Illustfolio Lumina May Update – What I’ve Been Working On

And there’s a little bonus at the end

Author

Showkaku Sano
May 28, 2025

Hi, this is Showkaku Sano. Here in Japan, the weather has been gradually warming up—and I barely got a chance to wear the spring clothes I bought.

There’s no new feature update this time — instead, I focused on getting the word out and reaching more illustrators who might benefit from Lumina.

If you were hoping for a new release and are about to close this email... please hang in there just a little longer! I’m a solo developer doing everything myself, and this month was dedicated to strengthening marketing.

I’m on X and Instagram!

While development took a short break, I’ve been steadily posting on social media:

  • On X, I share portfolio tips 2–3 times a week

  • On Instagram, I post weekly photos that capture everyday moments with Lumina

If you haven’t followed yet, now’s a great time to check them out:

Interviews with Lumina Users

I conducted interviews with Lumina users to learn more about how they use their portfolios. The conversations gave me great insight—not only on usability, but also on how portfolios are used in their actual creative work.

These findings have already led to a few improvements this month, which I’ll share below.

Improved Comparison Page

Made it easier to see the differences between Illustfolio 3, 4, and Lumina at a glance 🛠

“It's hard to explain how Lumina is different from previous Illustfolio themes.”

I heard this a lot during interviews, especially from people who wanted to recommend it to friends.

So, I updated the comparison for Illustfolio 3 / 4 / Lumina to focus on what new users actually care about. It’s now much easier to understand what makes Lumina unique.

If you ever find yourself recommending the theme to others (which truly means the world to me!), please feel free to use this updated page.

Better Help Page for Updating the Theme

Something surprising I learned: over half of users haven’t updated their theme since purchase. Many said they were worried it might break something if they tried.

So, I improved the [Update the Theme] guide with more detailed steps and clearer explanations.

I also created a short video to walk through the update process. If you’ve been holding off, I hope this makes it easier to try. Updating lets you enjoy all the newest features!

New: “Portfolio Tips” Page

After many interviews, I’ve gotten a much clearer picture of illustrators’ real needs—
things like:

  • How do you currently share your work?

  • What do you hope a portfolio will help you achieve?

  • What made you start thinking about making one?

I realized that the answers to these questions are not only helpful for product development — they might help other illustrators, too.

So, I launched a new Portfolio Tips page on the site, where I’ll share helpful insights from real user stories. Of course, no personal or identifiable information is ever shared.

Whether you’re just thinking about making a portfolio or already have one, I hope this page gives you some useful ideas. Please take a look!

Bonus: My First Prototype

And as a little thank-you for reading this far, here’s a peek at the very first prototype of Lumina.

Prototype created one year ago

This was about a year ago, before it even had a name—it was just called "Illustfolio 5."

I tend to build things before I fully figure them out. I try something, then refine it based on how it feels.

At the time, I thought, “This looks tidy, but it’s missing something.” That question eventually led me to conduct interviews and shift toward today’s core concept of showing both your introduction and your art style together.

That’s it for this month’s newsletter! If you haven’t purchased the theme yet, you can get it here!

See you next time!