How to Create a Website for Portfolio: Simple Tips When You Start from Scratch

Allison Reed

6 years ago

A few decades ago galleries were the only place for artists to display their masterpieces and share talent with the public. The only way to introduce a new fashion collection was to organize a fashion show. To find new clients a designer had to visit numerous agencies with a large paper portfolio. Modern technologies have completely changed the situation. They gave creatives a new convenient means of communicating with the audience and receiving recognition. It doesn’t matter whether you are an artist, photographer, musician, architect, sculptor or designer. In any case, you can bring your art to the masses as soon as you create a website for portfolio.

Whatever art field you represent, this article is for you. Here we’ll give you several tips on building an active online presence to communicate with your audience. Besides, we’ll offer you some marvelous designer portfolio website templates to make a portfolio website that works.

Why Every Artist Should Create a Website for Portfolio

If you still hesitate whether you need to create a website for portfolio, this section is especially for you. In case you’ve already realized its necessity, you can just skip to the next section.

What is the most important thing for any creative person? Is it talent, inspiration or ability to work long hours without rest? Of course, all these things matter. However, they are absolutely useless until an artist has the audience that understands and appreciates his masterpieces.

When you have an online presence, there are no boundaries between your art and the public anymore. Your works can be easily found, shared, “pinned” or “liked” by thousands of people. This means that you can achieve the recognition you’re dreaming of in the shortest time.

What’s more, your online presence gives a unique opportunity to keep in touch with people constantly. Your admirers, fans, and prospective clients will be able to reach you with questions and feedback. As a result, you’ll always be aware of their opinions and expectations. It will significantly help you see the direction to go in your development and growth as an artist.

Why It May Be Challenging to Create a Website for Portfolio

Albert Einstein was one of the brilliant minds that ever lived on this planet. He was a great physician, but Einstein also influenced many other fields. It’s not an exaggeration to state that he had a significant impact on mankind’s history. He died before web design came into the stage. Unfortunately for the design community, his discoveries didn’t have any applications in this domain. However, his wise words did. Albert Einstein said that “imagination is more important than knowledge” and, undoubtedly, he was right again. A part of the design community doesn’t agree with this statement but thinking deeper, it proves to be valid.

It’s true that imagination without knowledge is nothing, but this “gift” is capital for a designer. More or less, each designer must be a creative person. A very challenging task for a designer is to realize a product for someone that, due to his/her job, is considered being even more creative. Indeed, one of the most demanding jobs for any designer is dealing with artists to create a website for portfolio.

It’s common knowledge that an artist’s soul is delicate and subjective. Furthermore, artists’ perspectives differ from the ones that the rest people have. We really appreciate the job of an artist. Nevertheless, creating a personal web page or a photo gallery for a personal portfolio for him or her is a real challenge.

Unquestionably, the own online presence should reflect an artist’s complex personality. Thinking more philosophically, to create a website for portfolio you should locate it at the intersection between two types of imagination. The first one is “immaterial imagination” which allows the subject to transmit new feelings, concepts or ideas. The second one is “material imagination” that is the base of a stunning layout.

Three Pillars to Create a Website for Portfolio That Works

It’s not a secret that there are two ways to go if you want to create a website for portfolio. Firstly, an artist can entirely rely on the assistance of a skillful specialist. He can hire a professional designer to realize the portfolio. In such a case, the main advantage is that the design is going to be unique. Thus, it may better reflect the artist’s requirements.

Secondly, an artist can do without any designers and make use of a handy website builder. As modern website builders don’t require any tech or designing skills, they enable anyone to make highly-functional websites. In this case, an artist will not only get a stunning online portfolio but also save his budget significantly.

Whatever way you choose to create a website for portfolio, there are three must-have features to make it work. The tips that we consider are vital when building an artist’s portfolio. They are not just a few ideas collected from the posts of other blogs. These are the result of the experience and, what is more important, they are coherent and logical. So, let’s focus on them without further ado.An Artist’s Portfolio Must Be Original and Eye-Catching

An artist’s portfolio is an inevitable part of the overall promotional strategy. Therefore, it’s highly essential to make it useful. If you create a website for portfolio that looks dull, it may provoke thoughts that the artist himself is boring. On the contrary, a site which stands out from the crowd will bring lots of benefits to the owner. Any designer should consider this fact and make every item of the layout attract the eye of the viewer.

It’s clear that originality is mandatory when you create a website for portfolio, but it’s not enough. Unconventionality may represent another necessary ingredient for a successful portfolio. The downside of it is that many times unconventional is not compatible with usable. How should a designer escape from this annoying situation? We consider that the answer, as everywhere in life, is in between. The layout should be unconventional enough to let people say “wow,” but not so “wild” to scare them away.

The Portfolio Must Be Following the Artist’s Style

As an artist’s portfolio is a part of the promotional strategy, it should reflect the artist’s style. Do you want to see how it works? Let’s take the example of The Prodigy’s official website (see the picture below) – it fully reflects the style of the band: grotesque and somehow fearful.

Would the same approach be suitable for a more “human” artist as Marc Anthony? Undoubtedly not! His official website is more straightforward, and it is very appropriate for his Latin style.

The conclusion is quite evident. When you create a website for portfolio, it should clearly communicate who you are as a creative. In other words, your works and the style you represent them should go hand in hand. Your online portfolio gives your potential clients a sense of you. It expresses your way of looking at the world and shows the reason to choose specifically you among the rest.

Constant + Instant = Brilliant

It’s a funny and exciting formula. An artist’s portfolio is, in fact, a regular website. Consequently, every principle of a beautiful design also works for this type of online presence. The peculiarity of the artist’s portfolio is represented by the content. It may sound crazy. However, people won’t pay attention to the design as long as it’s decent and following the artist’s style.

Let’s suppose that an ordinary user is searching for some information or he wants to buy a product. In the vast majority of cases, he will ”google” for specific keywords, and he will land on some websites. The easiness of finding what he needs in addition to the design of the site are the main factors in making an opinion about the respective websites.

An artist’s portfolio is a different situation. As usual, fans will visit the portfolio to find out news about the artist and to delight by admiring the latest works uploaded. The design should help but not impress.

In this context the solution is simple. You should update your artist’s portfolio regularly and post any novelty instantly. This is the only winning way for a brilliant artist’s portfolio.

How to Create a Website for Portfolio: Simple Steps to Follow

Frankly speaking, it’s not the most straightforward task to make a great artist’s portfolio. Nevertheless, there’s nothing impossible for a person with a strong desire. In the next lines, we will present our approach to creating a website for portfolio. Indeed, we don’t state that it is the only right solution. So many people, so many minds, they say. However, our tips will be beneficial if you decide to create a website portfolio with an artists website builder.

Choose the Proper Template to Create a Website for Portfolio

As soon as you are ready to create a website for portfolio, your initial step is to find the template. Though there are loads of art gallery website templates, not all of them possess necessary features. Consequently, if you want your online portfolio look brilliant and perform well, you should choose the template carefully. Otherwise, building your website may become a nightmare, and the results may not satisfy you and your audience at all. So, what are the features that distinguish the best portfolio template from others?

First and foremost, a great template should offer a clean and straightforward layout. It will enable you to create a website for portfolio with a clear structure, easy to navigate and interact. Next, the proper template should boast complete responsiveness and cross-browser compatibility. It will ensure that your ultimate website will have an appealing look in any browser and on every device.

Then, the right template should allow you to add various types of content. Undoubtedly, there’s no use of a portfolio if you can’t showcase your works in the format you want. Besides, the template should possess different features for your promotion. These include contact and subscription forms, blog functionality, social media integration, etc.

What’s more, the template you choose should contain helpful tools for SEO-integration. They will let your portfolio appear on the top of the search results. Finally, the template must be easy to customize to save your time and effort.

If you decide to create a website for portfolio with MotoCMS portfolio website builder, you’ll get everything mentioned above. Whatever theme from the portfolio website templates collection you go for, it will do a great job. You will definitely have all the necessary features to create an impressive website.

Customize the Template to Suit Your Needs Fully

The primary goal of your online portfolio is to showcase your creative works professionally. At the same time, it should communicate your style and individuality, thus making you stand out from the crowd. There’s no doubt that you want your online portfolio to look unique and memorable. Your artist website just can’t resemble any other one. That’s why even the most attractive template requires customization to suit your needs in full.

Perhaps, it’s needless to say that aesthetics is important when you create a website for portfolio. Besides, your initial task is to make your works the main focus. Therefore, in the majority of cases, it’s better to stick to minimalism. Pointlessly flashy design can distract the attention of your audience from your masterpieces. What’s worse, it may even irritate them and become a reason for quitting your website. Surely, it’s not the result you want to achieve.

Choose the color palette that doesn’t exceed four colors. Select the fonts (two will be quite enough) following with the message you intend to convey. Don’t neglect the white space. The eyes of your audience should have a place to rest. In a word, remember that you are a person with an aesthetic taste. Your website shouldn’t be too complicated, with lots of bells and whistles. So, mind the limits and never overdo with creativity.

If you choose MotoCMS to create a website for portfolio, you’ll be able to customize every element you want. The process will be neither tiresome nor time-consuming. In fact, you’ll have to make just a couple of clicks each time you wish to make changes. The best thing is that you’ll see all the changes you’ve made at once. Actually, it’s way better to try customizing one of the templates yourself than read about it. Why not experiment right now?

Take Care of Must-Have Pages

It’s quite apparent that there are specific pages that are just a must on every artist website. If you don’t include one of them when you create a website for portfolio, your chances for success will decrease. Of course, we don’t say that you should limit your online portfolio to these pages. We just remind you which pages you just can’t neglect.

Home Page

It’s the first page your visitors see when they come to your website. It forms an initial impression of you as an artist. Moreover, it defines the future behavior of new visitors. That’s why your Home page should be attractive and informative at the same time.

About Me Page

This page is crucial to deepen the interest of those who have already got interested in your works. People visit this page to find out the details such as your brief bio, proficiency, and vision. The absence of this page may make their interest fade away.

Portfolio or Gallery Page

To tell the truth, we think it’s an unnecessary waste of time to talk about the importance of this page. It’s the heart and the soul of your artist website and the basis of your success.

Events Page

This one is vital to keep your audience well-informed about the latest and upcoming events. It doesn’t matter whether you’re going to organize an exhibition, give a concert or hold a fashion show. In any case, you can announce an upcoming event and place a booking button here.

Contact Page

This page plays a crucial role. It keeps you in touch with your audience and enables potential clients to reach you with ease.

If you create a website for portfolio with MotoCMS, you won’t bother your head with building any of these pages. The fact is that every MotoCMS template comes with a complete set of all essential pages. Each page is professionally designed by the team of real pros and is ready for instant usage.

Select Only Your Best Works

Possibly, this step may turn out to be the most difficult one when you create a website for portfolio. It’s not so easy to critically evaluate your works and choose only a few instead of showcasing all of them. Nevertheless, you have to make a choice not to overwhelm your artist website.

To make this process simpler remind yourself of the initial goal of your online portfolio. Your task is to create a clear picture of your unique style, skill set, and creative personality. That’s why you should display only those works that are capable of conveying it to the audience. Therefore, don’t pin your hopes on your favorite pieces. Select those which will attract your targeted audience.

While organizing your portfolio, it’s a good idea to place the most winning works first and last. Firstly, it will maximize visibility. Secondly, people better memorize the first and the last objects they see. Thus, these creative works will be the main ones to form the final impression of the viewer.

Make Social Media Sharing a Part of Your Portfolio

The story that social media is a handy promotional tool is totally right. Hardly are there many people who don’t have at least one account in social networks. Surely, your audience isn’t an exception. An artist’s portfolio must contain social media widgets, and a respective artist should really use these new modalities of getting in touch with the fans.

Integrating social media in your online portfolio will give you two distinct benefits. Firstly, your potential clients will have an opportunity to visit your social media accounts and see more of your works. Secondly, they will be able to share your content in their accounts. As a result, your popularity will rise ten times. That’s why it’s really a winning idea to employ social media integration when you create a website for portfolio.

MotoCMS templates have social media widgets that make sharing possible in one click. Whatever social networks you and your audience prefer, just insert the appropriate buttons and enjoy the result.

Indeed, these are just a few simple steps for a successful start when you create a website for portfolio. However, they are the basis for the rapid promotion of your masterpieces online. Do you have a completely different approach when dealing with such projects? Don’t hesitate to share it with our readers in the comments section below.