I see a lot of illustration portfolios, from absolute beginners to some of the biggest professionals in the world.

My job would be very boring if every illustration portfolio looked the same, and every illustrator wants their website to stand out. But there are some general tips I think every illustrator should follow to make their portfolio as effective as possible.

Before we get into the tips, let’s get one thing straight.

Your illustration portfolio is not for you. It exists to show your illustrations to clients in the most effective and attractive way possible, so they’ll hire you.

That’s the goal we need to keep in mind as we build our first portfolio, and as we work on version two, version three, and version twenty-three.

It’s not about your personal preferences. It’s about what works.

Your portfolio needs to be easy to use and navigate. It needs to display your illustrations clearly, quickly, and without distraction.

It’s hard enough to get a client to look at your website at all. When they do, you need to show them your best work as fast as possible and make a strong first impression.

If you don’t capture their attention in the first ten or fifteen seconds, they’ll leave and open one of the other browser tabs they already have open.

By all means, design your website so it suits your style. Just don’t forget what it’s really for. It’s a business tool, designed to help you make money.

Tip 1: Keep it simple

Your illustrations should be the most interesting thing on your website.

If the design, UI, or animated elements are more interesting than the illustrations, your priorities are off.

Some of the best illustrators I know have had essentially the same website for ten or fifteen years. Apart from small adjustments and regular updates with new work, nothing major changes because the site does its job.

Animated transitions, logos, and experimental layouts are usually unnecessary.

Tip 2: Focus on the first impression

A busy art director looking for an illustrator is almost certainly looking at several portfolios at the same time.

You might think the most important thing is having a memorable website design, but I don’t think that’s true.

Do you want them to remember your website design, or do you want them to remember your illustrations?

Because time is limited, you need to show your best work instantly. If someone only looks at your site for five seconds, they should still see a clear range of what you can do, using your strongest and most up-to-date work.

Tip 3: Capture their attention for longer

If there’s anything you can do to persuade a client to stay on your website for longer, you should do it.

Just like YouTubers or Instagram creators think about hooks and payoffs, illustrators should think about ways to intrigue and engage clients.

A few ideas:

Animation 

Moving images naturally attract attention. Subtle animated GIFs can help guide the eye.

Case studies 

If you’ve worked on an interesting project, create a page explaining how you approached it, what problems you solved, and how long it took.

Behind the scenes 

Showing a little more of how you work can help build interest and connection over time.

Tip 4: Get everything out in the open

A common mistake is organising portfolios strictly into project folders.

From your perspective, this makes sense. But clients don’t know what’s inside each project, and they don’t have time to click through everything.

They might not even know exactly what they’re looking for. They just want to see what you can do.

If some of your best images are hidden inside projects, most clients will never see them. That’s a wasted opportunity.

Put your strongest images on the homepage. Go for impact over neat organisation.

Tip 5: Show your versatility

The debate around niching down comes down to opportunity.

If you only show one type of work, you’ll mostly attract that one type of client. That can be high reward, but it’s also high risk.

Early in your career, showing a broader range of subjects and formats gives you more opportunities to get hired and start building experience.

You can always specialise later once you know what you enjoy and what work actually comes your way.

Tip 6: Write client-focused captions

Clients want specific information.

They want to know who the work was for.

They want to know what type of project it was.

They usually don’t care about your emotional headspace while you were making it.

That doesn’t mean you can’t add personality, but always lead with what the client needs to know first.

Tip 7: Put your best work at the top

Don’t just show your most recent work first.

Your newest work isn’t always your strongest work.

Get a second opinion if you need to, but think carefully about which images make you most attractive to clients and put those at the top of your portfolio.

Tip 8: Show the work you want to be hired for

If there’s a subject you hate drawing, you don’t need to include it just for variety.

Over time, you’ll learn what kind of work you enjoy and what you’re good at. Show that work clearly.

Specialisation often happens naturally when clients see you doing something well and trust you to do it again.

Tip 9: Treat personal projects like client work

Early on, most of your portfolio will be personal projects.

If you clearly label everything as personal, you’re constantly signalling that you’re inexperienced.

You don’t need to lie, but you also don’t need to highlight it.

Treat personal projects with the same care and polish as paid work. If clients can’t immediately tell the difference, that usually works in your favour.

Tip 10: Testimonials help if you can get them

Clients want reassurance.

Testimonials show that other people trust you, and that trust carries over.

Just like reviews on Amazon or references on a CV, testimonials reduce uncertainty. If you can collect them over time, display them proudly.

I’ve got more portfolio advice across the channel, including a full playlist of portfolio videos.

And if you want to see an example of what I think is a really strong illustration portfolio website, I’ve linked one below.

See you next time.