30 Portfolio Examples, If You’re Wondering What a Portfolio Should Look Like

Portfolio is a booklet or a digital document that is filled with the things that are needed to show who you are and what you can do as a professional in your field. Having a portfolio when hunting for jobs and branding yourself is essential. It saves time for you when explaining to clients.

When it comes to designing a portfolio, there are various ways and styles. Creating a portfolio differs depending on types of jobs’ and clients’ needs. To know what your portfolio should look like, it is better to look at references or portfolio examples of similar portfolios that you are going to create. 

This is to ensure you do not go down the wrong path that will cost more of your time in making corrections on the portfolio. Secondly, you can get inspired from referring to other people’s portfolio examples as some of them are professionals in their career. You can also learn some great tips and tricks or skills after referring to portfolio examples.

1. Pierrick Calvez, Artist & Designer

If you are looking for some art portfolio samples, you’re in the right place. When you click on Pierrick Calvez’s portfolio, stunning artworks are immediately shown at first before rolling into the descriptions. Its minimalistic and simple design helped show off the artworks even more, as they get all the spotlight. 

Key lessons from this art portfolio example:

• Showcase your very best artwork at the very front of your portfolio. It will serve as the best attention catcher.
• Put effort in the way of showing your artwork to strengthen your works’ usage.

2. Malika Favre, Graphic Designer

This eye-catching portfolio from Malika Favre uses thumbnails in all her graphic designs that can be seen in the portfolio. 

Key lessons from this graphic design portfolio example:

• Make good use of all spaces in your portfolio.
• Colors and arrangements of the works in a portfolio help draw attention.
• Thumbnail pictures and interacting materials help create a fun portfolio.

3. Raewyn Brandon, Graphic Designer

Raewyn Brandon is a graphic designer who’s open for all sorts of projects. She worked with different clients on branding, logos, prints and publication, as well as web design which you can see from the portfolio.

Key lessons from this graphic design portfolio example:

• Create a user friendly portfolio as your works are categorized clearly at the same page.
• Use different font types to deliver different vibes.

4. Draco Wong, Photographer

Draco Wong’s photography portfolio has a very simple and clean design with its works in the background constantly rolling. His license as a professional photographer with many awards are also shown in the very front page, showing viewers his working standards.

Key lessons from this photography portfolio example:

• Give the most outstanding information of your accomplishments and qualifications at first sight to show your skill level.
• Categorize your portfolio clearly into sections that allow viewers to have a comfortable experience.

5. Brandon Woelfel, Photographer

When scrolling down Brandon Woelfel’s photography portfolio, you will be brought into a rainbow road that showers you with highly saturated colors. In this photography portfolio example, we can see how the grid layout effectively showcases the photographer’s photography style effectively.

Key lessons from this photography portfolio example:

• Show consistency in your work on display.
• Contact information and business inquiries section should be tidy and easy to use for further clients to reach out more easily.

6. Kristin Wong, Writer & Journalist

The very first moment when you look into Kristin Wong’s portfolio, you will notice that big industries' logos such as The New York Times, Travel Leisure, and The Cut that she worked for in the past are included, showing she definitely will be the right person to work with.

Key lessons from this writing portfolio example:

• Showcasing people or big companies that you’ve worked with helps showing your experience and skill level.
• Put down the most important content that you want clients to see at the top of the page.

7. Elna Cain, Writer

Elna Cain’s portfolio design uses a lot of paper elements that sends the message of her being a freelance writer. She also wrote a powerful copywriting on her homepage, which is clear, concise and to-the-point, further showcasing her skills as a writer through her writing portfolio.

Key lessons from this writing portfolio example:

• Show clients’ comments of your works and how they found you on your portfolio shows to better promise your work.
• Portfolio does not always have to be fancy in design. A simple portfolio with quality contents may be more suitable for a writer.

8. Murad, Marketing Consultant

Murad’s portfolio is a place that shows how he can help people with their marketing issues. At the top of the portfolio, he clearly lists his main services and links to important information that the viewers of his marketing portfolio might need.

Key lessons from this marketing portfolio example:

• Showcase the fields and services that you are capable of providing services to let clients know what they can get from you.
• Show confidence in your portfolio when putting down your description and self-introduction.
• Using visual icons and logos when listing down information instead of only using words can help viewers understand those names faster. 

9. Michael Antolak, Creative Marketer

Michael Antolak is a marketing professional with more than 7 years of experience in his field, providing services ranging from brand development to graphic design.

Key lessons from this marketing portfolio example:

• Showcasing works from different experiences is a good way to let clients know about your capability fields.
• Including a convincing self-introduction with actual numbers of cases and years of experience can prove more on your experiences. 

10. Rhiannon Navin, Writer

This personal portfolio example Rhiannon Navin is a platform for her to promote the book that she wrote. It is also a place that mainly describes and advertises about herself and her diary.

Key lessons from this personal portfolio example:

• Detailed information of your work can be included when you are promoting or advertising a specific work of yours.
• Including an obvious and effective CTA is a way to engage with your potential clients. 

11. Kristen Lee, Calligraphy & Fine Arts

Looking through Kristen Lee’s personal portfolio, you will find her works and services on calligraphy, portrait art, and pyrography. Each service is divided into different categories for your references.

Key lessons from this personal portfolio example:

• Sometimes a design does not have to be very complicated and filled with colors to be visually beautiful. A design with a style that suits you best can be the best design.
• A brief explanation on the materials used in your works can allow clients to better know what they are looking for. 
• Using pictures of your works that are photographed nicely in the same color tone is a way to let them get into the portfolio.

12. Locomotive, Digital Experience, Web Design & Branding

Locomotive is a Montreal-based web agency. Locomotive’s playful portfolio is skillfully designed, showcasing their award winning designs, websites, and campaigns.

Key lessons from this business portfolio example:

• Be proud of your winning awards and show it out. It helps show your capabilities.
• More effort in eye comforting portfolio creation equals a better viewing experience.

13. Mauro Lorenzo, Graphic Designer

Mauro Lorenzo’s portfolio shows his wide field in graphic design service. While scrolling down, you will be able to see more into the details with the thumbnails on each and every block of his design.

Key lessons from this branding portfolio example:

• A portfolio with a strong personality can better show your enthusiasm in working with clients.
• You may brand yourself with an original character to catch clients’ attention before branding your services and products. 
• Using contrasting colors is a good way to make things pop in your portfolio.

14. Jonny Belton, Freelance Product Designer

Scrolling down into Jonny Belton’s portfolio, you will find his sharings about his thoughts and experiences in product designing. It is quite a fun portfolio as he shows the simplicity in his portfolio since his work focuses on making complicated things easier and simpler.

Key lessons from this product design portfolio example:

• Statistics can be used in a portfolio to show your past progress or your workflow.
• Keep things simple just like this portfolio. Everything that needs to be shown is on the same page, so the readers do not need to navigate too much to find the things that they need.

15. Max Berger, Digital Product Designer

Max Berger is a digital designer who focuses on elevating user experience and system designing.

Key lessons from this product design portfolio example:

• Using word choices such as ‘Hello’ and ‘Hey’ may help elevate the feeling of having an interaction with the author of the portfolio.
• Include a meaningful introduction by compacting important things together.

16. Nike, Sportswear

Nike is a sportswear company. Their website consists of their signature copy and font, with pictures of models wearing their products, which shows their passion and brand vision.

Key lessons from this company portfolio website example:

• Including some inspiring quotes that suit your product or company can draw attention.
• List down the goals and targets that you are aiming for in running the business. 

17. Jane Lee, UX Researcher

Jane Lee’s portfolio is a resume-like information board that basically tells everything that you need to know about her. She showcases her UX skills through the website, which also serves as her student portfolio.

Key lessons from this student portfolio website example:

• Do not be afraid of putting information out on the board. There will always be companies or clients who might be interested in some of your infos, especially if it is related to your education and skills.
• The creation of your portfolio itself can also be a portfolio.

18. Onye Nwabueze, Educator-Turned-Designer

As you look into Onye Nwabueze’s portfolio, you’ll be amazed by its interacting features as you scroll to see more of her self-introduction and the works that she has done.

Key lessons from this student portfolio website example:

• An interactive portfolio shows your effort in creating it.
• If you do not have much content to put on a portfolio, using what you already have to approach a new field is a good way to show creativity and passion.. 

19. Louise Desoeuvre, Fashion Designer

Louise Desoeuvre is a French fashion designer who aims to create extraordinary designs. Her portfolio showcases a series of artistic fashion designs from the same mood. 

Key lessons from this fashion design portfolio example:

• Including the best series of artworks that you want your potential clients to see at the very beginning, then keeping the rest in another category of your works is a good way to create a guidance on what they will see.
• Use photos that are professionally shot to ensure quality. 

20. Valerie Hawkins, Footwear Design Consultant

Valerie Hawkins is a footwear design consultant who creates outstanding classy footwear designs. In her portfolio, she not only showcases images of her works, but also the strategy and concept behind her works.

Key lessons from this fashion design portfolio example:

• Creating a symmetry for a portfolio design may be eye comforting, but creating out of the box shows more design skills.
• Including the details of some works such as color palettes and designs can better tell the concept of your works. 

21. Robby Leonardi, Web Developer

Robby Leonardi is an illustrative designer and animator. This animated game-like portfolio shows his capabilities and skills as an animator and designer.

Key lessons from this programming portfolio example:

• Highly interactive portfolio with a unique substance can relate to 
• Using ideas from popular things such as classical games can get your potential clients to relate more on something that they are familiar with. 

22. Jack Jeznach, Web Developer

Jack Jeznach works on front-end and WordPress development. This portfolio introduces his projects in detail, showing the features, animations, and interactive layouts.

Key lessons from this programming portfolio example:

• When reviewing a portfolio, visual effects are not the only aspect that you can focus on. Adding background music to the portfolio creates enjoyment for the potential clients.
• Originality is key. 

23. Merijin Hoss, Illustrator

Merijin Hoss’s portfolio is a journey of wonder filled with vibrant colors that shows her illustration artworks.

Key lessons from this illustration portfolio example:

• Tidiness and arrangements can affect the overall visual experience.
• Make good use of the white spaces to better show your works. 

24. Ashley N. Diers, Letterer, Illustrator & Adventurer

Ashley’s portfolio is a very lively gallery that showcases most of her wonderful illustrations that she has done for various projects, such as posters, book cover designs, and more.

Key lessons from this illustration portfolio example:

• Call-to-action CTA is very helpful when it comes to interaction with clients.
• Maximize the uses of a website space in creating a portfolio. 

25. Arlen McCluskey, UX Designer

Arlen McCluskey is a very experienced UX designer. This portfolio showcases his redesign project for a better user experience in various applications and systems.

Key lessons from this UX designer portfolio example:

• Showcasing your past collaborations and works with famous companies can help promote yourself.
• The design of the portfolio is very important for a UX designer portfolio. 

26. Moritz Oesterlau, UX Designer

Moritz Oesterlau is a German UX designer that provides tutoring and other design services to create a comfortable user experience system. His portfolio is simple and direct that allows users to know his portfolio’s purposes.

Key lessons from this UX designer portfolio example:

• Presenting works as a case study that includes every detail of your project can be a good option when portfolio making.
• Detailed description of everything can be very helpful for viewers to get to know about the work. 

27. Tunto, Lighting Design

Tunto’s portfolio shows his professionalism in lighting design from the very first moment you get into the web page. He displayed a very well-taken photo of his project that catches the viewer’s eyes from the get go.

Key lessons from this industrial design portfolio example:

• In an industrial portfolio, you want to include some detailed information of the source of the materials and used technologies.
• Highlight your work that you have worked for your clients, it shows credibility and promise.

28. Lafeliz, Furniture, Lighting & Homeware 

Lafeliz’s web page can be viewed in English or Spanish allowing an extra user-friendly experience. It is a classy site that shows the furniture and lighting that they sell.

Key lessons from this industrial design portfolio example:

• Including more language choices in your portfolio can help reach out to users of different languages.
• You may pin down the contact section to help potential clients reach out faster and easier.

29. Tina Guo, Musician

Tina Guo’s portfolio is a full screen scroll-through page which showcases her musical works. She includes attractive images that clearly show the highlight of each project.

Key lessons from this musician portfolio example:

• Including social proof into your portfolio can be a very strong proof of the actual amount of interactions of your works.
• Including a good amount of professional portraits can better leave a good impression. 

30. Aries Moross, Graphic Designer

Aries Moross’s portfolio showcases creative and colorful designs which were used by some big companies like Uniqlo, and Nike. The simple white background makes up the layout of the entire website, allowing the projects to pop up even more.

Key lessons from this graphic design portfolio example:

• Showcase the collaborating works that you have with big industries is very convincing to the viewers.
• Including the date for each work that you’ve made from the past can help show the improvements you’ve made throughout the time.

After reviewing some portfolio examples, you should have a clearer idea of how a portfolio can look like. 

✨ About me page

Give a brief self-introduction of yourself with mostly the important infos.

✨ Resume

Put down everything you have in it using a thumbnail but in word form.

✨ Your best works

Show some selected relevant works that are suitable for portfolio viewing purposes that can better show yourself.

✨ Certificates or licenses

If you have some certificates or licenses from competitions or from joining a course, show it out to show your capabilities.

✨ References or recommendation letters

Including these can help show actual proof of being approved by professionals.

✨ Transcripts or student records

If you are still a student, try filling in your student records to provide more information.

--- Originally written by Ryan Goh ---