Design Portfolios

I'm commandeering the blog this week and jumping ahead to what I have coming at me next semester. It'll be my final semester in the Publications Design program, so I'll have to prepare my portfolio. I've been kinda preparing by looking at my past projects and creating a starter portfolio website in my other class, Advanced Web Development. I've also been scouring the web looking at other designers' portfolio sites, trying to get a sense of what makes a good, great, and fantastic portfolio.

So far, I've discovered that most designers have a logo and/or tagline throughout their website. This helps brand the designer and gives viewers an idea of what their skills are right away. Collin Henderson, a Canadian web designer, has an informative and fun tagline:

I also found that you have to show what you can do, not just say what you can do. And if you can do it in a way that reflects your personality, giving viewers a sense of what kind of person you are, that's even better. Deidre "Deda" Bain has an awesome "About Me" section that shows off her personality, her skills, and her experience:

The other common thread that I've found throughout most of the designer portfolios that I scanned is a blog. A blog allows you to constantly keep visitors updated about you and what you're doing. It also shows that you have a sincere interest and dedication to your work. Jacob Cass has a pretty good blog where he posts his reflections on design, gives helpful tips, and links to other insightful articles:

What are some things that you guys think should be part of an online design portfolio? What makes a portfolio good and what makes a portfolio great?