A great portfolio website is more than an online CV — it’s your creative portfolio, personal brand, and first impression to your future clients or employers. No matter if you’re a designer, developer, writer, or photographer, your portfolio website examples can open doors if executed properly.
In this post, we’ll find out some of the best portfolio website examples that shine with their creativity, usability, and design. Let’s get inspired.
1. Try Web Design – www.trywebdesign.com
Tobias van Schneider is a designer and creative director based in New York. His portfolio site is minimal, modern, and easy to navigate. What makes his site unique is the use of minimalism in a bold and confident way. His case studies are nicely presented with storytelling that shows not just what he designed, but why.
Why it works:
Sleek layout and typography
Strong personal branding
Clear narrative in project breakdowns
2. Adham Dannaway – www.adhamdannaway.com
Adham is a UX/UI designer and front-end developer. His site instantly stands out with a smart split-screen design — one side for design work, the other for code. It’s a risky but effective way to showcase both skill sets at once.
Why it works:
Creative homepage concept
Equal design and dev focus
Easy to understand and navigate
3. Jessica Hische – www.jessicahische.is
Jessica Hische is a lettering artist and author. Her portfolio website is charming, personality-driven, and meticulous. It uses a muted, retro color palette and smart copywriting to communicate her personal style.
Why it works:
Warm, friendly tone
Rich use of imagery
Strong personal voice throughout the site
4. Daniel Spatzek – www.spatzek.com
Daniel is a designer and art director with an eye for the dramatic. His portfolio site features bold animations, layered effects, and scroll-based interactions. Each project on his site feels like a digital painting.
Why it works:
Stunning visual design
Memorable animations
Engaging artistic direction
5. Austin Tott – www.austintott.com
Austin is a designer and photographer. His portfolio is playful and minimal in design. He intermixes photography and design projects in a creative way that speaks to his versatility.
Why it works:
Unique combination of photography and design
Consistent aesthetic throughout
Clean and elegant navigation
6. Rleonardi – www.rleonardi.com
This interactive resume by Robby Leonardi is less of a portfolio and more of a gamified experience. It’s colorful, bright, and interactive — making his CV a playable game-like experience.
Why it works:
Super creative and fun concept
Interactive and memorable
Ideal for showing off animation and coding skills
7. Pierre Nel – www.pierre.io
Pierre is a web developer and freelance software engineer. His website is dark-themed, sleek, and puts technical abilities first with a modern developer aesthetic. Minimalism keeps the focus on content.
Why it works:
Technical but stylish
Dark-mode minimal clean design
Responsive and fast performance
8. Legwork Studio – www.legworkstudio.com
Although not a person, the website of Legwork is a great example of how an interactive agency can leverage interactive elements and animations to enhance the user experience. Their site is colorful, playful, and full of surprises.
Why it works:
Playful animations
Creative storytelling
Strong sense of team personality
Tips to Build an Effective Portfolio Site
Now that you’ve seen some of the greatest examples, here are some key things to keep in mind when making your own:
1. Simple and to the point
Don’t overwhelm visitors with too much information. Highlight 3–5 of your most powerful projects and make them shine.
2. Show your process
Employers and clients want to see how you think. Include your thinking, sketching, research, and development process.
3. Easy to contact
Either through a contact form, email address, or social media links, make it easy for people to contact you.
4. Mobile optimize
More people than ever will be viewing your portfolio on your phone. Make sure that it works flawlessly on all screen sizes.
5. Update regularly
Keep the site fresh. New projects or blog entries can be added to show that you are working and growing.
Final Thoughts
A portfolio website is your personal home on the internet. It’s where you’re able to control the message, express your creativity, and welcome new opportunities. Regardless of whether you take a bold and animated approach like Rleonardi, or a minimalistic and sophisticated approach like Austin Tott, the most important is to let your work and personality shine through.
Use the examples above as a source of inspiration, but also make sure to make it your own. Keep in mind, your portfolio is not just about showing what you have done, but who you are and what you can do.
