Newstricky| The right portfolio website can really show off everything that you have done in your career and can make all the difference when it comes to securing a new job role or gaining the freelance client that you have always been after. Building a portfolio website is fine on its own, but you really want to make it beautiful to ensure that it stands out from the crowd. With this in mind, let’s take a look at a few of the basics of building a beautiful portfolio website.
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Ensure it is User-Centered
Of course, it is important that your website is user-centered. After all, the portfolio is for other people to get a sense of what you can do. Therefore, you need to think about everything from the navigation to the UX design. It is always going to be worth taking a look at a professional web development agency such as bluelinemedia.co.uk in this regard. Make sure that you do the extensive testing of the website that will tell you if it is along the right lines.
Avoid Putting in All of Your Projects on the Site
While it may be tempting to try and show off everything that you have done in the past, there is no point attempting to overload the site as you can end up in a situation in which people are not paying enough attention to what you are doing. Therefore, you should really try to treat it as a highlight reel rather than an entire history of your career. As well as the projects themselves, you should also consider the descriptions that tell people what you have done and how you will be able to offer them a unique approach to their own projects in the future.
Trim Down Any Excess Fat
Following on from the previous point, it is more than likely that you are going to add too much to your portfolio site. Therefore, you are going to need to go over it all with the kind of ruthless eye that allows you to see what is relevant and what is too much. In these situations, it is often highly useful to get a second opinion as it is more than likely that another set of eyes is going to see things that you are not. Bear in mind that people are likely to spend only minutes on your site and will not stick around for hours on end to read every single detail of what you have put up.
Create an ‘About Me Page’
As well as pages that display all of the content and the projects, you are also going to want to have the type of ‘about me page’ that gives an overview of your career. On top of this, it should also give a reflection of what sort of person you are. This is the place where many potential clients and employers will gravitate towards, so make sure that it gives off an accurate representation of where you stand and what you are all about.
Provide Testimonials
While bragging about your own work is all well and good, it can often mean so much more if you get the impressions of the people with who you have worked. Getting a short positive quote can often be the difference between people going elsewhere and landing the type of contract that you had always dreamed of getting.
Ensure the Design Reflects Your Personality
The design of the website is going to make such a big impact if you are involved in a highly visual career path, but even if you are not, you should make sure that you have thought about it to the point in which it says everything about you that you would like it too. Keep it all fresh and engaging, and this can really make all the difference.
All of these tips can make such a big difference when it comes to building the type of portfolio website that really gives an accurate reflection of what you are all about and the type of work that you are able to offer. So, create the type of portfolio that you are proud of.
