OG cards for each case study. When the case study gets shared in Slack or Twitter, the OG card pulls real clicks.
Supplemental case-study art
Section dividers, callout illustrations, atmospheric backgrounds. Elevates the case-study scroll above raw screenshots.
Social rollout
Twitter/LinkedIn case-study announce graphics, story templates. Pull traffic to the portfolio without restarting the visual.
Resume & deck
Resume header, deck template for design-leadership conversations, post-interview thank-you graphics. Same voice as the portfolio.
Practical considerations
Yours to ship. Yours to mix with your case studies.
- Full commercial license — site, deck, social, ads, lead magnets.
- Mixes freely with your own case-study screenshots — no licensing conflict.
- Privacy tier available — keep client work and unreleased case studies off the public catalog.
- One subscription covers site, case-study art, OG, social, and the retained artist.
Designer FAQ
Questions designers actually ask.
For photographer portfolios
If you're a photographer (not a designer), see the photographer kickoff for the work-framing surface.
See photographer kickoffDesign your own artist
Tune an artist to your design discipline — product-modern, brand-editorial, motion-restrained. Hold the look across the portfolio.
Design an artistPlans & pricing
One subscription covers site, case-study art, OG, social, and the retained artist.
See plansLet's get to work on the frame.
Tell us about the work. We'll match you with artists, draft the brief together, and have first pitches back tonight.