6 Popular Portfolio Builders for Designers

Key Takeaways

There are six popular portfolio builders for designers: Portfoliobox, Wix, Weebly, Mobirise Website Builder, 8b Website Builder, and Pixpa. These tools are either free or offer free trials, and are user-friendly even for those without coding skills.
An online portfolio is a critical tool for designers, allowing them to showcase their best work, introduce themselves and their skills, and make their services or products searchable worldwide. It should include the designer’s logo, a tag line, highlights of their best work or key products, case studies, testimonials, and blogs.
When building a portfolio, designers should highlight their best work upfront, ensure easy navigation, introduce themselves, include any awards or commendations received, and leverage the power of blogging. The portfolio should be engaging, possibly even entertaining, to connect more easily with potential clients.

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Doing a great job of showcasing your work doesn’t have to be difficult. You don’t have to print out a batch of fancy brochures to distribute or carry around a folder containing a sheaf of papers. You’ll get far better results by using a website builder to create your own personal online portfolio for the whole world to see.

Building a portfolio website is relatively easy if you have the right tool for the job. If you can envision an awesome, engaging portfolio, you can build it. Especially with any of the six portfolio website tools described in this article. Since all six are top-of-the-line tools, there’s no reason to settle for anything else.

Best of all, these website building tools are either free or offer free trials.

1. Portfoliobox

Portfoliobox was designed with photographers, artists, web designers, and other creative types in mind. Small business owners and entrepreneurs will find it attractive as well. This portfolio website builder is super easy to use, and since it’s not theme-based, it’s extremely flexible as well. Another plus is you don’t have to worry about coding.

As its name implies, this is a perfect tool for creating portfolio websites that range in style and looks from the epitome of professionalism to flat-out awesome. You can display your work or your products to the world, and by doing so you’ll hopefully earn a bushel of dollars, euros, or whatever, as well.

We suggest you try the free plan. In that way, you can get acquainted with Portfoliobox while having the tools at hand to create a medium-sized portfolio. If you have large galleries of images in mind, you may eventually want to upgrade to the pro plan. If you’re a student, opening a student account may be your best move.

Portfoliobox 4 is currently in the works and coming soon. Features include increased flexibility and functionality and a more intuitive interface. Portfoliobox has more than one million users.

2. Wix

Wix is a versatile and powerful website building tool you can use with great effect to promote your business or build an online shop. Where Wix really shines, however, is in the role of a portfolio website builder. Everything is drag and drop, supported by the necessary tools and features to customize any of the 500+ designer-made templates you choose to work with.

If you can visualize an online portfolio that’s truly stunning and a cut above the rest, you can build it — without coding. Rather than being restricted to trying to cleverly present a series of static images, you can use scroll effects, animations, video backgrounds and more to bring your portfolio to life and keep viewers engaged and encouraged to spread the word.

If you want total freedom to create your crowd-pleasing portfolio website, Wix is for you.

3. Weebly

We said upfront that you shouldn’t have to settle for less than the best, and that certainly applies to the Weebly portfolio website builder. What you design and build is limited only by your imagination, and if your technical expertise is somewhat challenged and you lack coding experience it doesn’t matter one bit. Everything you need is at your fingertips.

If “free” appeals to you, that’s just one more reason to go with Weebly. The website builder is free, hosting is free, and there’s even a mobile app you can use to manage your portfolio website and track its performance — from anywhere.

You can either purchase a domain from Weebly or use your own. If you need professional photos for your portfolio, Weebly can provide them at an affordable price.

4. Mobirise Website Builder

Since Mobirise is an offline website builder, you can download it and get started building an awesome portfolio website right away. No coding is necessary. Google AMP and Bootstrap 4 guarantees your website will be lightning-fast and 100% mobile friendly.

You’ll have plenty of trendy themes and templates to work with. Best of all, Mobirise is free for both personal and commercial uses — making it a very attractive option.

5. 8b Website Builder

8b is a recent addition to the list. It features a slick, modern interface, it’s super easy to work with, and it delivers! You can work with 8b on your desktop, your mobile device, or both, to build your portfolio website. The package includes 18 cool starter templates and 250+ equally cool website sections to get your online portfolio project off to a fast start.

Suggestion: take advantage of the fact that this creative website building tool is, at the moment, 100% free to use.

6. Pixpa

Want to showcase your products in the best possible way? Looking for a tool that features a built-in eCommerce shop? How about being able to accept payments online? That should require three separate platforms, right?

With Pixpa, you can create an engaging portfolio, sell your products, and collect payments via PayPal or Stripe from a single platform. Pixpa offers several affordable plans, but you can try it free for 15 days.

Tips for Creating a Super Cool Portfolio Website

Why take the time to create a portfolio website?

First of all, it provides a great way to showcase your best work.

A portfolio website is also an excellent way to show people who you are and what you’re good at.

It’s also good for your business since it makes you searchable. People around the world can see what you have to offer.

Your portfolio should, at a minimum, include your logo, a tag line, and highlights of your best work or key products. We suggest you include case studies and/or testimonials, and blogs to give your portfolio added substance.

Your portfolio is like a shop window in which you want a display that entices people to enter your store. Feel free to make your portfolio as engaging as possible — maybe even entertaining — to more easily connect with potential customers or clients.

Picking the right platform to build your portfolio is easy. But as you’re building it, it can pay dividends to heed these tips:

highlight your best work and show it up front
make sure your website is easy to navigate
make sure to introduce yourself
include awards or commendations you’ve received
take advantage of the power of blogging

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking for a certain job or position, you have a line of products to sell, or you want to put your creative efforts on display for the world to see, an online portfolio can be a key part of your business. While you should put a lot of thought into designing your portfolio, you don’t necessarily have to put a lot of effort into building it.

Let a portfolio website builder do the bulk of the work for you. Select one of the free builders, or take advantage of a free trial offer. Then you should have a portfolio website up and running in no time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Portfolio Builders for Designers

What are the key features to look for in a portfolio builder for designers?

When choosing a portfolio builder, designers should consider several key features. Firstly, the builder should offer a variety of customizable templates that cater to different design styles and portfolio needs. Secondly, it should provide an intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to upload and arrange work. Thirdly, it should include SEO tools to help your portfolio rank higher in search engine results. Lastly, it should offer responsive design capabilities, ensuring your portfolio looks great on all devices.

Are there free portfolio builders available for designers?

Yes, there are several free portfolio builders available for designers. However, these often come with limitations such as limited storage space, fewer templates, and lack of advanced features. For more comprehensive options, designers may want to consider investing in a paid portfolio builder.

How can I make my design portfolio stand out using a portfolio builder?

To make your design portfolio stand out, focus on showcasing your best work and telling a story about each project. Use high-quality images and consider using video or interactive elements if the portfolio builder supports them. Also, make sure to include a compelling about me section and make it easy for visitors to contact you.

Can I use a portfolio builder if I don’t have coding skills?

Absolutely. Most portfolio builders are designed to be user-friendly and do not require any coding skills. They use drag-and-drop interfaces and provide pre-designed templates that you can customize to suit your style and needs.

How important is mobile responsiveness in a portfolio builder?

Mobile responsiveness is crucial in a portfolio builder. With more people accessing websites on their mobile devices, it’s important that your portfolio looks and functions well on all screen sizes. Most portfolio builders offer mobile-responsive templates.

Can I integrate my social media accounts with a portfolio builder?

Yes, many portfolio builders allow you to integrate your social media accounts. This can be a great way to showcase your online presence and reach a wider audience.

How can a portfolio builder help improve my online visibility?

A portfolio builder can improve your online visibility by providing SEO tools that help your portfolio rank higher in search engine results. These tools can include keyword optimization, meta descriptions, and custom URLs.

Can I sell my work directly from my portfolio built with a portfolio builder?

Some portfolio builders offer e-commerce features, allowing you to sell your work directly from your portfolio. This can be a great way to monetize your work and reach potential clients.

How often should I update my portfolio on a portfolio builder?

It’s recommended to update your portfolio regularly to keep it fresh and relevant. This could be every few months or whenever you complete a new project that you’re proud of.

Can I switch between different templates in a portfolio builder?

Most portfolio builders allow you to switch between different templates. However, keep in mind that switching templates may require you to reformat your content to fit the new layout.