WordPress is the perfect Content Management System (CMS) to set up a portfolio. You can easily build a WordPress site with a modern theme and then start creating a gallery of your best work. But, if this is your first time putting together and showcasing your projects, you’ll want to look at some WordPress portfolio examples for inspiration.
You can learn a lot from how other people build their online portfolios. Checking out some of the best WordPress portfolio sites around will give you an idea of how to show off your work and what kind of information customers want to see on a website.
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In this article, we’ll introduce you to 11 of the best WordPress portfolio examples on the web. We’ll talk about what makes each portfolio great, so you have an idea of what to do when building yours. Let’s get to it!
1. MinLoveCat
This is a portfolio from a design agency that specializes in User Interfaces (UI) and WordPress development, which explains why it looks so good.
MinLoveCat stands out because it displays all the information potential customers need to know, making it available at a glance. Right away, the agency gives you a list of what services it offers, where it’s based, and links to past work.
This is key for a portfolio since you want to hook visitors as quickly as possible. If they don’t find the information they’re looking for right away, this could cause a poor User Experience (UX) and lead to increased bounce rates (users leaving your site).
If you take one thing away from this WordPress portfolio example, it should be that you don’t need to go overboard in terms of design. A user-friendly design is more important than showing off, at least for portfolios.
2. Websterville Design
Designs that show your personality can be highly effective for an online portfolio. For instance, if your company’s aesthetic is sleek and refined, you can find portfolios with minimalistic designs and galleries.
On the other hand, if your brand’s tone is more playful, you might want a portfolio site that reflects this. Websterville Design does this successfully by using a fun comic strip design.
This is the portfolio site for Jody Webster’s business. He makes and designs websites, and his portfolio is stunning. One standout feature, beyond this portfolio’s design, is the list of features and services he offers:
If you have a portfolio, many clients will contact you with questions about what kind of work you do. With this in mind, having a dedicated services section on your website that breaks down what you offer can save you a lot of time dealing with these queries.
The more information you include, the more likely it is that users will make up their minds about hiring you without too much back and forth.
3. Studio Signorella
If you’re more of a fan of minimalistic designs, you’ll love the Studio Signorella portfolio. This is a gallery-focused website where the agency’s projects are front and center.
Right away, you get to see some of its latest work. If you click on any of the portfolio pieces, you’ll jump to a page that includes additional details about that project:
This is the type of design you should consider if you think your work can do all of the talking. That’s because this design is missing some key pages you might see in other WordPress portfolio examples.
For instance, it doesn’t have a breakdown of the available services, or client testimonials. Still, if you’re confident about your work, this approach can be effective.
4. Brittany Chiang
If you’re a modern professional working in tech, having an online portfolio can only help your career. Depending on what kind of work you do, you might not need a traditional portfolio, but rather one in the style of a CV.
Brittany Chiang’s portfolio is the kind of website you might want to mention on a card you give away while networking. In addition to having people check you out on LinkedIn, you can surprise them with a digital portfolio that outlines your expertise a lot better than social media can.
In this case, there are no images to distract from the design. This is a choice that doesn’t work for most types of websites or portfolios.
It does here because it draws attention to your past work experience. As visitors scroll down, they’ll get an overview of your entire work history, year by year, including links and additional details.
5. Brice Clain
In some cases, it’s best to avoid animations in your portfolio. That’s because it’s easy to go overboard with them. And, if that happens, you may end up creating a website that takes too long to load or is difficult to navigate.
However, Brice Clain’s portfolio uses animations tastefully. They add dynamism to the website and don’t distract from its contents. Clain also uses typography and colors to highlight his core services, which is a simple trick that can help you get visitors to focus on the more important parts of a site.
This is also a great example of a one-page portfolio. Although it has a navigation menu, it simply jumps to different page sections. This can be a fantastic option if you don’t have an extensive portfolio and you want to save users the trouble of having to navigate through multiple pages to see all of it.
6. Adam Greenough
Most of the WordPress portfolio examples we’ve seen so far have very unique designs. However, if you’re a traditionalist, you might want to stick to more classic layouts for a portfolio. Adam Greenough’s website is a great example of this.
This portfolio is structured like a blog and even features one. This is a great addition to any portfolio. A blog enables you to share think-pieces related to your industry, or even articles that tell readers more about your level of expertise.
Another standout aspect of this portfolio is the hero section with the Call-to-Action (CTA). Ultimately, the goal of any portfolio should be to get you leads. Putting a CTA right at the top of the page after telling visitors what you do is a great way to encourage them to get in touch. This way, they don’t have to dig through your portfolio for a contact email or form.
7. Cory Hughart
If you’re a developer, your WordPress portfolio shouldn’t just include links to your work or GitHub repositories. It should also communicate your level of expertise. A great way to do that is by sharing developer “notes”.
Cory Hughart’s portfolio does this in a highly effective manner. Every project in the portfolio includes notes on the challenges it presented and how he solved them. That’s gold for any technical recruiter (as long as they have enough background to understand your area of expertise).
The design here is simple but the addition of a hidden “pause” menu is genius. This is a fun developer’s spin on a navigation menu. It includes links to all the critical parts of the portfolio:
Note that this portfolio also includes a search feature. This is seldom seen in portfolios. But, if you have a larger portfolio or a multi-page site, leaving one out is definitely a missed opportunity. The good news is that WordPress enables you to add a search bar to your site out of the box.
8. Iuri de Paula
This is another example of a WordPress portfolio that tackles animations in a great way. Typically, when we see a portfolio with multiple animations and video backgrounds, you can expect that page to load slowly and be sluggish.
But, Iuri de Paula’s portfolio manages to include animations and video in a scrolling format while still being a joy to navigate. As you scroll down, you’ll see an animated journey through Iuri’s past work experience and projects. This is a great way to showcase skills, particularly for a front end developer with an interest in storytelling.
The main takeaway from this portfolio is that it pays to tell a story through your website, as long as you can do it in an engaging way. Visitors might not want to scroll through a CV or a large portfolio, but they may be more likely to do it if the design is interactive.
9. Atlantis Graphic & Web Design
Aside from having a great name, the Atlantis agency also features a fantastic WordPress portfolio. The best part of this design is that it includes a lot of images of the websites they’ve worked on. And, most importantly, it shows how they look in mobile versions:
This is essential for web developers or designers, as most people browse the web on their phones these days.
10. Embece
Embece features one of the most unique designs among the WordPress portfolio examples we’ve studied so far. This portfolio is built to look like a magazine cover. It uses typography and color to draw you into the rest of the site.
The portfolio itself is very minimalistic, with an emphasis on white space and simple navigation. This is a great example of how minimalistic design doesn’t have to be colorless or boring. It shows us that if you don’t want to feature too many elements in your portfolio design, you can still have plenty of fun with colors and fonts. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that both of these elements reflect the aesthetic of your brand.
11. Ana Karic
Ana Karic’s portfolio does a fantastic job of getting your attention with typography. This portfolio doesn’t feature a lot of work examples. But, it provides a clear breakdown of Ana Karic’s experience and some excellent CTAs.
The portfolio is designed to eventually guide you to book a discovery call. Its job is to drive leads. This way, the person behind it can close new clients. Every aspect of the design is geared towards getting those conversions.
Since the portfolio doesn’t include too many work examples, it leans hard on strong customer testimonials and the brands Karic has worked with. This type of social proof is essential in a modern portfolio because it helps build trust.
Basically, when someone visits your portfolio, they can be wowed by your work. But, at the end of the day, testimonials from happy customers are much more effective in convincing visitors to convert. If you’re not asking for client reviews, now might be a good time to consider requesting them.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a web designer, freelance writer, or artist working on commissioned projects - you’ll need to be proactive about winning new clients. Having an online portfolio is a fantastic way to show your past work to potential customers. You can also share your portfolio through social media or point people toward it through business cards.
If you’re not sure what works and what doesn’t in terms of design, we recommend studying this list of WordPress portfolio examples. Each of these amazing portfolio websites does something unique to encourage visitors to convert. Learning from these examples will help you create an amazing (and effective) portfolio for yourself or your business.
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