An online portfolio serves as a dynamic, easily accessible showcase of your skills, creativity, and unique style. It’s often the first impression you’ll make on a potential client or employer, so having a strong portfolio is crucial for success for creatives in every field. 

Build Your Website with Adobe Portfolio 

With Adobe Portfolio, you can build and customize your creative portfolio. Portfolio is seamlessly integrated into Behance, so you can import any projects you’ve published to your Behance profile and save time. 

Upgrade to Behance Pro today to get access to Adobe Portfolio, and to unlock additional features designed to help you accelerate your career including advanced analytics, 0% platform fees on Behance transactions, and more. 

If you’re ready to get started with building your online portfolio, read on for essential tips and best practices. 

1. Define Your Goals

Before you start building your portfolio, take some time to define your goals. Who is the target audience? What kind of work do you want to showcase? What kind of opportunities do you hope to gain as a result of your portfolio? The answers to these questions should dictate what kind of projects and information you include in your website.

Portfolio by Thermal Culture

2. Curate Your Best Work

The strength of your portfolio is determined by your weakest project. Curate at least five complete projects that truly represent the depth and breadth of your skills and style. Each project should showcase a different aspect of your abilities, whether it's your creativity, technical skills, problem-solving abilities, or your unique aesthetic.

Use eye-catching images, and lead with a powerful, overview image of the work. Present the whole piece first, followed by more detailed shots, and share insights into your creative process that gives context and creates a memorable story about the work.

Portfolio by Julia Laich

3. Make it Relevant

Think about the kind of projects you want to be hired for, and tailor your portfolio to include work that’s relevant to those opportunities. If you’re breaking into a new field and don’t have any client projects yet, include personal projects or test projects that demonstrate your creative and problem-solving skills, as well as your understanding of the industry you’re looking to break into.

Portfolio by Simona Smatana

4. Focus on The Work

When creating your site on Adobe Portfolio, you can choose from a selection of customizable themes that are optimized to showcase your creative work. Most website visitors spend less than a minute browsing, so we recommend making your navigation simple and to the point: collections of work, an about page, and a way to contact you. By keeping design simple, your work can take center stage. 

Portfolio by Liam Huff

5. Organize Your Work

Consider organizing your work by field to help visitors navigate through your portfolio. On Adobe Portfolio, you can curate your Pages into Collections. For example if you’re a multi disciplinary artist, you can have collections that group together different fields you work in, like graphic design and illustration, or you can separate client work and personal projects. 

Portfolio by Tatiana Vovchek

6. Update Regularly

Your portfolio is a living, breathing document. Regularly review your portfolio to reflect on your goals and assess its impact. As you progress and create new work, remove older or weaker projects to make room for new work that better represents your current abilities and style. 

Portfolio by Julia Vasaki

7. Get it Seen

Now that you’ve done all the hard work to create your portfolio, don’t forget to promote it! Share it across your social media channels, incorporate a link in your email signature, and don't hesitate to directly contact potential clients or employers to introduce them to your work.

Portfolio by Aurore Miot

Your portfolio is your creative shop window: it's always on, 24 hours a day, working to showcase who you are and what you can do. By keeping your portfolio fresh and engaging, you can attract more attention from potential clients or employers and position yourself as a top contender in your field.

Learn more about how to get started with Adobe Portfolio. 

Upgrade To Behance Pro 

Upgrade to Behance Pro today to unlock access to Adobe Portfolio, as well as new premium features like advanced analytics dashboards on Behance, 0% platform fees, and more.