Thijs Kraan

Value Positioner

We turn your work and expertise into founder-led content that attracts a steady flow of high-value projects from the right clients. A partnership for design agencies that want growth without the heavy lifting.

Send me a message if you want to learn more.

Founder

Hatch Conference

Growth Partner

Soldep

Designed websites, brands, content strategies, and funnels for SMBs to turn more visitors into customers.

Designer

UMC Utrecht

UMC Utrecht is an academic hospital. Designed a mobile app for nurses to streamline internal communication, documentation, and automation, so they had more time to take care of patients. Estimated workload decrease of 2 to 10%.

Product Designer

Essense

My graduation internship at Essense focused on understanding service design, customer experience, journey mapping, and customer research. I worked on a project (which I acquired myself) for UMC Utrecht.

Ahold Delhaize

Worked for Albert Heijn, the largest Dutch supermarket chain. Designed 2 products, including all marketing materials that led to a launch with 35k+ users in one week. Both MVPs were scaled into the larger product eco-system and now saves around 4.5M kilograms in annual food waste

I help designers sell their expertise through writing content.

Before 2023, 100% of my design clients came from referrals.

→ I had zero control over when my next project arrived

Today, 88% of my clients come through LinkedIn – inbound.

Learning “how” took me 1065+ days of sharing expertise:

- Positioning & articulating the value of my expertise
- Experimenting with writing high-performing hooks
- Converting attention into inbound business leads
- Talking to 1000s of designers and design leaders
- Finetuning my profile for the highest conversion

I was a poor design student, so I self-studied:

- I consumed 1000s of posts & 100s of videos
- I read 100s of books & 100s of articles
- I wrote more than 1200+ posts

Obsessed with mastering the nitty-gritty of content.

And that meant making countless mistakes:

- I tried appealing to everyone, so I never got to stand out
- I wasted 100s of hours on meaningless content iteration
- I pivoted direction 50+ times so nothing compounded
- I got 3M+ impressions without winning a single client
- I ignored 1000s of hand-raisers right in front of me

To this day, I still learn new things every day.

Even after investing 3 years in learning:

€10k+ on courses/coaches
1000+ hours on reading
2500+ hours on writing

But now, I've turned everything into one framework to:

- Share your unique expertise more effectively
- Become the go-to expert for your audience
- Start getting inbound leads (on auto-pilot)

My LinkedIn Growth Framework. 

After 10+ iterations, I'm confident it works:

- A design founder added €100k+ in revenue (in 6 months)
- A design leader landed a new €150k+ job (in 3 weeks)
- And many designers won new 5-figure project deals

All from sharing their unique expertise (on LinkedIn)

So, if you want to learn from my biggest mistakes.

Take my free 5-day LinkedIn Growth Strategy:

growexpertise.com/linkedin-growth-strategy
(or click my LinkedIn profile buttons above)

PS. For 1:1 help, DM me or visit valuepositioner.com

Design Content Consultant

I help design leaders, founders, and freelancers do 4 things:

1. Understand & position your unique value
2. Create your design content strategy
3. Systematize content creation
4. Start creating habitually

By:

1. Analyzing your existing customers, content & data
2. Strategizing toward your ideal future positioning
3. Producing content for authority, talent & leads
4. Upgrading your content, profiles & funnels

Together, this will help you:

- Get inbound leads
- Attract new talent
- Build authority

Want to learn how? 

Send me a message.

I met the design founder behind Polarsteps, a travel app with 18M+ users. 
 
From day one, Job Harmsen was the Head of Design:
 
He didn’t invent a new category, he made it beautiful
He bet on great experiences over growth hacks
He built for 11+ years alognside 3 co-founders
 
A design founder at heart. 
 
Short-film coming soon.
 
Made by Luc, Lars, and me. 
 
PS. Job is hiring a Senior Product Designer. If you're interested, reach out to him!

Back from a week in Paris:

- Visited nearly all the historic places
- Took the crown jewels from Louvre
- Drank a bunch of coffees in cafés
- Endulged in the French cuisine
- Quality time with my partner
- Loved the city's architecture
- Enjoyed some great wines

My favorite city trip so far.

It's what I love about having my own business.

I have full control over how I spent my time.

Not always easy, but definitely rewarding.

Now, it's time to get back to work:

- Kicked off a new big project
- Starting a 30-person cohort
- Finishing a few projects

A few busy last months.

All ready for 2026.

Let's go!

I’m a slow starter.

I didn’t start hitting the gym 5x a week
I started hitting the gym once a week

I didn’t start publishing 7x a week
I started publishing once a week

I didn't start reading 7x a week
I started reading once a week

Every habit had a few failed attempts.

But I know they're habits for life.

Don’t always be in a rush.

Start slow, finish faster.

I got my 1st client with luck.

I got my 2nd client with luck.

I got my 3rd client with luck.

All local businesses.

Over 7+ years, we did 10+ projects.

I was lucky to *accidentally* start a business:

- Learned to manage my clients and projects
- Learned to charge for outcomes, not hours
- Learned the basics of business by doing

But my 4th client came from intentional effort.

I published consistently for more than a year.

And then, I shared my 1st post with an offer:

→ That resulted in 20+ leads and 2 clients

That’s when growth finally felt in control.

By sharing my expertise on LinkedIn:

I built an invaluable network from scratch
I attracted many inbound opportunities
I won 88% of my current client base

All while I was a design student.

That’s the power of LinkedIn.

Take control of your luck.

You don’t need the perfect strategy.

You don’t need the perfect website.

You don’t need the perfect brand.

You don’t need the perfect plan.

You don’t need the perfect idea.

Perfection doesn't exist. 

Waiting for it is a trap.

All you need is:

- A specific customer
- A painful problem
- A good solution
- An action bias

We overcomplicate everything. 

Just do “simple” things well. 

Start small and iterate.

We're lucky. 
 
Being alive means we already won the lottery.
 
That's blind luck. Luck we didn't work for. 
 
Other types of luck come from:
 
1. Hustling
2. Preparation
3. Authenticity
 
When you share what you know, luck compounds: 
 
- You learn about what interests you
- You get inbound project requests
- You meet like-minded designers
- You open doors you didn't see
- You find experts to mentor you
- You gain free audience insight
- You can test & validate ideas
- You build a referral network
- You develop your character
- You iterate upon your ideas
 
That's why you should: 
 
Share consistently.
Prepare deeply.
Be authentic.
 
It's how we create our “luck.”

I made a mistake 4 years ago.

Not sticking with what worked:

→ Building websites

I sold websites for €5k to €17.5k/each and I built each one in 30 to ~90 hours.

That's when I faced a few wrong beliefs:

- Web design is a race to the bottom
- Tools will replace website-building
- Websites are often not important
- Building websites isn't leveraged
- Too many people build websites

So, I decided to do a hard pivot, and I tried finding a new:

- Audience = ICs → leaders → founders → businesses
- Market = design industry (only worked with designers)
- Offering = program → growth sprint → growth retainer

Took 2-3 years to find what worked, and I still iterate every day. 

Sure, I make more than I need, but if I wouldn't have pivoted:

→ I would've made at least 5x to 10x more, easily

How do I know? A few friends sell websites for €20k - 80k+

And I'm confident I delivered similar quality 4 years ago.

But I wasn't willing to double down on “boring” work:

- Prioritize one market and audience
- Build a predictable growth engine
- Systematize for higher efficiency
- Learn to hire → delegate → scale
- Do more work and do it better

So, if you're thinking about pivoting. Please think twice. 

When something works → Don't pivot, just do more. 

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Aneta Kmiecik

Sr. UX Designer | Helping designers link UX projects with UX portfolio stories

I help designers create careers they love & earn more.

After 14 years in the creative field, including 7 years in UX and a background in architecture, I’ve coached over 1,000 designers on how to stand out, get hired, and grow with purpose. So far, 500 designers built portfolio with my course.

Most designers don’t struggle with design itself, they struggle with direction, communication, and positioning. That’s where I focus.

Through my UX Portfolio Course and content, I teach practical ways to:
• Build a portfolio that tells a clear story
• Navigate job searches with strategy, not luck
• Grow a career that feels aligned, not overwhelming

If you’re ready to take your design career from “uncertain” to “intentional,” let’s connect.


💌 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀:
• Instagram: instagram.com/ux.aneta
• Newsletter: beyourowndesignteam.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Community: be-your-own-design-team.circle.so/c/be-your-own-design-team/

UX Designer

Do junior designers always have junior portfolios?


Not really 🙅🏻‍♀️

I get these questions all the time:
↳ What’s the difference between a junior and senior designer?
↳ How does a senior present their portfolio?
↳ And how is that different from a junior?

I’m not surprised. Every designer looks for a reference point. Something to compare themselves to, or a signal of how far they “should” be.


After helping 1500+ designers over the last 5 years with portfolios, resumes, and job strategies, I’ve learned one thing: 

Your title or years of experience don’t define you ✨
Don’t marry them. They won’t help you grow, so aim higher.


I’ve seen Senior Designers with junior-looking portfolios
And Junior Designers with senior-level portfolios
✅ Both are completely normal. Everyone grows at a different pace.

What matters is understanding what works in your favor (and what doesn’t), so you can:
↳ grow your skills
↳ earn more
↳ feel more fulfilled
↳ navigate your career with confidence


Tomorrow, in my newsletter Be Your Own Design Team, I’ll break down how any designer, regardless of title or years, can position their portfolio like a senior, mature designer.

Join for free here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dp8Dgp9d

💬 What's your take?
🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Share with a design buddy


—
Senior-level portfolios featured in the carousel:

chengsuchen.com by Chengsu Chen
garri.design by Garri Tonakanyan
anjalirajeev.com by Anjali Rajeev
laraekdesign.com (my student, theoretically a junior :)) by Larae Kale
Portfolio by Riccardo ♦︎ Buzzotta
dousanmiao.com by Dousan Miao


#JuniorUXPortfolio #SeniorUXPortfolio

Portfolio clarity before Christmas at uxportfolio.co

Junior vs Senior UX Portfolio

I have a confession to share…



I’m not intentional all the time. My first UX portfolio was poor, not every product I design looks ideal, my website also has weak points, I make mistakes daily and I also use my instinct sometimes instead of any concrete evidence. Not because I don’t know that I should be intentional, but because sometimes things happen.

But whenever I am intentional, I often get bette results. And I want the same for you 💸

You’ve worked on a project for 6 months, put a lot of hear into it and now all for this one mistake in your UX portfolio where you
↳ Report what happened
↳ instead of explaining 🤷🏻‍♀️

You say:
↳ I run 5 user interviews
↳ I made the button bigger
↳ I simplified X for users

Cool, we all do it and what?

↳ What shaped those decisions?
↳ Why those decisions were better?
↳ What was the reason?

The biggest reason portfolios fail → that one I’ll share in my next post 😛
But the second biggest is this: they report instead of explain.

I’m sending a breakdown of how to find your “why” this Friday in my newsletter. Join for free here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dp8Dgp9d


💬 Do you design more with instinct or evidence?
🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Share it with your UX buddy

#DesignDecision #UXPortfolio #UXDesigner #JuniorUXDesigner

Reporting vs Explaining in a UX Portfolio

Your portfolio can be good and still get ignored. The reason?


Relevance

It’s not only about what and how you designed, but also who you designed it for and in what context. That context shapes the design challenges.

B2C work feels completely different from B2B work. These are different pace, expectations and complexity. Recruiters can spot the mismatch instantly. One project can look perfect for one team and totally irrelevant for another.

This is the 3rd post in the series where I break down real examples that fit specific company types, so you can choose projects with intention.

In today’s post: B2C vs B2B companies


Example of what to highlight if you’re targeting:
B2C
✅ Conversion challenges
✅ Mobile-first experiences
✅ Simple flows
✅ Large audience
✅ Supporting personal goals
✅ Lightweight + visual interfaces
✅ About emotion + delight
✅ General user behaviour
✅ Rapid decision-making

B2B
✅ Efficiency challenges
✅ Multi-platform experiences
✅ Multi-step flows
✅ Smaller, specialised audience
✅ Helping get work done
✅ Data-heavy interfaces
✅ About reliability + accuracy
✅ Domain-specific workflows
✅ Layered decision-making


💬 Want another relevance comparison? Tell me what I should cover next: Fintech vs Entertainment? You tell me!
🏷️ Save this post for future reference
📤 Share it with your design buddy
➡️ Check previous posts in this series:
↳ Startup vs Product organisation portfolios: https://shorturl.at/fcdyh
↳ Agency vs Enterprise portfolios: https://shorturl.at/CXHMt

—-
ℹ️ Presented portfolios can also be relevant for other organisations. The selected images give a top-level overview of how these characteristics can appear in a portfolio.

🔗 Portfolios featured in this post:
omnagarkar.com
majroth.com by Martin Merschroth
caiguangxi.com
johnyvino.com
anjalirajeev.com by Anjali Rajeev
miggyfajardo.com by Miggy Fajardo
byjmm.com by Jessica Malheiro
eldar.design
ludovicdelmas.com by Ludovic Delmas
ivanageev.com
toan.framer.website 
nicolearoberts.com
elvisobanya.com
durojaiyes.design by Durojaiye S.

#UXPortfolio #B2CDesigner #B2BDesigner #DesignPortfolio

B2C vs B2B Design Portfolios

14 years in design taught me this the hard way.


Most of us were taught a very narrow idea of how a design career should look.
➡️ Pick a role
➡️ Learn a tool
➡️ Follow the ladder
And then real life happens.

3 different design careers later (architect → graphic designer → UX designer), I can tell you this: a lot of what I was taught didn’t match the real world at all.

✅ Your title doesn’t shape your career
✅ Your toolkit doesn’t make you senior
✅ You won’t always design from scratch

Businesses hire designers. But what they really want are inside entrepreneurs who think in systems, understand trade-offs, and create value.

Design careers aren’t linear. They’re a mix of choices, trade-offs, experiments, and environments that either grow you or hold you back.


This carousel is simply my version of the “real world” after 14 years in design.
Take what resonates, ignore what doesn’t, and shape your own path.

💬 Which truth hit you the most?
🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Share this with a designer who needs to hear it


#DesignCareer #UXDesigner #Architect #GraphicDesigner

I wish someone told me this

If you think I don’t feel imposter syndrome after 14 years in design…


I do a lot.

Every day I scroll past posts from people saying things like:
↳ “I’ve reviewed a million portfolios”
↳ “This is the kind of portfolio I want to see”
↳ “Only top-notch visual designers get hired”
↳ “You’re not there because…”

And suddenly I start shrinking. I hide, my confidence drops, and I start questioning whether I even belong in this industry. Whether I did enough work. And if I did a lot of work, like… wtf did I even do?!

But then I remind myself: everyone and everything is different. It’s ok to not know everything, to not have done it all, to not have all skills nailed.

You pick what works for you, and also what you want to do. And sometimes you just don’t want a certain goal, and that’s ok too.

That’s why I created this carousel: to share with you some things I’ve realised that aren’t talked about enough.

Which slide resonates the most?

🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Share it with your design buddy

#DesignCareer #UXCareer

10 Truths about portfolios, job search, design career

How to design a portfolio hero portfolio?

I used AI and Framer to do it


Here’s my full process:

1️⃣ I opened Framer, my go-to tool for designing and publishing websites visually

2️⃣ Then I jumped into ChatGPT to write my elevator pitch. Then I tweaked the copy to make it sound like me.

3️⃣ Back in Framer, I opened Design Pages. They work like Figma, giving me a flexible canvas to ideate.

4️⃣ For visuals, I used AI again. I generated a few abstract images in Midjourney that matched my style and added them as backgrounds to selected layouts

5️⃣ For project visuals I used Shots to polish them and Screen Studio to record walkthrough


Links to all resources:
- https://lnkd.in/dE69zurq
- https://shots.so
- https://www.midjourney.com
- https://screen.studio
- https://www.uxportfolio.co


💬 Which portfolio section should I ideate on next? 😎
🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Share it with your design buddy

#FramerPartner #BuildWithFramer #UXPortfolio #DesignPortfolio

These are the portfolio shifts that kept popping up in 2025 ⬇️


The ones I saw in portfolios of top designers, designers who get hired, and portfolios that repeat the same patterns recruiters mention again and again.

When I created the UX Portfolio Course earlier this year, snapshots were just starting to show up. Now they’re everywhere. Positioning used to be a buzzword for personal brands, not portfolios. Now every second post talks about it.

I’ve been observing, chatting, saving, reviewing and I believe these are the things we will see even more in 2026.

Should implementing all of these trends guarantee a job? Of course not.
But knowing these global shifts will help you make clearer, more intentional decisions for your own portfolio.

A few trends might surprise you, some might confirm what your gut already knew, and a few might open a new direction for how you present your work.


➡️ Build a UX portfolio ready for 2026: https://lnkd.in/dtiHiKpb
↳ Learn portfolio skills inside the UX Portfolio Course
↳ Try the brand new Storyline Framer Template

🎁 30% off for Black Friday until December 1

What do you think about portfolio trends? What are your observations? 🙂


—-
🏷️ Save this post for your reference in 2026
📤 Share it with your design buddy

🔗 Portfolios featured in this post:
rachelchen.tech by Rachel Chen
miggyfajardo.com by Miggy Fajardo
danield.design by Daniel Destefanis
jasonkim.me by Jason Kim
yihui.work
durojaiyes.design by Durojaiye S.
adasilv2.framer.website 
sujankhadgi.com by Sujan Khadgi
soon.work
wking.dev
jackiehu.design by Jackie Hu

#UXPortfolio #DesignPortfolio #ProductDesignPortfolio #UXPortfolioTrends2026 #JuniorUXDesigner #SeniorUXDesigner

Patterns I keep seeing in portfolios that engage

I’m a designer and I’m not the most creative person.

Sometimes I simply need to look at real sites to understand what’s possible.

I still remember building my first website in Photoshop and watching a developer try to code it in WordPress. It was painful. I just wanted a live site that looked like my design.

Today it’s different. Tools like Framer let you experiment, iterate and publish fast. 

If you want inspiration for your next portfolio or website, check these website examples built with Framer:

• groteskly.xyz
• perplexity.ai/comet
• whyson.com
• valentinlauzier.com
• unito.shop

➡️ Check out Framer at framer.com
🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Share with your design buddy


#FramerPartner #BuildWithFramer #WebDesigner

Your portfolio might be great, but irrelevant. Fix it ⬇️


Relevance isn’t just about the work you’ve done.
It’s also about the environment you did work in.

Agency work feels completely different from enterprise work. And recruiters know that.

Different pace, expectations, challenges. That’s why the same project can feel “perfect” for one company and irrelevant for another.

This is second post in this series, where I’m breaking down real examples of portfolio projects that match different company types, so you can be more intentional with what you show.

In today’s post: Agency vs Enterprise companies

Example of what to highlight if you’re targeting:
Agency
✅ Range + variety across projects
✅ Visual craft
✅ Brand + visual direction
✅ Creative concepts
✅ Working fast
✅ Style guideline / Small system
✅ Working with clients

Enterprise
✅ Large + scalable solutions
✅ Systems thinking
✅ Complex user journeys
✅ Process improvement
✅ Working with constraints
✅ Design system at scale
✅ Stakeholders management


💬 Tell me which relevance criteria I should cover next!
B2B vs B2C
Fintech vs Entertainment
you tell me!

🏷️ Save this post for future reference
📤 Share it with your design buddy
➡️ Check previous post in this series: Startup vs Product organisation portfolios: https://shorturl.at/fcdyh

---

ℹ️ Presented portfolios can also be relevant for other organisations. The selected images give a top-level overview of how these characteristics can appear in a portfolio.

🔗 Portfolios featured in this post:
ruby-wu.com by Ruby Wu
jessrobinson.design by Jess Robinson
andreirybin.com by Andrei Rybin
patrickmorgan.org by Patrick Morgan
ericsin.com/ by Eric Sin
justux.framer.website by Justina Geller Kovacs
vigram.framer.website
toan.framer.website by T T
miggyfajardo.com by Miggy Fajardo
ebrumarangoz.com by Ebru Marangoz
todorrusanov.com by Todor Rusanov
https://lnkd.in/dJFUXzSH by Sierra (Sisi) Ching 🐝
faizur.com by Faizur Rehman

#DesignPortfolio #UXDesigner #DigitalDesigner #Agency #Enterprise

Agency vs Enterprise Design Portfolios

It’s hard to design your portfolio for so many different users.

I’ve been on both sides of a portfolio: creating one and reviewing them.
As a designer, it’s emotional. You question everything:
- Is it good enough?
- Is it detailed enough?
- Is it different enough?

As a reviewer, it’s quick. You look for clarity, role, and impact. All within seconds.
If you want your portfolio to work, you need to empathize with both sides:
- Your needs
- Your users’ needs

And yes, your portfolio users can vary: from recruiters and hiring managers to designers, product managers, and even founders. But across all of them, there’s one overlapping pattern: lack of time.

Design for people at work. Help them see your real value, fast.

💬 Do you recognize yourself in any of these examples? 
📤 Share this post with your design buddy
➡️ Check other actionable tips: https://lnkd.in/dp8Dgp9d


#UXPortfolio #UXDesigner #GraphicDesigner

uxportfolio.co | Helping designers build careers they love & earn more

Designers feel, Recruiters skim

Are you tired of AI tools that generate generic UI design?

Lately I’ve been using AI to get draft screens fast.

A starting point for my next iterations. So far I was generating different concepts. Recently UX Pilot AI added a feature I wanted to try: the ability to bring your own design system into the flow.

1️⃣ I start by opening design system in Figma
2️⃣ Then run the UX Pilot plugin
3️⃣ I click import components straight from Figma
4️⃣ I can import as many as 500 components from Figma
5️⃣ In UX Pilot I pick a screen and swap the styles

Same layouts but now with the product design system. Normally I would have to replace things manually, component by component. 

Having AI drafts already using my design system makes the screens more contextual, so I can evaluate ideas faster and iterate with more clarity.


If you want to try the same flow, check out UX Pilot for free ➡️ Link in comments

Do you use AI to prototype your ideas? I’m curious how you approach it 😊


 #UXPilotPartner #UXPilot #AIDesign

Steal this hover trick for any website. 

I used Framer to design an engaging website card.

Here’s how I built this hover effect with an illustration. The same one from uxportfolio.co.

Created in Framer with a few simple tweaks and custom visuals from Figma.

1️⃣ Head over to Framer
2️⃣ Create a card, add text, and a default visual
3️⃣ Turn it into a component, then add a hover state
4️⃣ Change the stroke, add a soft shadow, and adjust the layout
5️⃣ Open Figma and create a few simple illustrations that match your style
6️⃣ Add the illustrations to the hover state, and hide the default one
7️⃣ Set up a smooth transition: ease in and out for a clean motion

➡️ Go to framer.com try it yourself
🏷️ Save this post for later
📤 Send this post to your UX friend

#FramerPartner #BuildWithFramer #WebDesign

taplio

The Battle

Thijs Kraan

Aneta Kmiecik

Followers

Posts

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Performance ScoreThijs Kraan's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAneta Kmiecik's LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Thijs Kraan

Aneta Kmiecik

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Thijs Kraan's LinkedIn Performance

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreThijs Kraan's LinkedIn Performance