Best Portfolio Websites

Building a personal portfolio can be a great way to boost up your career, showcase your skills whilst applying to a university or college, or even start a business, too. Before getting into some portfolio creation processes, however, there are a few things you should do - one of them being looking at the best portfolio websites out there.

What’s the point in doing that, you may ask? Well, it’s pretty simple, really - to not only get some inspiration for your own portfolio, but to also learn about the best ways of going about creating a website like that, and the best website builders to use for this process, too (such as Squarespace or Zyro).

In this article, we’ll be looking at 25 of the best portfolio websites, and seeing if there are any that would suit your type of portfolio. First things first, though - let’s discuss the intricacies of creating personal portfolio websites.

The Best Portfolio Websites: What Defines a Site Like That?

While there are many angles from which you can approach the topic of how to create the best portfolio websites out there, it’s crucial that you first take the time to understand and figure out the “background” processes, too.

What are these processes, you may ask? Well, for starters, you should narrow down your niche.

Portfolio website examples can include everything from nature photography all the way to own’s created music examples or even some online business portfolios, too. As you can probably imagine, all of these types of portfolio websites are going to be quite different from one another.

Once you’ve figured out the niche that you plan on focusing, the next step is to take the time, put in the research and figure out the best website builder that you could use in order to create your own, personal portfolio websites. The top choices include Squarespace, Zyro, and Webflow.

This step is very important, since different builders are going to be good for different types of websites. There are site creation tools that are specifically dedicated to photography, music, paintings, business-related information showcasing, and so on.

Naturally, there are also some more-general website builders out there, too - it all depends on your preferences. Still, whatever the case might be, make sure to look into the topic in question!

Once that’s done, all that’s left is for you to figure out how you can make your site to be one of the best portfolio websites on the web. There are many ways to go about it, sure, but a great way to start is by looking at some other portfolio website examples.

Let’s get right to that, shall we?

1. Active Theory (activetheory.net)

Truly one of the most unique sites on this list, activetheory.net offers visitors to look through various different pieces of work, all unique in their own nature. Having said that, the design of the site is what’s truly unique here - it’s incredibly interactive, and while the UI isn’t exactly my cup of tea, the visuals are simply too stunning not be amazed.

2. MDZ Design (mdzdesign.com)

mdzdesign.com is a great example of what some of the simpler versions of the best portfolio websites that are related to business should look like. The site is to-the-point, doesn’t boast some fancy design ideas, but provides clear and concise information about the creator.

Made with: Pixpa

3. Marcus Artis (marcusartis.pixpa.com)

Marcus Artis creates logos, labels, marketing and packaging designs, and some other industry-specific projects. The website is very straightforward (that’s a term you’ll probably hear me use a lot when talking about the best portfolio websites), and showcases all of the designs in a simple-to-view manner.

Made with: Pixpa

4. Merijn Hos (merijnhos.com)

A site full of various illustrative designs, merijnhos.com offers a very clear and simple visual layout. Once you press on one of the thumbnails, you’ll be redirected into a separate page containing some more information (and examples) of that design. Surely one of the better portfolio website examples!

5. Mingfei Yang (1monkeyarmy.com)

A site run by the game level designer Mingfei Yang, 1monkeyarmy.com showcases a variety of different game designs, all of which are accessible via the homepage section. Also, you can browse the site to get more information in designated sections, too.

6. Kim Dero (kimdero.com)

A very aesthetically-pleasing site, kimdero.com offers visitors the opportunity to view through Kim Dero’s product designs. The grid in which the products are showcased is very straightforward, but that’s the actual beauty of it, too.

Made with: Pixpa

7. Studio Thomas (studiothomas.co.uk)

studiothomas.cu.uk is a unique website showcasing various different designs and ideas. The layout of the site is very interesting, and while the scrolling experience might feel a bit awkward at first, it’s actually one of the more original examples when it comes to the best portfolio websites on this list.

8. Michael Collins (michael-collins.pixpa.com)

A pretty simple and straightforward website showcasing the work of a creative director. The grid layout is pleasing to observe, and the site itself does a good job of showcasing the work of the person behind it.

Made with: Pixpa

9. Thida Ungtrakul (thidadesigns.com)

A fun and interactive website, thidadesigns.com is both animated in parts, and also presents some still images, too. The color scheme of the website fits the overall theme, and the illustrations themselves look great, too.

Made with: Pixpa

10. Pollen (pollenlondon.com)

A dark-themed site, pollenlondon.com is exceptionally appealing in how it manages to integrate video format into its homepage, thus creating a pretty solid image of the brand, in general. It invokes emotion right from the get-go - a very nice example of one of the best portfolio websites!

11. Fake Honey Pictures (fakehoneypictures.com)

fakehoneypictures.com showcases some short documentaries on its homepage - while the color scheme might require some adjustments, the layout is simple, which is one of the more important aspects when trying to invite the visitor to view your work.

Made with: Pixpa

12. Robin Mastromarino (robinmastromarino.com)

Surely one of the fancier websites on this list, robinmastromarino.com boasts an interesting, interactive design that, if anything, surely gets the visitor interested to venture further on into the site. In regards to the best online portfolio sites, it’s definitely an interesting option!

13. Buzzworthy Studio (buzzworthystudio.com)

Buzzworthy Studio is a marketing agency. Its website design is elaborate, to say the least, but in the best way possible. While it is a marketing agency, anyone could get inspired by this interactive design choice and use something similar for their own, personal portfolio websites.

14. Chris Tammar (christammar.com)

Probably the simplest website on this list, chirstammar.com shows us that you don’t really need flashy graphics or some alternative scrolling mechanisms to convey the message of your work to the world. Simple, yet functional - a good alternative!

Made with: Pixpa

15. Obladee (obladee.co.uk)

If there’s one thing that I’m a sucker for when it comes to website design options, it ha to be dark themes and matte-dark visuals. That’s what you get upon visiting obladee.co.uk - the website looks very professional, and is inviting to the visitor. Surely a nice addition to the list of the best portfolio websites!

Made with: Pixpa

16. Matthew Park (matthewparkart.com)

Matthew Park runs one of the simpler sites on this list. It fits right next to all of those online portfolios that rock a pretty straightforward layout with a side-by-side product showcase grid. It’s great - easy to look at, informative, and tells you all that you need to know without using too much text.

Made with: Pixpa

17. RoAndCo (roandcostudio.com)

roandcostudio.com is modern and sleek, offering users to view through a variety of different photo and video content right there, from their homepage. It’s interactive, responsive and provokes the feeling of professionalism - if that’s what you’re looking for in the best portfolio websites, then RoAndCo might be a great example.

18. Allysa Johnson (allysa-johnson.pixpa.com)

Allysa Johnson is an interior designer, and showcases her work on her own, personal online portfolio. While the site isn’t necessarily all that visually-appealing upon first visiting the homepage, as you go through Ms. Johnson’s work, it becomes much more interesting and fun to look at.

Made with: Pixpa

19. Mister (mister.studio)

mister.studio is extremely simplistic and straightforward - frankly, all you get is a single page to view some designs, and to read up on the brand behind them. While it may be seen as a bit of a bold choice, it is actually refreshing, since many of even the best portfolio websites tend to be loaded with multiple pages to go through.

20. Justin Maelzer (justin-maelzer.pixpa.com)

If you’ve started noticing a trend with Pixpa, you’re right - there is one here. Pixpa sites, however, are great examples of what a very simple, yet inviting version of an online portfolio should look like. The same applies to justin-maelzer.pixpa.com, too - the work from this graphic designer is easy to view, compare and contrast.

Made with: Pixpa

21. Leslie David (leslie-david.com)

leslie-david.com is a great example when it comes to the best portfolio websites simply because it shows how to manage personal portfolios with professional, career-oriented ones. While the site could definitely use a new hosting provider (it’s very slow), the above-expressed sentiment still stands.

22. Locomotive (locomotive.ca)

locomotive.ca is quite different from many other portfolio website examples on this list. Frankly, that’s because the site is quite… Flashy. Upon entering, you’ll be greeted by an absolute boom of imagery, videos and even confetti - yes, seriously. Having said that, if anything, it sure does catch one’s attention.

23. Elizabeth O’Meara (lizzybdesign.pixpa.com)

This particular design greets visitors with a horizontally-scrollable carousel that showcases the author’s work. While horizontal designs are usually discouraged, lizzybdesign.pixpa.com is an example of how to do it right.

Made with: Pixpa

24. Malika Favre (malikafavre.com)

Malika Favre is an absolutely amazing visual artist - her website extends this notion quite well. The website showcases the artist’s work in a very flattering manner - upon clicking one of the thumbnails, you get redirected to a separate page to view more work from that specific collection. An amazing example of one of the best portfolio websites out there!

25. Brandon Perez (brandon-perez.pixpa.com)

brandon-perez.pixpa.com, as the name likely implies, is yet another Pixa portfolio. It’s unique in the sort of design options that it uses, and the layout is interactive and rather fun to use, too. Clicking on one of the images will direct you to a different section of the site so that you could view more work from the artist.

Made with: Pixpa

Conclusions

That concludes our list of the best portfolio websites out there. I hope that this experience was truly inspirational to you!

Table: Examples of some of the best website builders on the market

Remember - one of the core tools that you’re going to need in order to build some best online portfolio sites is a reliable website builder. Whether it be Zyro, Squarespace, or any other builder, make sure to do your research and pick the best one for yourself!