50 Fresh Portfolio Websites for Your Inspiration
Creating personal portfolio website is probably the most challenging task for designers as it should reveal the talent and some special unique style of its author. Beautiful portfolio is like a good setting – it makes design works sparkle and grabs visitors’ attention immediately.
Look though this collection of stylish and exquisite portfolio designs to draw some inspiration for your own projects. Either through minimalist neat layout or via rich, color expressive design elements, each of these portfolios delivers an exceptional, truly inspiring visual experience to visitors. So this design showcase is worth seeing whether you are in a creative search or just looking for some entertainment.
You might also like the previous article:
Creative and Exquisite Portfolio Designs
Alexarts
Graphic designer Alexey Abramov featured his portfolio with a tilt-shift photo background and beautiful typo. As a result, you see a neat and original design.
Soyuzno
This portfolio belongs to Tokyo-based designer Soyuzno, so no wonder that Japanese laconism is the foreground theme of the design. Elegant solution, isn’t it?
thetoke
Flexible 3D gallery and stylish typography give some unique flavor to this site. You can choose the way of showcase display.
Hello Monday
Hello Monday’s portfolio featured with lovely chocolate color scheme and draggable navigation provides a memorable user interface.
magneticNorth
magneticNorth’s portfolio brings an extraordinary interactive interface to the visitors. Drawing shapes on the page discovers company’s projects.
Weberica
Scattered brushes, rich colors, subtle strokes of the paint brush – welcome to artist’s studio! This design is very attractive and tasty.
Beakable
Iain Hamilton’s portfolio is interesting and unconventional. Maybe funny characters in the header make up the core feature that singles out this design.
Ft
Background made in imitation of ebony, old paper effect in frames and ascetic typography make the portfolio of Alexey Chernishov look elegant and impressive.
Alastaire Allday
The main theme which runs all through Alastaire Allday’s portfolio is… Alastaire Allday. It makes sense as pure and sincere presentation arouses trust.
Daniel Gutierrez
Beautiful portfolio design with captivating color scheme, simple but neat grid-based gallery and charming paper kitten in the header.
Zupadupa
Romanian web agency Zupadupa offers visitors to take white or green pill to navigate the website. Doesn’t it remind you anything? No matter whether designers are quoting Matrix trilogy or not, this choose-a-pill-thing is something quite creative and interactive.
Charlie Gentle
Charlie Gentle implements perfect jQuery style in his portfolio. Nice sketch elements, clean typo and illuminated centered content accentuate the original nature of the design.
Go On Web
The following portfolio is created using HTML 5. Cloth imitating background that changes its color while you scroll is superb.
John Likens
Big typo, big showcase grid, big success.
IE Studio
IE Studio created their portfolio with unusual stylish approach. Interesting collage in the center of the home page is a highlight of company’s identity.
Inside Piet
With this portfolio Belgian Flash developer Piet Dewinjgaert gives you an access to his own brain! it’s difficult to describe what is going on there, so you’d better visit and see it!
Greydient
Another example of beautiful personal portfolio with draggable navigation and appealing interface.
M1 Design
Incredible Flash portfolio of German design studio M1 Design provides a unique interactive project showcase.
Kevin Lucius
This original portfolio is a good example of one-page website design. It brings a really personal look and feel.
Rikcat Industries
Rik Catlow’s portfolio is done in a simple minimalist manner. Neat layout and stylish black-and-white color scheme drive visitor’s attention exactly to designer’s works.
Loukotka Design
Here vintage style of portfolio menu and website background is combined with trendy typography and up-to-date image transparency. Quite successful design mix.
Dreamer Lines
Very colorful and expressive portfolio of Janis Godins provides a really unique and rich user interface. It’s just brimming over with life, truly inspiring design.
Midtone Design
Due to stylish typography, advanced carousel effect applied to project showcase and unconventional approach to “About” section, Jonatan Castro’s portfolio has an ultra-modern high-tech look.
Resn
The portfolio website of Resn Interactive Agency is like a magic box – it contains an inconceivable amount of various design techniques. Rich motion graphics, big typography, controllable 3D elements – this portfolio is very hard to forget.
Rich McNabb
Rich McNabb’s portfolio is shown as a business card which breaks up into website menu categories when you click on it.
Scratch 22
Zarne Dravitzki provides a nifty carousel user interface which decreases the need to scroll and allows design layout to stay compact. Old-school grunge frame is a tasty feature.
My Favorite Thing
Light and clean layout meets simple grid-based work showcase. However, a thumbnail gallery available on each single project page would be an advantage.
Siminki
Illustrations and crazy typography hints at the designer’s liking for experiments and most daring ideas fulfilling. Or maybe it’s just a little trick to keep visitors’ longer stay? In any case, this portfolio is worth viewing.
Teo Skaffa
One can’t help smiling while viewing this portfolio. This incredible piece of pixel art will allow you to make an exciting journey through time.
Elliott Kember
Another pleasant memories evoking website. You can play old-time “Snake” game while browsing Elliott Kember’s portfolio. But be careful – don’t forget the initial purpose of your visit!
Steve Mullen
Steve Mullen uses common “grid with lightbox” design technique for his portfolio. However neat frames, attention to details, beautiful typography and eye-catching recent work showcase, make this portfolio design exquisite indeed.
Serial Cut
These guys don’t waste valuable website space and use each page as a ground for project presentation. Project list is available at the right side of the page. Wonderful example of design creativity.
Sebastian Nitu
Perfection in simplicity. The portfolio of Sebastian Nitu proves this statement one more time. This website uses HTML 5 as well.
Form Troopers
Outstanding and stylish portfolio featured with flashing photo backgrounds and usable project showcasing technique.
Snopp Media
Truly creative and lively portfolio design which introduces Snopp Media in a sincere and outgoing manner.
Soft Whiteroom
Another beautiful minimalist portfolio. Grid-based project gallery shows colorless thumbnails, hovering over them will slightly revive images by filling them with color.
Chuck U
The portfolio of Chuck U delivers graphic design of inimitable beauty. This is what can be called a web design delicacy.
Fabrik Agency
Unique and usable interface, which shows portfolio as a stapled stack of cards, elegant typography and backgrounds provide a quite pleasant navigation experience.
Edelwwweiss
A bit muted colors give this portfolio a soft and friendly look. While recent works are showcased using a carousel effect, the main portfolio is displayed in light box grid.
Web Talents
Space related theme and nifty navigation technique make this portfolio worthy of being included to the collection of most beautiful and creative portfolio designs.
Sandrine Abraham
Clean and somewhat cartoon looking background together with simple and usable project showcasing make up a lovely portfolio design which brings a positive feel to visitors.
Jack Herbert
Great typography based personal portfolio. Jack Herbert simply laid his projects on the shelves (in literal sense only).
Josh Sender
This portfolio brings a fresh and young look and feel. Maybe that’s because Josh Sender is just 17 years old.
Sofa Surfer
A captivating personal portfolio with excellent structure. Again, simplicity and usability rule.
Area 17
Area 17 is an obvious trend-maker in the world of design. Perhaps the style of their portfolio can give you some tips and hints for creating an outstanding portfolio of your own.
Thought & Theory
It’s amazing how some absolutely simple and unpretentious designs can be so much attractive. Thought & Theory Portfolio is definitely among them.
Joe Nyaggah
Joe Nyaggah combines unobtrusive color scheme along with easy and usable navigation. Orange owl grabs attention straight away. This portfolio is clean, simple and featured with some spicy details – great design!
Jounce
Portfolio of M. Jackson Wilkinson has an appealing slightly gradiented background and quite simple but original header.
Also
This portfolio was created a while ago, but its unique creativity puts it beyond time limits. So it would be a mistake not to share such a design treasure with Smashing Magazine audience. Absolutely stunning portfolio. Bravo Also!
…and for dessert
Bio-Bak
A little bonus for everyone who enjoys laughing and likes a bit cuckoo design style which stands out of all rules. While browsing this portfolio, it becomes clear that Bio-Bak could appear nowhere but in Netherlands.























































GABY
November 10th, 2009 3:42 pmPeople are easily impressed. Some of these didn’t work or took forever to download.
People who say that the CONTENT and USABILITY should be the focus are correct. It’s like putting rims and a new paint job on a clunker.
a personal pet peeve is non-native english speakers with bad english on their portfolio sites. Unacceptable (coming from a non-native English speaker). Use it right or don’t use it at all.
Factopo
November 18th, 2009 7:23 pmThese are some cool layouts. How is the CSS and so forth? Just google “factopo” for more.
Darren McPherson
November 25th, 2009 8:42 amnice list. good for a little visual inspiration first thing in the morning.
sophia
December 8th, 2009 6:24 amwow. these are rad
roovie
December 16th, 2009 3:08 amWow… they all nice….
Very love teoskafa one……
Aaron Kato
January 5th, 2010 8:28 amDear Julia, Smashing Magazine, and community!
I know that it is an old post but I was finished my brand new portfolio site, and I feel that it befits here and I want to ask you to take a watch on it! I want to amaze people with it, and this is the reason I would be very proud if I can be published here, at Smashing Magazine. It could be my pleasure to get some feedback from you! Thanks in advance, and keep rockin’ ! :)
Aaron @ aaronkato.co.uk/
Vera from Bucharest
January 9th, 2010 7:19 pmI’ve just checked the first website: Alexarts. The background’s width of the main page is too small, so the picture tiles ugly. Also the website doesn’t fit in a <=17 inches monitor window.
1082live
January 11th, 2010 12:14 pmReally u r Live ????
Ree
January 22nd, 2010 10:07 amgood list…can few more
peyton
February 7th, 2010 9:02 amyou guys always have great lists of work for inspiration. keep it up…and I thought I would throw in my portfolio for anyone interested.
joe;-)
February 12th, 2010 8:38 amGreat collection of portfolio websites the Rich Mcnabb one is very creative and clean. I saw this site and I liked it because it was clean, but not boring.
Manthos
February 13th, 2010 2:36 pmHmmm… they all nice!
…but i have one more web site and portfolio with music on background.
http://www.iconsday.com
…enjoy it.
Farrukh
February 26th, 2010 12:23 pmI wish my site was ready at the time this post was posted here. Here is my personal clean and professional looking portfolio site webcomers.com
peyton
March 1st, 2010 7:17 amleft a comment and forgot the link, here’s my portfolio for anyone interested…
peytongreendesign.com
Will Jones
March 1st, 2010 8:06 pmIf you need to create a Free Professional Website Portfolio, visit http://www.bleidu.com.
There are many choices to choose from for you online portfolio gallery.
Thanks.
alex
March 18th, 2010 11:23 amthe bio-bak is awesomeee.
Bnet
April 21st, 2010 2:45 amWell, maybe our portfolio site http://bnet.su can also add to the list?)
Mr.D
June 2nd, 2010 2:54 amGreat list i must say, i just launched my own portfolio. wonder if it will have a place in this list..:)
Tess
June 28th, 2010 1:48 amGreat list. Very inspirational. Really liked the Greydient and thetoke. Thanks for sharing this list.
Rustan Roxas Capal
July 5th, 2010 9:26 am..its such a great list! It inspired me!
bringo
August 25th, 2010 9:31 pmvery nice design, thank you
Julia
October 8th, 2010 11:25 amamazing stuff, gg :)
sohan lal
January 12th, 2011 3:45 amvery inspiring!
I am web designer contact me 7737218997 , 9929012320
bahar
February 1st, 2011 7:13 amreally amazing
I don’t find any word to explain ..
Ivan Tsankov
March 30th, 2011 11:42 pmEnjoyed the whole collection , but Alexart stays on top in my list!
Thuso
June 18th, 2011 10:42 pmOnce a beautiful list from smashingmagazine! It would be nice if you guys looked down south, here in Durban and selected us guys at goldtree.co.za next time but if you dont then no-love-lost ;D
Murali
October 19th, 2011 1:32 amExcellent and Truely inspirational list, thanks for sharing.
Murali
Arun
January 10th, 2012 3:15 pmGreat resource for web designers. Thanks for the list.
Abhilash R nair
March 2nd, 2012 7:31 pmNice collection of websites for inspiration. I think the image for weberica is linked wrongly :(
Harshad Khandare
March 21st, 2012 11:45 amYes, this is what I’m looking for.. Excellent, creative & yes it is inspirational & fresh .
every artist must appreciate your designs.
Thanks for this Creative portfolio website layouts.
ursina
May 29th, 2012 2:26 pmCreate your portfolio on the nicest designed online portfolio tool there is: ALLYOU (www.allyou.net). Very easy, no coding involved and super-good-looking!
Chris Schubert
February 19th, 2013 10:58 amThanks for the extensive collection and impressive samples. I am actually asking (myself) how many additional words are necessary to show a portfolio page, in case design is shown. I am actually not sure, how much informational texts are necessary, as many of the portfolio sites say more or less the same (user centered, creative, open minded, … ). Just am searching for really interesting reads. I tried out a wordpress theme (Gridly) which allows to post different formats and proportions in pinterest-style ( http://www.chrisschubert.de ) – with no additional texts beside work descriptions. Before this I tried pctures only ( http://www.siegweg24.de/gallery.html ). For me the WP model works well, what do you think? Chris
Erica
April 22nd, 2013 3:14 pmThis is a nice list for reference, and while I’m leery of non-conventional navigation, some of these are good food for thought.
P.S. When did “typo” become short for “typography”? It’s just bad, lazy writing.