The staff at Juxtapoz looks at a lot of artist's portfolios and we always try to stress the importance of having a clean, straightforward and functional website. It's an essential tool that can play a large part in how successfully your promote and showcase your work. It can mean the difference in attracting clients and having your work shared and written about on blogs and art websites...
The staff at Juxtapoz looks at a lot of artist's portfolios and we always try to stress the importance of having a clean, straightforward and functional website. It's an essential tool that can play a large part in how successfully your promote and showcase your work. It can mean the difference in attracting clients and having your work shared and written about on blogs and art websites. While there are many options out there for building websites and online portfolios and we recommend you do some research to see what works best for you, we have always thought very highly of the approach Squarespace has taken to providing a simple and well-designed platform for building an online portfolio. So, here are 5 tips that make for a great portfolio website:
1. Navigation
Make it easy for visitors to your website to find what they are looking for. If they saw a piece of your art on Instagram or Tumblr and want to find out more, don't make them dig through your website to find out who you are and see more of your work. We suggest keeping it as simple as possible, bringing us to our next couple of points...
1. Large High Quality Images
This is your portfolio and you want to show off your artwork. Whether you are a photographer, illustrator, or painter, having large images that are in-focus and the proper resolution can make a huge difference. There are times when we have found an artist whose work we like but hesitate to post because of bad photography or small images.
3. Bio and CV
Spend some time writing an interesting bio or "About" section. It's nice to know your name and where you are based but this is also your chance to let a little of your personality shine through. We've seen a lot of goofy About sections and even more dry, uninteresting artist statements. Something in between is best. It's important to come across as professional but also to help potential fans, clients or galleries get a sense of who you are. If you have experience showing in galleries or working for specific clients, an easy-to-read CV is also essential. If you have links to articles you have had written about your, that can also be extremely helpful.
4. Responsive Design
Keep in mind that people are not only going to be looking at your website on a desktop computer. In fact, the majority of people will probably open it up on their phones or tablets. There is no reason to not have a website with responsive design. For example, every template on Squarespace is mobile-ready with no extra work for you. It's as easy as finding the right website builder that is the fit for you and offers the right tools.
5. Social Media
When was the last time you looked at Instagram? Maybe fifteen minutes ago? Five? Probably closer to 30 seconds, while you were at that stop light (don't do that). It's no secret that people spend the majority of their time online looking at social media and that it is where you can reach the most people with your art. But these outlets for showcasing your work should compliment, not replace having a website. Make your website the center of your line identity and integrate your social identity with your website. Make it easy to find your social media accounts on your website and vice-versa.
We hope that the above tips have been helpful whether you already have an online portfolio or not. If you are shopping for a new one, do some research, read people's reviews and find the one that is the right fit for you. If you are interested in trying out Squarespace as an option, they make creating a beautiful portfolio, blog, and even online store easy without even touching a line of code. They handle some of the most intimidating parts of creating a website including content management, hosting, domains, social integrations and e-commerce. You can showcase your artwork beautifully with full-screen presentations, dynamic slideshows and a responsive design that will look good no matter what kind of device is being used to view it. All you have to do is drag-and-drop your images and Squarespace will take care of the rest. And seamless social integration allows you to connect with your social media audience whether it's Instagram, Tumblr, or Facebook.
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