How do you prefer to have a portfolio websites organised all work on one page or split up by category?
I’ve seen some portfolio sites where the persons work is all on one page typically in a grid layout but I’ve also seen online portfolios where there’s a page of categories (ux/ui, illustration, animation, etc) clicking each one will go to a list of work
What do you prefer seeing everything on one page or organised
Replies20
- You can have both! You can have an overview page (perhaps on your homepage) that quickly shows and summarises the range of work that you do/skills you have and then have specific category pages that have more examples and goes into more depth for each if people want to learn more.
- Hello Rahul,Great question, personally I think it depends on the individual and what work you are showing. If someone has a lot of a certain kind of work then it’s probably worth categorising the work so the site is easier to navigate. However, most peoples portfolio is a diverse range of work and can cover many different disciplines and style, so a grid layout would be best, and just labelling at the top of the project is a much cleaner way of showing what you did on a project. Hope this helped Many thanks
- Hi Rahul,Our portfolio is divided into four verticals…Fashion + Lifestyle / Sport + Automotive / Live Events + Broadcast / Agency + Corporate.We felt this was an efficient way for our clients, both existing and propsective, to see examples of our work that would relate to their requirements. We offer a wide range of content creation services and thus we felt this was the most suitable way to get the relevant projects in front of them.Hope this helps!
- Hi Rahul,I would choose a grid gallery for the following reasons:- it is easy for people to find what they want quickly- it looks great- it shows off your scope of work in a simple and organized way- grid galleries are responsive so navigates well when people are looking at your website on different devicesI hope that helps ;)
- Hi Rahul,I use a template that shows a grid over view but also colates the work into different subjects, that way people can approach the site either way.
- @Adam Gordon I didn’t think about looking it through the idea of not having time thank you
- @Harriet Anstruther hi that’s an interesting perspective really appreciate it thank you
- As a consumer hiring creatives, I'd rather see a selection, because you don't always know what you're looking for and it's nice to see a breadth of work. It gives you an idea of the person overall and allows for surprise.
- Hey RahulThink it just depends on how much work you have and whether it is in clear different categories (if so, yes good to separate, I would say).The key thing though, is just making sure it's simple and fast to navigate through, however you do it. Design it assuming the viewer only has a very small amoung of time to form their initial opinion - hopefully people spend longer, but start low and then anything extra is a bonus!
- Agree with a lot of the points below – what are you trying to say about yourself? Crucailly, whom are you trying to say it to? What will capture their attention? What do they care about/want to see? Do you categorise by problems solved? Impact had? Speed? If the site is for potential clients or employers, remember that people look very, very quickly, so you need to get your point across very quickly. Other designers will take the time to browse, employers/clients may not. One other point is that categorising by client generally doesn't make that much sense to employers (unless they are massive clients anyone on the planet would have heard of).
- Hi Rahul,For graphic designer I prefer to see everything in one place so I can assess their level of ability and how flexible their style is before digging deeper into individual projects. Make sure you don't have too many options and only pick your best stuff that is 100% your original work! The ability to click and go into separate categories if you're providing UX / animation / illustration / branding is handy if you're a designer with many strings to your bow as it does help out people looking for one specific area.All the best,Katie
- Hi RahulI think it really depends how much work you have. Personally I think a categorised portfolio is better so that the viewer can focus on the area that interests them first and then if they are keen to know more they're likely to work their way around the rest of your site. When I'm looking to commission an illustrator then that's what I'll want to see first and foremost. That said, if you don't have much work yet then perhaps the best option in the short term would be everything on one page - a category with only one project might look a bit thin on the ground and show a lack of experience in that area.Cath
- Given the volume of your work you would want to structure it to bring attention to your creative skills and visual flair. Having a strong landing page will encourage potential clients to want to view more so lead with what catches your eye and inspires you.
- This depends on how you want to market yourself, and what your employment aim is. Do you want to be a "jack of all trades"? Do you want to do something specific?A general notion when deciding how to structure a portfolio or your brand, is: "How can I show my skills and personality in the most direct way possible?".If you've got a large volume of work in each category, then split this up, as a potential employer may be looking for strengths in one particular area.If you're more of a jack of all trades, a one pager with some clear labelling about what skillset was used.
- @Alex Abadjieva has a very important point.In addition, decide how you market yourself. If you want to work as an artist (who might be commissioned by brands or agencies) then a sense of your artistic voice is what you need to immerse people in.If you're pitching yourself as a professiona catering to the creative industries, people will be looking for specific experience and categories can help them see that you can do what they need.In any case, there needs to be an instant visual wow moment.
- Here is my website as an example to see I have organised my work. It’s a work in progress but hopefully of some help too!www.joshuajameshart.com
- @Rob Wright good point thanks I did think from and interception point of view for the variety of work I have on my website its easier to navigate if they’re organised separatelyThanks for the reply!
- Everyone’s different, but I’m not sure it matters at all to me, Rahul.You’re a UI designer. So as long as you can help me navigate easily from job to job, dig deeper if there’s more to see on each, & get back to browsing with ease, I’ll be happy.What would be an issue is if as a UI designer you didn’t tick those boxes, is all…
- @Alex Abadjieva hello thanks for the reply a very good point
- Hello! I think It depends how many projects you have. If you have more than 4 in each category that your really proud of then do it by category. But, if you only have a few good ones in each then I think it’s best to just have them all together. Good luck!
You must sign up or log in before you
add a comment.