I am working on an article about “Don’ts” for online portfolios. While I was working on it, I found loads of information. So instead of just one article, this topic has turned into a series. I am starting the series by discussing some very cool online portfolio communities. Online portfolio services allow you to easily add projects and showcase them in a simple, clean format. This is a good option for anyone without the time, money and/or skills to create a customized portfolio from scratch.
There are many choices available, but I have narrowed the list down to my four favorites. I based this on usability, community and overall aesthetics of the portfolios you are able to create with the service.
- Carbon Made makes it super-easy to quickly create a very professional-looking portfolio. For free, you get 5 projects with up to 35 images. For a quite reasonable (I think, anyway) $12 a month, you can showcase 50 projects with 500 hi-res images and 10 high-quality videos.
- FigDig is a new service that allows you to create your portfolio in HD for free. You only get 8 images, but as I mentioned above, you should stick to just your best projects. Because it’s so new, FigDig still has some stuff in Beta, but it has the potential to become a robust, interesting community for those wanting to showcase their work. This site also includes a “projects” section (in beta) where potential clients can post their projects and accept bids from anyone with a portfolio on the site.
- With nearly 100,000 users, Coroflot is a free, thriving community for online portfolios and creative jobs. Your uploads are unlimited with Coroflot, butOne of my favorite things about this site is that you have built-in stats for your portfolio without having to add any extra code.
- Behance might just be my favorite of all the choices. Though it’s still in beta, this free network of online portfolios is popular, feature-full and just plain fun to look at. The only thing is, you have to be invited to join. You can request an invite on the main page. I haven’t done this yet because I’m working on my own design, but every time I look at the site I almost change my mind. If you don’t have an invite, I suggest trying to find someone who has some – try Twitter or other social media sites. For now, you can sign up as a Watcher and just check out some of the really awesome portfolios on the site.
Though there are some obvious drawbacks to using an online portfolio service – like not being able to use your own domain name – for some people this is the perfect solution. You can customize your portfolio enough to make it stand out, but you don’t have to spend a ton of time (or learn the skills) planning and designing it. The other great thing about these sites is that you immediately become part of an online community that allows you to find new creative contacts, pick up new projects and showcase your work without having to rely completely on your own advertising.
Print This Post
If you enjoyed this post make sure you subscribe to my RSS Feed