Portfolio website design
Portfolio web design
Portfolio pages are websites that display a company’s or individual’s work. They demonstrate and showcase a hand-picked selection of projects to show the visitor what the portfolio owner can do. They promote the skills, services, creativity, or goods offered by businesses or individuals.
Whether you are an online business or an individual, an online portfolio can give you a competitive edge in several ways:
- They allow you to show off your talents.
- Since you can put all of your information in one place, it is easier for someone looking for a job to find you.
- They can help you build a brand for yourself.
- You can use them to get more clients.
- They make it easier for people to learn about your work.
- They can help you connect with other professionals.
- You can use them to find new job opportunities.
- They can make you more money.
- You can use them to learn new skills.
- They are a great way to showcase your work professionally.
As web designers, we know the importance of showing our work to potential clients.
Before digital portfolios, it was common for creative professionals to carry around a physical portfolio to show their potential clients. However, with the rise of web design and online technologies, what used to be a physical portfolio can now be shown on the internet.
The digital portfolio allows us to reach a much wider audience for our creative work.
It’s essential to consider the type of content you will be displaying on your portfolio pages. For example, if you are showcasing video or audio content, ensure that your page has a player that allows users to watch or listen to the content. If you are displaying large images, make sure that your page has a high-resolution version that will look good on retina displays.
Portfolio designs may use a grid layout, which arranges items in a symmetrical grid. This type of layout is often used for web design portfolios, as it showcases the designer’s skills and allows them to showcase multiple projects at once.
Other popular portfolio layouts include tiles and masonry layouts. Tiles layout separate items into square or rectangular tiles, while a masonry layout uses columns and rows of varying lengths. Masonry layouts can create a more exciting and visually appealing portfolio.
Portfolio tips
Here are 9 tips for creating the perfect portfolio page:
- Choose your best work to showcase your strengths. If it makes you proud, it should be in your portfolio.
- Who is your target audience? Do your research and make sure the portfolio contains examples of how you can demonstrate you can meet the potential client or employer’s requirements
- Ensure the portfolio has a responsive design and works well on both desktop and portable devices
- Make it easy to navigate and help your audience find what they need. This could be assisted by using categories to group similar projects together or skillsets used. A particular project may also cover several categories or skill set groups.
- Evolution – Seek feedback from professionals, mentors, and clients who offer constructive criticism. Be prepared to update and reflect upon the projects you demonstrate continually. It would help if you always strived to showcase your best work and achievements.
- Let the work speak for itself with the best images, videos, and happy customer testimonials you can find to demonstrate your project work and your creativity.
- Demonstrate growth and improvement – This can be by taking a series of photos or action log progress on projects to demonstrate how you reached your goals. It’s sometimes essential to show the end goals and the evolution of your skills. Be specific on certain elements or descriptions of achievements. This further demonstrates your attention to detail and knowledge of your skilled area.
- Stay current. On industry trends and up-to-date skills and techniques used in your profession or skillset
- Promote your brand – Add URLs to your website, social media pages, business cards, vehicle decals, LinkedIn, etc.
PagesThatConvert.com can help you create a compelling and visually appealing portfolio page that will help you stand out from the competition.
Portfolio web design – Frequently asked questions
Will my portfolio look good on all devices?
Absolutely. All the pages we design, including portfolios will be displayed and scaled responsively across all devices.
Are online portfolios just for visually creative projects?
No, not at all. We help all kinds of individuals and businesses showcase their work. If you are proud of it and you want to show it off, we’ll be able to come up with some ideas on how to best achieve this. Contact us to discuss your ideas or requirements.
What if i don't have much work to put in a portfolio?
Everyone has to start somewhere!
It’s true. When you are just starting out on a profession or venture, you don’t have a lot of work to showcase. We’ve been there!
If you dont have many clients or projects that you have delivered, you need to get out there and make yourself opportunities.
This could be perhaps by agreeing to some work for free or at a heavy discount for permission to feature the work in your portfolio. Or by doing some work for family or close friends. Once you have a few projects under your belt, this is not only good for the experience, but it also demonstrates you are capable and increases trust for any potential new clients.
You don’t need many. Five or six showcased projects in a portfolio and you’ll find demand for your work or services starts to increase.
Can I add videos into a portfolio?
Of course. Anything that shows off your work or tells a success story is a great contribution to any portfolio.
Should I password protect my online portfolio?
Do you work for the secret service, KGB or MI6? Are you Secret Squirrel?
If the answer to any of the above is yes, then maybe you should.
However, for most of us, no. Password protecting a portfolio sounds counter-productive.
You want to use it to showcase your work and to sell yourself and increase any opportunities for anyone who may be looking.
