Make your graphic design portfolio stand out with our free guide’s key tips.
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Since there are many different types of graphic design—from illustration and animation to branding and package design—your graphic design portfolio’s contents and layout can take many forms. While you can gather ideas and gain inspiration from looking at other designers’ portfolio websites, it’s not in your best interest to copy the style of someone else’s portfolio. Make your portfolio reflective of your own style and talents.
Your portfolio layout should showcase your best work and also provide evidence of your variety of skills and experience. It should also focus on your more recent work. There are three key pages for any portfolio website: a landing page, an about page, and contact page.
Landing page
Pick a template for your portfolio with a landing page that has a clean design and showcases your best work and personality. In a crowded, competitive market, you must make an immediate impact. You are likely one of many designers applying for a job, so a portfolio that reaches out and grabs potential employers or clients can keep them from skipping to the next name on their list.
The landing page is the page that will first appear on your portfolio website, and the first place to catch a visitor's eye. It’s important to feature large images of your work and a small amount of text on the page. Each work featured on the landing page of your portfolio can then open to a new page that provides more context for the project, including:
The scope of the work
Your role in that work
The result it achieved
When determining which works should be featured on your landing page, consider these questions:
What are your biggest, most high-profile pieces?
Which are you most proud of?
Which communicate your mix of skills as well as the types of design that most interest you?
If applicable, what's the most high-profile client?
Make those pieces your headliners. Put them at the top of your landing page, even if they aren’t the most recent things you’ve done. They typically shouldn’t be older than five years, but the featured works on your landing page do not need to be organized chronologically. In most cases, you’ll want to choose between four and 10 of your best pieces to put in front of potential clients.
About page
Your work must be front and center in your portfolio, but two supporting pages that provide information about you are also required. The first is an About page that includes a brief bio outlining your background and your professional goals.
Your About page should include:
Where you live
Where you went to school
Clients and employers, including past employers and any freelance projects with other clients or agencies
The types of work you have done and the type of work are you actively seeking
Awards you’ve won and exhibitions in which you’ve been included
Magazine, newspaper, or online features that have been written about you and your work
Contact page
In addition to an About page, you will also need a Contact page that provides a way for prospective clients to get in touch with you. At minimum, you should include your email address, but you can also include your phone number. With Acuity Scheduling, prospective clients can check your availability and schedule a time to meet. If you are active on social media and display your work there, include links to your social accounts.
You can integrate your contact information on your About page, but it may get lost there. If your About page is rather lengthy, then a separate Contact page will make it easier for clients and employers to find a way to reach you. Like every other page on your portfolio site, make sure the Contact page design also feels in line with your creative brand.