As a visual artist, there is one thing you must never forget. You must never forget to show off your designs. Whether you are a UI/UX designer, a web designer, a graphic designer, a painter, or a sculptor, you have to display your designs to attract clients. Prospective clients, employers, and recruiters want to see what you have done so they can envisage what to expect when they engage you. The role a portfolio plays in helping you get new jobs highlights its importance. Now, you cannot go around sharing hard copies of your portfolio. That would be ineffective, inefficient, and time-consuming. But you can make your designs available online by uploading them on portfolio websites.
There are various portfolio websites for artists and designers available out there. They all come with different features and offers. Some offer higher traffic than others. Some offer simplicity and ease. Some offer their services for free while you have to pay for some portfolio websites. With the number of portfolio websites available, you are spoilt for choice. So, the purpose of this article is to guide you in choosing the portfolio website to house your designs. The following are 25 best free portfolio websites for artists and designers:
Dribbble
Dribbble is a top free platform for UI/UX designers, graphic designers, and similar creatives. On this platform, you will find a considerable range of artworks. Some of these artworks include mobile designs, product design, typography, animation, and web design.
To use Dribbble, all you have to do is create a free account. After signing up, you can start uploading pictures/animations that you created for free. On Dribbble, you can do more than just upload your artwork. The platform also offers a means for you to explore works from other designers and artists. You can also connect with other creatives like you through Dribbble meet-ups.
Wix
Wix is one portfolio website that offers substantial traffic. The Wix interface is one you will enjoy. The interface is easy-to-use and navigate. With Wix, you can create your own portfolio website for free and with ease. It is basically a drag-and-drop process.
The Wix website builder known as Wix Editor offers more than just website building. You get access to a range of design templates. You also get access to over 100 fonts and if you have other fonts you want to use, you can upload them. The websites created are optimized for mobile phones so your reach is not restricted.
Behance
Behance is one of the most popular platforms where designers upload your designs. On this platform, you will find works from graphic designers, photographers, artists, and UI/UX designers.
On Behance, you can create a free account and share your artwork on the platform. But there is more. Clients come to Behance to seek designers. They run through the work of the designers and sometimes they post jobs. As a designer, you might get a gig on Behance. The platform also makes provision for designers to connect, interact, and exchange ideas. The platform has mobile apps available on the Android and iOS platforms.
Carbonmade
Carbonmade already has a large database of images. It also houses a portfolio of over 1 million artists and designers. You can choose to use Carbonmade for free or you can subscribe to one of their payment plans. A subscription gives you access to special features.
On Carbonmade, you get access to a wide range of layouts. With these layouts, you can design your portfolio sub-domain to your taste. You also get the chance to upload as many files as you want. There is no restriction on the type of files or size of the files you can upload to the platform.
Deviant Art
Deviant Art is one of the most popular ones out there. It currently boasts over 20 million users and this number keeps growing. You will find fan art, digital art, photography artworks, anime manga, and many more.
The topics are not restricted to the aforementioned. You will find also find 3D art, animations, comics, drawings, paintings, and even poetry on Deviant Art. Some artists also share tutorial arts that teach certain drawing techniques. The platform also has forums and groups where users discuss topics and share ideas. You can join Deviant Art and use it for free. But there is also the option to upgrade your membership to a paid membership. This option is known as ‘Buy Core’.
Crevado Portfolios
Another online portfolio platform you can check out is Crevado. Crevado offers you a free account but you have the option to upgrade your membership. You might also try out their 14-day free trial before subscribing to a plan.
Crevado is a good spot for photographers, artists, makeup artists, stylists, and designers. When your works are uploaded on this website, they can be accessed from different types of devices. Clients can check them out using a PC or a mobile phone. Aside from that, Crevado is a platform with a user-friendly interface. The uploading process is simply a drag-and-drop. You also get to upload your photos, audios, videos, and other files in different file formats.
WordPress
WordPress is a platform on which you can create your portfolio website for free. A non-custom domain name is offered for free but you will have to pay for a custom domain. While WordPress is commonly used by writers, it can also serve as a portfolio website for artists and designers.
The user-interface is one of the easiest to navigate. You need no knowledge of programming to create your website. You get access to a broad range of themes to build your website. You also get plugins to use on your website. One of such plugins is PayPal. With the PayPal plugin, your website can be an online store.
Adobe Portfolio
Adobe Portfolio is one of the top free portfolio websites and it comes under Adobe Creative Cloud. But it offers paid plans too. You get to enjoy the features of Adobe Portfolio better when you subscribe to one of their plans.
With Adobe Portfolio, you can sync your portfolio site with your Behance and Lightroom accounts. One of the features you get with Adobe Portfolio is the customization of the layout of your website. Other interesting features include you getting access to a range of Adobe fonts and getting your custom domain name. This platform offers one of the strongest password protection too.
Pixpa
Many designers and artists must have already heard of Pixpa. This is not surprising considering that the platform is user-friendly. It is a website builder with a drag-and-drop building process.
It suits the needs of a UI/UX designer very well. It works for graphic designers too. You can use Pixpa for free but you might not get some feature unless you are on a paid plan. The platform offers a 15-day free trial for those who want to test the premium plans. You are exposed to various themes and plugins while building your portfolio website. This allows you to create a very unique website.
Coroflot
Coroflot might be an emerging name amongst free portfolio websites. But it does enough to be considered amongst the top. At the moment, its database contains more than 2 million images from more than 150,000 designers and artists.
While it may not offer as many features as more popular ones, the service is still top-notch. It allows easy integration and is also free to use. It is not just a platform for designers, clients, and employers also check the space out for talents. As a designer, you can also search for jobs there aside from positing your designs on the platform.
Artmoi
Artmoi is another platform that makes things easy for you. It serves as a database for a variety of visual art. You can also create a portfolio website for yourself using the Artmoi website builder. The portfolio website created using Artmoi is integrative and you can easily sync with your Artmoi Studio account.
When you use Artmoi as a database for your designs, many features are available to you for free. Some of these features are cataloging tools, collections, and private links. You can also create an unlimited number of profiles under your account. So, if you are involved in more than one type of design, you can save them separately.
Cargo
Cargo helps you put your work on the web. On Cargo, you will find an easy to use website builder. They serve graphic designers, UI/UX designers, stylists, architects, photographers, and many more creatives.
One unique thing about Cargo is that you cannot just register and join. To become a member/user of Cargo, you have to get an invitation. Once you get this invitation, you may then proceed to register and use the free service. You get a site with a domain name chosen by you and up to 40 free design templates. You also get access to a range of fonts and typography.
Flickr
Designers who are very conversant with portfolio websites know Flickr. It is one of the longest standing and most popular portfolio websites ever. The website caters for UI/UX designers, photographers, graphic designers, and many others. Asides from being a home for artwork, Flickr also serves as a social medium for artists and designers. By exchanging ideas with fellow creatives, you can get better at what you do.
Flickr is free to use. The interface is user-friendly; the ease of uploading is impressive too. The website is such that there are categories for different types of artworks and designs. This makes everything orderly and easy to find.
Folio HD
Folio HD is a website builder. With it, you can easily build your own portfolio website where you can upload your content for prospective clients and employers to see. The good news is you get an unlimited free trial on Folio HD. But you will have to pay when you want your website to go live.
Your website comes with a custom domain name, an array of themes to choose from, and image & password protection. You also get the Google Analytics plugin on your website. The Google Analytics plugin helps keep track of the visits to your website and analyse them.
Weebly
Weebly is another popular platform that offers online portfolio services. This platform has a website builder with a user-friendly interface. To build your website on Weebly, you will only have to drag and drop. Weebly is free to use but you may also opt for the paid plans if you desire their features.
With Weebly, you can create not only websites but blogs and e-stores too. So, as a literal artist, the blogs can come in handy for you as a portfolio. You can also use the plugins available to convert your website to an e-store. With this, you have your portfolio and you can sell your work too.
Fabrik
Fabrik was created for creativity, for creatives. So far, this platform has been the go-to for thousands of artists and designers. It offers a place for UI/UX designers, graphic designers, artists, photographers, filmmakers, stylists, models, and many more.
With Fabrik, you get access to an array of colors, fonts, themes, and layouts. With this, you can customize your site as you like. The platform also offers ease. You do not have to do too much to upload your pictures and videos on the platform. Most importantly, you get a custom domain when you use Fabrik.
Krop
On Krop, you will find a portfolio website builder with an array of features. You get your website in just a few minutes and it comes with a custom domain name. Of course, the interface is made in a way to ensure that you can build your website by yourself even without knowing how to code.
Krop offers you a free account but there are paid plans. You get a 14-day free trial before you are charged for the paid plans too. While building your portfolio website, you get to choose from over 30 templates. Clients can also post job opportunities on the platform for designers to apply.
YouPic
YouPic is home to your pictures and other visual artworks. On YouPic, you get to showcase your works to potential clients online. You will categories such as Portrait, Macro, Nude, Landscape, and Astrophotography.
You can create your domain where you upload your catalog. To get a custom domain, you have to upgrade to the Pro version of the service. You have choices too. You can choose to customize your website or choose from the pre-designed websites available. You can even choose to make your website an online shop where you can transact with your clients and make money.
Journo Portfolio
On Journo Portfolio, you get to create your online portfolio without a fuss. This platform is also free. But on the free version, your domain looks something like, “name.journoportfolio.com”. This platform is not just for visual artists and designers, writers can also create their portfolio with it.
There are multiple themes from which you can make your choice. You can create multiple pages on your site. You can also categorize your content into groups to make navigation easy. The sites are integrated with the Google Analytics plugin. This plugin collects data about searches for and visits to your site. It also analyses these data and creates inferences.
Jimdo
With Jimdo creating your custom website is as easy as can be. The platform offers explanatory instructions you can follow while building your site. Jimdo offers you the opportunity to create an account for free. You also have 3 payment options to choose from. Of course, the paid plans offer more features than the free plan.
Jimdo also offers an online store. With the online store, you can display your art and sell it to willing buyers. To use the online store, you have to subscribe to one of 3 paid plans. Even more interesting is the fact that your site comes with automatic SEO. This helps your site appear very high in search engine results.
Format
The format has quite a lot of themes. With these themes, you as a UI/UX designer, a web designer, or a graphic designer can easily create a portfolio website to your taste. The sites created on Format are optimized to ensure that they appear well on different devices. So, whether your portfolio is viewed on a PC, a tablet, or a smartphone, the viewing experience is alright.
You get an account for free but with restrictions. You can choose from 3 paid plans to improve your experience. Your sites come with social media integration. So, content on your social media accounts can appear on your website and vice-versa.
Moonfruit
Moonfruit offers another medium for portfolio website creation. The interface was made for everyone. Whether you know how to write HTML, CSS, or JavaScript or you do not, you can create your website. With Moonfruit, you get a free account and a 14-day free trial. After the 14-day trial, you can choose to subscribe to one of 2 paid plans: Basic and Professional.
You get access to many website templates, you also get cloud storage support on Moonfruit. There are many fonts available to you including Google fonts and the site is search-engine optimized.
PortfolioBox
PortfolioBox offers you ease and simplicity too. You already do enough work while creating your designs. You should not have to do too much to create a portfolio. So, PortfolioBox makes the process of creating your portfolio website easy.
You get a free account and you can use the pro version on a 30-day free trial. This platform supports many languages including English, French, and Chinese. With your free account, you get a free domain name and can host 10 projects.
Elink
Elink is quite different from the other platforms on this list. It is a web app and you create your portfolio page by adding links to your content on other platforms such as your social media and cloud account. You can also add links to your content on other portfolio websites. With this, if you had your content on different websites, you can have them all in one place. The page you create with Elink is responsive on mobile devices and you get a free account.
Portfoliopen
Last on our list is Portfoliopen. With Portfoliopen, you can create your free online portfolio without stress. It currently houses over 70,000 artworks with room for more. The free version of Portfoliopen gives you 10 megabytes disk space and space for 10 artworks. When you subscribe to one of the 2 paid plans, you get more features. These features include a custom domain, plugins, more themes, and many more.
So, that is the end of our list of top free portfolio websites. We advise that you use more than one of these services at a time. This gives you a broader reach, more features, and increased visibility.
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