Contributing to open source is fundamentally about making meaningful improvements to projects you care about. By sharing your ideas, collaborating openly, and inviting others to engage with your work, you create opportunities to grow as a designer while helping the community thrive.
Unlike traditional personal branding, building your presence in open source is less about selling yourself and more about showing up authentically. It’s about making meaningful contributions and sharing your process in ways that help others, creating a foundation of trust and collaboration.
This chapter explores how you can work in public, share your journey, and build genuine relationships that make an impact — not just for your projects but for your career and community.
Working in Public
In open source, working in public means sharing your progress, challenges, and successes in real time. Every contribution — whether it’s a design tweak, documentation updates, or thoughtful feedback — becomes part of your public record. This transparency builds trust and allows others to learn from your process and experience.
But transparency doesn’t mean increased visibility. Simply having your work in public repositories isn’t enough — it should also be accessible and inviting. Consider creating a work log where you document your decisions, challenges, and lessons learned. For example, Christoph and Mogashni from the Bitcoin Design Community publish regular updates that offer insights into their design processes, turning their work into valuable resources for others interested in similar projects.
Authenticity is key here. When you share both your wins and your struggles, you show others the real work that went into your designs. This transparency results in a type of organic self-promotion which also inspires trust and encourages collaboration. Start small: document one project or share a reflection on a recent challenge. Then, let your presence grow naturally within the community.
Sharing Your Process
The process is just as valuable as the final product. When you share your process, you help others understand not only what you did but why and how. This builds collective knowledge, fosters collaboration, and invites feedback that can improve your work.
Start by documenting your experiences in ways that feel natural to you. Maybe write a blog post about a design problem you solved, a guide for new contributors, or a tweet thread about a recent experiment. Instead of focusing on perfection (or views), focus on being helpful — share your thought process, the problems you encountered, and the lessons you learned.
For example, you could write:
- A case study on improving a UI component: ‘How I redesigned the onboarding flow to reduce user confusion.’
- A guide for beginners: ‘Confused about what Bitcoin design project to contribute to? I was too. Here’s how I chose one’
When sharing your work or insights, focus on creating value for others than being self-promotional. When you document your work authentically and with purpose, you naturally demonstrate your expertise and invite others to connect.
Building Relationships
Open source is not just about code or design — it’s about the people. Collaboration C4 and trust are the foundation of any thriving project, and the relationships you build here can shape not only your contributions but your growth as a designer.
To build meaningful connections, focus on being present and genuinely helpful. Share your knowledge, ask thoughtful questions, and engage in discussions that matter to the community. Whether you’re reviewing pull requests, offering design feedback, or helping someone with a tricky issue, your interactions can leave a lasting impact.
You can connect with others in the open source community in many ways. You can join project-specific chat channels, participate in community calls, or attend conferences and meetups (consider presenting your work as well). Organizations like Open Source Design regularly host events and maintain lists of opportunities to get involved. The more you immerse yourself in the community, the more you’ll find doors opening to collaboration, opportunities, and projects where you can make meaningful contributions.
Finding Your Path
Every designer's journey in open source is unique. Some find joy in diving deep into a single project, shaping its growth over time. Others like to explore diverse projects, offering fresh perspectives to different communities. The key is to experiment, reflect, and discover where your contributions feel the most impactful.
Think about the unique strengths you bring to the table. Are you skilled at simplifying complex workflows, crafting engaging visuals, or creating detailed documentation? Let your work naturally reflect your skills and interests. Over time, your contributions will speak for themselves, showcasing your expertise and dedication.
Rather than focusing on “branding” yourself, focus on showing up authentically. By sharing your work and building connections with purpose, you’ll create a presence that resonates deeply with others and leads to meaningful collaborations.
Growing Career Opportunities
Contributing to open source can create various opportunities for growth. Many companies value open source experience C2 because it highlights your practical skills, collaborative abilities, and initiative. Your contributions become a natural portfolio, demonstrating your unique approach to design and problem-solving.
Beyond traditional job roles, open source can lead to freelance gigs, invitations to collaborate on exciting projects, or funding through grants and fellowships. The relationships you build here often become a bridge to unexpected possibilities.
However, it’s important to approach open source with the right mindset. While career advancement is a huge benefit, the most fulfilling path often begins with valuable contributions. When you contribute meaningfully and engage authentically, professional growth often follows as a natural consequence.
Balancing Visibility and Values
Unlike traditional spaces where personal branding can take center stage, open source thrives on values like transparency, collaboration, and shared success.
Here’s what meaningful visibility looks like in this context:
- Being Transparent: Share not just the results of your work but the journey — your process, decisions, and learnings along the way.
- Attributing People: Acknowledge those who inspire or contribute to your work. Open source is built on the shoulders of collective effort.
- Collaboration Over Competition: Prioritize the success of the project and the community, rather than personal recognition.
- Being Humble: Stay open to feedback, new ideas, and alternative approaches — it’s in these moments that growth happens.
By aligning with these principles, you’ll naturally become a trusted and respected member of the community. In open source, your work speaks louder than any self-promotion. It’s about meaningful participation that leaves a lasting impact.
Looking Forward
As you continue your journey in open source design, keep in mind that building presence in the community is a gradual process. Focus on making meaningful contributions, sharing knowledge that helps others, and building genuine relationships. Your influence and opportunities will grow naturally from there.
Whether you're just starting out or are already deeply involved in open source, there's always room to grow and new ways to contribute. Stay curious, keep learning, and most importantly, keep contributing to the projects and communities you care about.