Over the past few years, I’ve reviewed more than 300 illustration portfolios, and I’ve started to notice very clear patterns. Some of these are common mistakes that can quietly hold illustrators back. Others are things that consistently make a portfolio stand out and grab a client’s attention.
These are just my opinions, but I’ve spent over a decade working as an illustration agent, representing professional artists and working with some of the biggest clients in the world. That gives me a pretty good sense of what tends to work.
In this video, I want to share what I’ve learned so you can make the most of your portfolio and give yourself the best possible chance of getting hired.
First impressions matter
When a client lands on your portfolio, those first few seconds are everything. Before they even scroll, they’ve already made a judgement.
Is this someone whose work excites me?
Do they look professional?
Could I hire this person for my company?
Art directors, agents, and designers look at a lot of portfolios, so they get very good at spotting what works for them very quickly.
Personally, I like to see large images straight away. No entrance screens. No big blocks of text. Just an immediate hit of your best work, front and centre. That first impression should grab attention and make it obvious what you do.
A portfolio website has a very simple job: present your work clearly and tell people how they can hire you. There are lots of optional extras you can add, but that primary function needs to come first.
We’re aiming for impact and clarity. If your portfolio is confusing, or if clients have to click around too much to understand what they’re looking at, you’ve probably already lost their interest.
It’s hard to judge your own portfolio objectively, so here’s a quick test. Share your portfolio with another illustrator or a creative friend and give them five seconds to look at it. Ask them if they can immediately see a good range of your work and find your contact details.
If not, it’s worth rethinking that homepage view.
Don’t hide your best work
This is something I see all the time, and it’s worth repeating.
Some illustrators have their strongest images buried behind small project thumbnails. Logically, it makes sense to organise work into projects, but the downside is that some of your best illustrations never appear on your homepage.
Your homepage is your shop window.
If you only have a few seconds to make a good impression, you need your best work visible immediately. Clients don’t have time to click through every project. They might only look at a handful of images before deciding whether you’re a good fit.
Take a look at your homepage and ask yourself: if someone saw this for the first time, would they immediately see my strongest work and understand what I can do?
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
This one is especially relevant if you’re early in your career.
You’ll often hear advice about niching down and picking a lane, and there is value in that. But let’s say your portfolio is aimed entirely at children’s picture books. That’s fine, and it may be exactly what you want to do long-term.
The issue is that children’s publishing is extremely competitive, and it can take a long time to break in. If you only show one type of work, you’ve only given yourself one route to success.
If another kind of client lands on your site and there’s nothing there for them, you’ve lost that opportunity.
My opinion is that it’s usually better to start a bit broader. Apply your style to a range of subjects and formats so you give yourself more chances to catch the eye of different types of clients. That often means you can start making money sooner, simply because more people can imagine hiring you.
Over time, you can narrow your focus based on the projects you enjoy and the work you’re actually getting hired for. Think of it as an illustration tasting menu. Try different things, see what works, then refine.
There is a trade-off. A broader portfolio might mean it takes longer to reach a very specific goal. But personally, I’d rather gain experience, momentum, and income early on than spend years aiming at a single target without much professional progress.
That choice is yours.
Too much filler
People often ask how many illustrations you need in a portfolio. There’s no single correct number, but around ten images usually isn’t enough to show consistency.
On the other end, anything over thirty images often needs editing. Especially early in your career, your work will evolve quickly. New work will usually be much stronger than older pieces.
That’s a good thing, but it means you shouldn’t leave weaker or outdated work in your portfolio just to pad it out.
I would much rather see fifteen excellent illustrations than fifteen great ones mixed with fifteen older, less refined pieces. Edit tightly. Let your strongest work define your standard.
In your first few years, aim to evolve your portfolio quickly. Add new work, remove old work, and accept that version ten of your portfolio will be far better than version one.
Over-designed websites
Finally, I see a lot of very creatively designed portfolio websites that don’t do their main job very well.
There are too many distractions, menus, and unnecessary sections. The work ends up competing with the design.
Ask yourself what you want clients to focus on. Do you want them admiring your web design skills, or do you want them looking at your illustrations?
Simple is usually better.
If you’re just starting out, you’ve probably heard of platforms like Wix or Squarespace. They’re good tools, but they include a lot of features you don’t really need.
I often recommend Carrd. It’s a no-code website builder that lets you create a clean, one-page portfolio site very quickly. I’ve used it for several of my own websites and landing pages.
It’s also much cheaper. Squarespace is around $192 per year. Carrd is about $19 per year.
You miss a few bells and whistles, but it covers the essentials extremely well. You can always upgrade later if you feel you need to.
This isn’t a sponsored recommendation, but I do have a referral link in the description if you want to try it. I’ll also be doing a walkthrough video soon to show exactly how to set it up.
Those are the biggest patterns I’ve noticed after reviewing a large number of illustration portfolios.
The main takeaway is that your illustration work should be the focus. You don’t need to overthink your website. Present your work clearly, make it easy to contact you, and remove anything that gets in the way.
If you’d like one-to-one help with your portfolio, there’s a link in the description to book a review with me. I also have a full playlist of portfolio advice videos if you want to keep learning.
See you next time.
