Top 10 Websites for Online Portfolios

By Erik Schofield on April 27, 2016 No Comments / 9179 views

Article by Win Phyo – Total reading time 5 minutes We take a look at 10 of the best platforms for online portfolios Dear students…we know this might be perhaps one of the most important times of the year for you. Whether you are at the beginning or the end of your student life, you will most likely be trying to get hired for a summer placement, your first job or maybe even on your way to saying bye-bye to University and starting your professional life. It can be an exciting and daunting experience. The job-hunting market can be competitive and you have to know how to put forward your best assets for a potential employer to notice you. Whilst you are busy finishing up your final projects, we aim to help you out with this as much as possible. Your portfolio plays a huge part in this process and by sifting through the World Wide Web, today we bring you the best websites to showcase your work and pave the way for an exciting professional life.

Websites for Online Portfolios

10. Wix Wix has been around since 2006 and has become quite well known over the years. You may recognise this website builder from its SuperBowl advertisement campaign early this year. It provides a simple platform to create a quick and basic website with no coding needed, has tons of templates and is flexible so that you can add personal touches. The unique things about Wix is that they have an App Market and is also one of the few that lets you animate texts and other elements. The downside to Wix is that it does have an ad-free pricing plan and you have to be decisive about your template. If you wanted to change it down the line, you can lose all your content! However, this is a great platform if you want to build a no-fuss, quick and easy portfolio. WATCH >>> Creating a Wix Portfolio: Getting Started

9. Weebly Over the years, Weebly has improved massively and it is a truly simple site for those of us who are not tech-savvy but still want stylish and modern online space to display our work, maybe share some thoughts in a blog-style format or link to other websites. If you want your own domain name, it is free for the first year but the pricing for the consecutive years is manageable. Weebly sites also give flexibility for viewing with other devices such as on your mobile and tablet. They also have an app that allows you to edit your site on these devices too! WATCH >>> How to Build a Weebly Portfolio Website in 5 minutes or less – Website Builders Critic

8. Carbonmade Carbonmade is a unique resource that was born out of a need- one guy wanting an easy and affordable place to put his work online. He decided to make it for himself and due to popular demand became a resource for every designer, artist, makers and mothers out there! The pricing plans starts from $6 a month. Just take a look at their handpicked examples and you will see the kinds of stunning online platforms you can create. WATCH >>> Tutorial: How to make a Carbonmade Portfolio

7. Dribbble Dribbble is like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram combined into one for designers. This is perhaps great for posting “work-on-the-go”, which can then be linked to a bigger platform. The Pro version only costs a mighty $20 a year, which will hardly break your bank account. It is perfect for getting people excited about the work you are doing and testing new ideas, which would be a good to showcase to potential employers as your online sketchbook! 6. Squarespace Squarespace is great if you want to take an active role in crafting the look and feel of your portfolio website. It is minimalistic and favor imagery much more than text, which is exactly what we want so we don’t make people bored! The great thing about Squarespace is the 24/7 online support that you will need if you ever want to venture into trying to build an online website and have those times when you want to pull your hair out. Their pricing plans range from $5 per month to $70 so you are not short of choices. WATCH >>> How to Build a Squarespace Portfolio Website in 5 minutes or less – Website Builders Critic

3. Dropr Dropr is a UK-based start-up- self-proclaimed as “the easy creative network”. Again, this is a free platform that is aimed at the creatives to share their work and stay inspired. The process of uploading your projects seems very straightforward, perhaps even more so than the others, using the process of drag and drop. You can also invite others to edit your project, compile all the projects into a single embedded project, which can be shared elsewhere! 5. Behance Adobe’s Behance is an effective way to showcase your work for free, as well as have this social networking platform. There is also an option to add your previous Work Experience alongside your work. The ProSite offers more options and layout freedom, starting from $9.99 per month, which also includes access to Photoshop and Lightroom. Behance is definitely getting popular amongst many employers and creatives so don’t hesitate to check this one out! WATCH >>> Helpful Tips to create a more successful Behance portfolio

4. Issuu You may all have heard and used Issuu before. It has definitely been a popular choice amongst students and professionals alike- acting as the platform to publish your PDFs and turning them into flipbooks. They also have a great embedded feature that allows you to post your online books elsewhere. If you want an advertisement free plan, it starts at $29.99, which is a little pricey but the free version will allow unlimited publishing. WATCH >>> Landscape Architecture Portfolio

2. Coroflot Coroflot is different from the others as it is also more of a social network platform. It is perfect for those of you who want to upload your work not just until you get a job but consistently stay inspired, connected and updated. You can connect with other creatives, like their work and also get feedback on your work! You may not get much creative control on the layout of the page but it is still stylish enough to compete with the others. The best part is that it is free- you get free unlimited file uploads! WATCH >>> Coroflot Tutorial

1. Cargo Collective The unique thing about Cargo Collective is that it is targeted specifically for artists; to get an account you need to apply or be referred. It is probably one of the most user-friendly, straightforward and simple websites. The free version allows you to post 12 projects and the upgrade is $5.50 per month. The layout varies but images are the central pieces of the site, which is effective for showcasing your work. WATCH >>> Cargo Collective: A stunning web publisher for eye-popping content

So, it all depends on what you are looking for. For example, do you want a platform that allows you to share your work easily and consistently? Do you want to spend time building up the portfolio layout yourself, which may be updated every year hence you only need a simple online platform that allows you to upload what you already have? Are you interested in web design and are interested in how to engage employers on the site? Are you looking to stay inspired constantly and network with other creative? The list goes on… With the way the Internet is evolving these days, we suggest to keep updating your portfolio so your online presence is ever more powerful. The great thing about some of the selections in our Top 10 like Coroflot, Dribbble and Dropr is that they allow you to constantly stay inspired and connected, which is a great way to pave the way of your professional career because who knows where your next inspiration might come from? We suggest that you try out a few for yourself and see which one works best for you. Niala Salhi has also written about essential tips to create knockout portfolio, which would make a great follow-up read to your portfolio development process. These days it is almost essential to have an online presence so use platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Pinterest so you can spread the word about yourself and your work. If you need some advice on the progress of your online portfolio or website selection, our mentors at the Landscape Architects Network Students Group can give a helping hand. Go to comments Recommended Reading: