Modern web designers surprise us with the diversity, incredible style, and uniqueness of their portfolios. You can find real masterpieces among them that will inspire you to develop your creation, find new solutions and just stay up to date.
Portfolios should include only the best work. This is due to the fact that not every visitor of the site is ready to look through the entire list of works from start to finish. That is why it is so essential to present them in the most favorable light to create all conditions for potential clients for remembering your site and projects in particular. Experienced web designers always adhere to this golden rule, choosing only the most worthy work for the viewer's eyes. So, this article contains five standout examples of beautiful web design portfolios that inspire creative innovations in web design. Here are both trends and new solutions. We hope it will help you update your vision.
Inspire yourself with work of talented people
Tara Pixley
Tara Pixley is a photojournalist and professor of visual journalism. She has more than a decade of experience as a photographer for various international news organizations. Her other work, such as documentaries and scripts, has also received an international reputation. One of her articles was even awarded the best B2B article. Tara Pixley's portfolio website uses horizontal scrolling to navigate it. It's a pretty exciting novelty compared to the usual vertical scrolling that most sites have, and it certainly makes this website memorable.
Erik Andersson Architects
Erik Andersson Architects is a studio in Stockholm that has worked on various projects from infrastructure to furniture design. The studio has been invited to several Swedish and international design competitions and has won many awards. Their portfolio site has a clean, minimalist web design with a user-friendly navigation system. Visitors do not have to explore the area for long, as all works are combined into clear categories that visitors can easily navigate through.
Ashley Proulx
Ashley Proulx practices systems design, visual brand strategy, and packaging design. As a designer, she focuses not only on producing unique websites and logos. She is also a social activist and a volunteer interested in fighting inequality. On the page about herself in her web design portfolio, she laconically describes her experience of studying at the university and leaves the best feedback on her work. Then there is a section directly with the portfolio, where you can find clickable pictures with examples of work so that users can go to the page and watch her work in detail. The link to contacts is allocated in the upper right corner. It does not attract much attention, but in this way, the designer will be sure that the client is interested in collaboration.
Studio Schurk
Studio Schurk is a modern animation and illustration studio. Studio Schurk was founded by talented illustrator Miriam Knijff and animator Wendy van Veen. You can see it right away on their homepage, which has a few examples of their work in the background. Scroll down a bit to see their animation in action, as well as their projects and portfolio. If you have a business similar to Studio Schurk, putting a few examples of your work on your homepage can give potential clients an idea of your studio's capability.
Paris American Academy
It is a bilingual design academy in Paris, founded by the American Richard Rey in 1965. Here you can enjoy his black and white minimalist flat-site with soft effects. The stylish and solid design uses non-standard markup and easy navigation, animated geometric shapes in the background, and material style elements.
Tips on how to make your web design portfolio beautiful
We have defined universal principles to help showcase your accomplishments through an impactful web design portfolio. These tips will work for illustrators, freelance designers, architectural, art studios, and other creative industries.
The general purpose of presenting work is to impress with the presence of particular details. Looking at the work, the viewer must clearly understand that the solution was not taken from the ceiling, that it was found and worked through.
Spectacular main picture. Start your presentation with it. Remember that your task is to create a mood, impress the user and engage in viewing.
A meaningful headline. A simple way is to use an ordinary, functional headline. It's great if you can add some intrigue, but in a way that doesn't lose its meaning.
Introduction. Two or three sentences clearly describing the essence of the project.
Rationale. A description of the problem and the chosen solution. It is not required to demonstrate your literary talent, and the description should be academic. The title and the introduction should "sell" the work and the rationale to dive into the essence and explain the main problem.
A step-by-step demonstration of the solution with comments. You can comment details on the layout - put arrows and sign what it means. A general rule is to write laconically.
If your portfolio is modern and easy to remember, you will get a lot of benefits from it. Your online web design portfolio can:
- attract clients. An informative site with good SEO will rank excellent in search results, offering your work to a broader audience.
- Make you look more professional. Portfolio sites are a great way of demonstrating your experience. Showcase your credibility and skills in your industry, and include case studies if possible.
- Help you keep track of your accomplishments. Updating your portfolio site regularly makes it easier for you to prepare for interviews and helps you keep up with your professional development.
Give free rein to your creativity. Observe, try, and experiment to get a unique portfolio that amazes your web site viewers!