What is a Portfolio Website?
How do you showcase your talent if you’re in a creative industry? Where a PA or accountant might send a CV showing their previous roles, you need to prove both your previous jobs and your skills to your potential client. That’s where a portfolio website comes into play. Today we look at what a portfolio website is, why you would need it, and the first steps you can take towards getting one.
What is a portfolio website?
While it is a word which was once only used for artists, a portfolio in the modern work sense refers to any body of creative work you use to show potential clients what you can do. A graphic designer, photographer, or artist might use a portfolio, but so do writers and other content creators, web developers, app developers, and even people like piercers and tattoo artists. It often stands in place of a traditional CV, although it can also be used to augment one.
A portfolio website, obviously, is what happens when you take that body of work into online spaces. Instead of building a ‘standard’ website, most of which are single-page scrollers, you need to consider how best to show off your work through a digital medium.
Considerations before building a portfolio website
Portfolio websites, like the portfolio itself, should showcase something of your creative spirit. Remember, although it’s just the vehicle to display your work to your potential client, it’s also part of the package. While it’s a good idea to create a streamlined, simple-to-use online portfolio that doesn’t distract from your actual work, if the ‘packaging’ is ugly, it’s going to decrease the client’s reaction to your work, too. So it’s worth spending some time designing your portfolio website well.
This means you need to strike a certain balance. Your portfolio website design needs to be practical. It should:
- Be easy and intuitive to use
- Have short load times
- Not distract from your actual work
- Be user-friendly
Yet you should also invest a little time intp an attractive layout that shows some personality. Think of it like finding the right frame for a piece of art.
Next, you need to consider the materials you will be using as a portfolio. Here are some great tips on what should be included in a portfolio. Spend some time writing a compelling statement and history to go with your portfolio items, or get professional help.
If you are in an industry where you can use photography or digital art to showcase your skills- a painter, tattoo artist, sculpture, crafter, graphic designer, or photographer- this is easy. Invest time in getting high-quality, high-resolution, attractively staged pictures of your work. Artists may wish to apply a subtle watermark to guard against art theft.
For industries like writing, content creation, software development, or web design, it can be trickier to decide how to ‘package’ your work enticingly. You’ll probably be linking out to a .pdf or website, but just slapping a hyperlink on the page is boring and ugly. Decide if you want to use thematic art, pixel segments, or other means to create an attractive showcase to your work.
A quick and dirty portfolio website tutorial
With the work done on these key elements, assembling a compelling portfolio website shouldn’t be hard. We assembled some gorgeous portfolio websites to give you inspiration, too. Make sure you have your prepared text and portfolio samples ready to go. A basic understanding of HTML will help, or you might need a pro’s help.
1. Buy a domain name: There’s tips and tricks to choosing a good domain name. Once you’ve decided on yours, buy it. Usually you do this through your chosen website host. The charge to renew a domain name is typically annual.
2. Choose a host: Now you have a domain, but you need hosting. This is billed on a month-to-month basis through your chosen hosting service. We advise buying a domain name and hosting, and not using free hosting, as that doesn’t create the professional air you’re looking for. For more sophisticated users, you may look at a dedicated server, hosting on something like GitHub, etc, but that’s pretty advanced.
3. Create your website: A web developer should probably build their portfolio from scratch, as it offers a smart way to show off your talents. Most of the rest of us will be using a service like Wix, so unless you’re well versed in HTML, CSS, and PHP, look for an attractive template that suits your business and provides space for the portfolio. These are typically image galleries, scrolling carousels, or other features that let you show off a large number of items in one centralized location. Don’t forget to check out those examples we linked to!
4. Upload to your host: Once you’ve personalized your chosen layout, and added the links to your portfolio, you can upload the CSS and HTML, alongside images and other items, to your host’s backend. They can probably give you guidance on this step.
5. Check your site is live: Before you hand out links to your portfolio website, check it’s displaying well on a PC and on mobile devices.
And there you have it! A good portfolio website is a perfect way to showcase your work to potential clients, and every creative should have one.