How to Create a Graphic Design Portfolio Website in Eight Steps

As a graphic designer, there may come a time when you need to prove your capability to potential clients. In this case, a portfolio website can be immensely beneficial.

But do you know how to create a graphic design portfolio website? If you don’t, this article will clear all your confusion and answer all your “what and how to” questions.

After reading it, you can build the best-quality portfolio website without hassle. Also, you’ll learn about what makes a traditional portfolio site exceptional and attractive in a comprehensive manner. 

Let’s begin.

Follow These Steps to Create a Graphic Design Portfolio Website 

We’ll now discuss all the steps related to design portfolio site creation in detail. But before diving deep, we recommend you skim the outline of all the steps below.

1. Find a Perfect Domain and  Hosting Provider

2. Select the Best Website Builder for Graphic Design Portfolio

3. Build Your Graphic Design Portfolio

4. Customize Your Graphic Design Portfolio Website

5. Organize Your Content

6. Test & Launch Your Portfolio Website

7. Promote Your Graphic Design Portfolio Website

8. Regularly Update and Maintain Your Site

[Note: You can create any website, including a graphic design portfolio website, with Dorik in just 4 steps. However, to perfectly optimize and personalize your graphic design portfolio website, follow all the steps we discuss here.]

These are the primary steps you’ll encounter as you scroll down. Let’s continue reading this article.

Step 1 - Find a Perfect Domain and a Hosting Provider

First, you need to find a perfect domain for your graphic design portfolio website. Here’s what you need to ensure while selecting a domain.

Once you check all these facts, register your domain with a good-quality domain registrar. Afterward, seek the best hosting provider. Here are the criteria to ensure while choosing a hosting provider.

You can choose a hosting provider that meets your needs by cautiously considering these factors. However, we’ll walk a different path where we do not have to think about all these facts or search for the best hosting provider.

We’ll choose the best no-code AI website builder with world-class hosting suitable for all website types. Let’s see what website builder we pick.

Step 2 - Select the Best Website Builder for Graphic Design Portfolio

Right now, you need to pick a superior-quality website builder to create your graphic design portfolio site. Here are all the criteria you need to ensure when choosing a website builder.

After careful consideration of the criteria mentioned above, we have chosen Dorik AI as our website builder. Let’s now see why it's the perfect fit for our needs.

Step 3 - Build Your Graphic Design Portfolio Website

First, create an account on Dorik if you haven’t signed up yet. Then, head to Sites > Static.

For your information, this site builder lets you create two website types: CMS and Static. CMS sites allow you to use all Dorik features, while Static sites come with limited functionalities and are the best for portfolios. 

Why are Static sites the best? Generally, you don’t need advanced features such as a built-in blogging system, collection, gated content, dedicated dashboards, and more that CMS sites offer in order to build a graphic design portfolio website. 

Instead, you need a simple website to showcase your best work related to graphic design. 

That’s why we chose the Static option. However, you can pick either of these two. Let’s go back to website creation.

Create Your Design Portfolio Site with AI

In order to build a portfolio site with AI, you can stick to the following steps:

1. Click the “+ Create New Site With AI” button.

2. Type your graphic design portfolio site name.

3. Write a simple prompt instructing what your portfolio website should have.

4. Choose your website language.

5. Tap into “Generate Your Website” button.

Now, wait a while and see how your desired portfolio site is being created before your eyes. Enjoy this magic, and boom, your site is ready to publish.

Here’s the screenshot of a graphic design portfolio site we created using this simple prompt - 

I am a graphic designer. Now, build a portfolio website for me to showcase my artistic work.

Build Your Site Using a Free Template

If you choose the Static option to build your portfolio site, Dorik allows you to follow four techniques to create a website: With AI, With a Template, Create from Scratch, and use a JSON File.

We’ve already created a portfolio website with AI. We’ll now show you how to build a site with a template. Let’s begin.

1. Log in to your Dorik account and go to Sites > Static.

2. Click the “+ Create New Site” button.

3. Now, type ‘portfolio’ in the template search field.

4. Select your preferred template and click the “Create Static Site” button. 

Wait for a few seconds, and your chosen template will be installed. 

You can edit it according to your requirements. You can customize some or all sections of this template with a drag-and-drop editor.

You can regenerate landing page copies with the free AI Text Generator. Using the AI Image Generator, you can even generate images to make your portfolio site appealing. 

We encourage you to explore other features of Dorik editor.

Create a Graphic Design Portfolio Website from Scratch

Here are the steps to build a site from scratch using this best website builder. 

1. Log in to your account and go to Sites > Static.

2. Hit the “+ Create New Site” button. 

3. Click the “+ Create From Scratch” button.

You’ll now see Dorik's editor. Start designing your portfolio website by adding Sections, Columns (with Containers), and Elements. 

Read the documentation to familiarize yourself with this editor’s working process.

Build a Portfolio Site Using JSON

This section is for advanced users who know how to work with a JSON file to build a website. If you have such a file featuring the code of your would-be portfolio website, you can directly upload it to Dorik. Here’s how.

1. Log in to your account and go to Sites > Static.

2. Click the “+ Create New Site” button. 

3. Hit the “Import JSON” button and upload your JSON file.

That’s it! 

You can follow these steps to build a graphic design portfolio site with this no-code AI website builder.

Step 4: Customize Your Graphic Design Portfolio Website

You’ve now built your graphic design portfolio site using any of the above mentioned methods. It’s time to personalize and make it more professional by performing customization tasks. Here are what you can do to appear professional and attract potential clients.

Write, Rewrite, or Modify Text

Navigate to a particular section of a webpage that you want to customize. Click on the ‘Text’ element you want to edit. You’ll then notice a movable text editor on the right. 

You can see three tabs, General, Styles, and Advanced, under this text editor. By clicking the General tab, you can make basic text-related adjustments. For example, you can work on: 

and more

Time-saving tip: You can use Dorik’s AI-powered writing tool to write, rewrite, and fine-tune already written sections of a webpage. 

On the other hand, as you hit the Styles tab, you can refine the visual presentation of text elements. As such, you can 

Finally, once you click the Advanced tab, you can do the following:

and more. 

After customizing texts and other elements, you can fine-tune the visual elements of your graphic design portfolio website.

Customize Visual Elements

To edit, upload, and generate images, head to your preferred section and images you want to modify. Then, click on the image. Similar to the Text editing panel, you’ll notice an Image editing panel with the same three tabs: General, Styles, and Advanced.

You’ll see many basic image customizing features if you choose the General tab. Using these features, you can: 

Expert tip: Utilize Dorik’s AI Image Generator to create custom and eye-catching images and illustrations. 

Next, you can switch to the Styles tab to 

Furthermore, you can click the Advanced tab and perform the following tasks:

Hence, you can use one or all these tabs to customize images of a webpage on Dorik. 

Leverage the Drag-and-drop Editor

You can use Dorik’s fantastic drag-and-drop editor to create a professional graphic design portfolio. Here is a detailed guide on how to use this editor to add elements, components, and pages.

Add an Element

Dorik has 33 pre-built elements to help you effortlessly build your desired and professional website. Imagine you want to add a contact form to a particular area of a webpage. Or, you want to create an image gallery on a specific page. 

You can do these technical tasks in minutes using Dorik’s elements. That said, here’s how to add an element. 

1. Go to your site dashboard.

2. Click the ‘+’ icon in the left-side panel.

3. Choose an element and drag and drop it into your preferred container.

That’s how you add an element using Dorik’s drag-and-drop editor. Oh! Remember to have a container on a page or create a new section and add a container to drag and drop an element before draging and droping an element into a section.

If you need guidance on how to add a new section and a container, here you go:

1. Head to your site dashboard.

2. Navigate to an area where you want to add a new section.

3. Hit the “Add New Section” button.

4. Choose a container.

That’s how you add a new section and a container on a webpage using Dorik’s editor.

Include a Component

Underneath the element icon, you can find the component icon on the left-side panel of your site dashboard. Once you click that icon, you’ll see a bunch of pre-designed components that you can drag and drop into your preferred section. 

So, to do this, follow these steps:

1. Head to the left-side panel.

2. Click the Component menu.

3. Hit the 'Library' tab.

4. Select a component from a category and drag and drop it into your chosen section.

See how easily you can add a component and build a section. Accomplishing this task using other website builders will cost you immense time and effort.

Create Essential Pages

Indeed, a professional graphic design portfolio website must have some essential pages, and so must yours. Before revealing what pages your site should have, let’s demonstrate how to create a page using Dorik’s site editor. 

To build a new page, you can stick to the following steps. 

1. Go to your site dashboard. 

2. Hit the Pages menu in the left-side panel.

3. You can now choose between two page-creation options: AI-assisted Page Creation and Manual Page Creation.

Select your preferred option and follow the on-screen instructions to create a new page easily. Let’s now discuss what pages your graphic design portfolio website should feature. 

Homepage: When creating your homepage, ensure it is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and clearly displays information related to your work. Your homepage should give visitors a brief overview of your design work and tell them who you are. 

Therefore, include recent projects and client testimonials on this page to give visitors a snapshot of your work and achievements as soon as they land on your site. 

Portfolio: It’s the heart of your website. You can utilize this page to display all your work related to graphic design. You can include high-quality images, videos, and animations of your projects.

Also, you can add case studies and testimonials to this page. You can describe how you research a project after taking over it and how you complete it to give potential clients an idea of your thinking process. 

Services: It’s a crucial page you can build to offer services such as branding, web design, illustration, animation, etc. Your potential clients will find this page beneficial as they know how you can meet their needs.

Pro tip: Discuss how you can benefit clients by offering them unique and practical services. Also, include competitive pricing for your services.

Privacy Policy: It’s a mandatory page for every website. You need this page to inform users how you collect, use, and protect users data. This page lets visitors know how transparent you are and if they can trust you. Hence, cautiously build this page and write a detailed privacy policy.

Contact Me: Your graphic design portfolio site should feature a Contact Me page. This web page will help visitors find easy ways to contact you. So, create a Contact page and include diverse communication channels on this page.

About Me: An About Me page is optional, but you can consider building an About Me page to give visitors and potential clients a sense of who you are as a creative person. 

Such a page will give your portfolio additional spark and help you create lasting impressions among the audience.

Blog: Similar to the About Me page, a blog page is optional unless you feel the urge to bring many targeted visitors to your portfolio site free of cost. You can create a blog page and publish graphic design-related and SEO-optimized content.

We’ll discuss it in detail later in this article. So, build a blog page and showcase your expertise to visitors worldwide without spending much money!

These are all essential pages that a professional graphic design portfolio website should have. 

Familiarize Yourself with Global Styles

Enhance your graphic design portfolio site aesthetic by utilizing Dorik's Global Styles menu. Use it to complete the tasks mentioned below.

These primary features of this drag-and-drop editor can help you create a professional graphic design portfolio that draws clients. However, alongside these features, the Dorik editor has a few more sidebar menus to explore below.

Explore Other Sidebar Menus

Alongside using all the features we mentioned earlier, it’ll be wise to work with the rest of the sidebar menus of Dorik’s editor. That said, let’s explore these menus. 

Navigator

As you see from the menu title, this sidebar menu provides a structural overview of your site to help you navigate quickly. You can navigate to all elements on a page, including sections and components, using this Navigator menu. 

Media Library

Suppose you need to upload photos and videos of your work to your graphic design portfolio. In this case, you’ll find the Media Library menu incredibly beneficial. It allows you to accomplish the following jobs.

Site Settings

You’ll find the Site Settings menu below the Media Library menu. Using the Site Settings menu, you can do the following tasks:

AI Quick Style

The AI Quick Style menu allows you to perform quick customizations. Here’s what you can do with this feature.

These are all the sidebar menus that you can use to create an eye-catching and professional graphic design portfolio to attract employers or clients. 

Step 5 - Organize Your Content

Once you build your graphic design portfolio site, create must-have pages, and include necessary features, it’s time to organize your website’s content. Here’s what you need to consider while organizing content.

User Experience

Paying attention to user experience is essential if you want to grow as a brand. Here’s what you can consider to give users a smooth browsing experience.

Focus on the Work

Instead of writing and displaying gibberish content, you should prioritize displaying quality work on your graphic design portfolio website. You can -  

Think About the Content and Website Structure

You need to think about how well you can display your website content to your targeted audience. Here are some facts to follow while working on this aspect.

Include Call to Actions

Finally, encourage viewers to take action by strategically implementing call-to-actions across your website. For example, you can add a contact form, an email link, or social media icons to help visitors easily reach out to you.  

Also, you can place call-to-action buttons like "Get in Touch," "Hire Me," or "See My Work" to guide users through your site and toward potential collaboration.

By carefully organizing content with these factors in mind, your portfolio can effectively represent your design style, engage visitors, and attract potential clients.

Step 6 - Test & Launch Your Portfolio Website

Your graphic design portfolio website is ready to publish. Before publishing it, recheck everything. Ensure every page and link works perfectly, integrate a custom domain with your website, and then hit the Publish button.

Step 7 - Promote Your Graphic Design Portfolio Website

In this section, we’ll share some strategies to promote your site. Ensure you follow them all and get seen worldwide. 

SEO: SEO is one of the prominent marketing strategies that you can utilize to promote your graphic design portfolio website. You can research keywords around graphic design, particularly a branch of graphic design, and scatter them across your website through landing page copies and blog posts. 

You can perfectly write Alt texts for images and meta tags for blog posts on your portfolio site. Besides this, you can implement other SEO best practices on your site and see your desired results without spending much money on promotion.

Email Marketing: Email marketing is an effective marketing strategy. You can use this strategy to reach out to many potential clients. You can collect emails through newsletter sign-up forms or other lead-generation strategies.

Later, create engaging emails showcasing your projects and describing how you can benefit your targeted clients’ business. This way, you will get new clients and create awareness of your portfolio site.

Get Visible on Social Media: Social media platforms are incredibly beneficial in promoting your site if you know how to do it correctly. You can create several social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Pinterest.

Then, regularly share graphic design-related content on your accounts. You can join public and private Facebook groups related to your work to share your content and catch more attention free of cost! 

However, we discourage using these accounts solely to promote your site. Sometimes, you can create short posts about graphic design and give solutions to graphic design-related problems in diverse groups and communities. 

You can also share funny posts about graphic design and do other tasks on these platforms alongside promoting your website. Here are ten more proven social media marketing strategies to help you get going.

PPC Ads (Paid Marketing): Paid marketing is a powerful way to elevate your portfolio website and attract many potential clients quickly. You can run paid ads on Google, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and X (formerly Twitter).

These platforms will help you reach your traffic and client goals immediately. So, take advantage of PPC ads and promote your website. 

Partner with Influencers: This is an excellent promotional strategy. You can contact influencers on various social media platforms and collaborate to promote your content, including your portfolio site, in exchange for money or gifts. 

Step 8 - Regularly Update and Maintain Your Site

Regular website maintenance is important to keep a design portfolio website relevant and engaging for potential clients or employers. It demonstrates you are committed to presenting your work in the best possible light and are willing to invest time & effort.

Try sticking to a routine while updating, such as updating every month. Give yourself challenges to create fresh content. Do these, and you will be amazed to see the results.

To learn more about this fact, you can read the article on how to update a website. 

Graphic Design Portfolio Tips and Best Practices

How you design and operate your website depends greatly on what you want to achieve with your portfolio site. For example, as an entry-level graphic designer, you need to follow different tips to develop a graphic design portfolio website.

On the contrary, you may not follow standard tips when building a site to showcase your graphic design work to your educational institute. That being said, here are all the tips you can utilize depending on your expertise level and requirements.

Graphic Design Portfolio Tips for Students

If you are enrolled in a program at your university or college and need to build a graphic design portfolio site, review all requirements before compiling a portfolio. 

For your information, some college or university programs will require you to submit certain types of work or case studies, while others will need you to display all types of graphic design work. So, check your study program requirements first and start building a site.

While putting together your graphic design work on your website, we recommend you showcase only the projects/work you are most proud of or have helped you achieve the utmost appreciation.

If you don’t have any work to include in your portfolio, pursue freelance work for a client and then compile a complete graphic design portfolio. Also, you can start designing items for friends and family and later include that work in your portfolio. 

Lastly, try personalizing your graphic design portfolio. Include your name on the homepage and put a brief about yourself on another page to let people know about you as a person and a designer. 

Discuss what areas of graphic design keep you interested in continuously performing your work. Additionally, talk about your career choice and academic and professional goals.

Must Read: How to create a student portfolio website

Graphic Design Portfolio Tips for An Entry or Mid-Level Designer

If you want to attract clients or land paid jobs as a graphic designer, follow these tips to reap the best rewards! Include various types of graphic design work in your portfolio website - try to show diversity and your best work.

Display works that set you apart from other graphic designers. You can add your school and college projects, works you completed for clients, or alluring graphic design projects. 

Doing so will help you create a positive impression among visitors and let you draw the attention of potential employers or clients. However, if you plan to utilize your portfolio to land your dream job, prepare your portfolio site to reflect your desired job requirements.

Before compiling your graphic design portfolio website, thoroughly check the job description and review your design portfolio to see if your site matches your employers’ requirements.

Some Best Practices for Graphic Design Portfolio Websites

Design-related work tends to follow trends that constantly evolve with time. So, consider these trends while developing your portfolio website. 

Sometimes, you need to make your site simple, while other times, you need to utilize brilliant color schemes to grab attention. It depends on time and what you plan to achieve with your portfolio. But generally, you’ll follow the best practices mentioned below:

These best practices will help you build a professional and effective graphic design portfolio to exhibit your skills and attract prospective clients or employers.

Explore These Best Graphic Design Portfolio Examples 

We’ve included some of the best graphic design portfolio site examples in this section to help you take inspiration and professionally build your website. Hence, let’s start inspecting them all.

1. Aries Moross

Aries Moross is a perfect graphic design portfolio example if you want to compile a site that speaks for itself. Once you visit this website, you’ll notice that Aries Moross has beautifully displayed his collection of best works.

Another noticeable fact about this website is that every element of the site, from the color choices to the layout and typography, is consistent with Aries Moross's artistic identity. Although its typography is unconventional, this artistic approach describes Aries Moross’s expertise in graphic design.

2. Maria Marie

It’s a simple yet spectacular example of a graphic design portfolio. Maria Marie shows creativity by keeping the website layout simple and choosing an eye-catching color palette that speaks to her graphic design expertise. 

You will also notice that this website allows smooth browsing, making this site surfing pleasing. That said, you can do the same and pay close attention to user experience while developing your portfolio site. 

3. June Digan

June Digan's website features a full-size header image and moving thumbnails that immediately represent this site’s unique and artistic design. The site uses soft colors, delicate illustrations, and a clean, minimalist layout, which describe how well June Digan is as a profound graphic designer. 

The navigation is simple, with well-organized sections that showcase her portfolio. The site also features a subtle yet effective use of animations, adding a dynamic element without overwhelming the viewer. This combination of elements creates a visually engaging experience that reflects her artistic identity. 

4. Zoe Wodarz

Zoe Wodarz's website is a vibrant display of her work as a designer, pattern artist, and illustrator. The bold and colorful design reflects her artistic style, with large, dynamic images of her patterns and illustrations. 

The site is easy to navigate, with sections dedicated to her various projects, collaborations, and services. Using striking visuals and a clear, organized layout helps highlight her creative portfolio, making it visually appealing and functional.

5. Tobias van Schneider

Tobias van Schneider's website is visually striking and emphasizes minimalism and clarity. The site utilizes a bold black-and-white color scheme that highlights key elements. 

This website features large, high-quality images and concise text, allowing the work to speak for itself. The navigation is simple, guiding users through different sections like projects, essays, books, quotes, photo archives, etc. 

Overall, the design reflects van Schneider's creative direction and professional experience in a clean, engaging way.

These are a few of the best graphic design portfolio examples. You can read this guide on portfolio websites to learn more about this kind of site.

What is a Design Portfolio Website?

It’s a collection of your past work, indicating what you want to achieve in the future. It’s like your online CV that recruiters and potential clients view to gauge your expertise in graphic design. 

Why Do You Need a Graphic Design Portfolio Website?

You need a portfolio website to showcase your best work to potential clients, employers, or anyone interested in seeing your projects. You need it to establish your identity as a professional graphic designer.

You need a portfolio website to reach your targeted visitors worldwide and let them explore your best work. A portfolio website helps you appear unique and lets you stand apart from the competition.

What Makes a Good Design Portfolio Website?

An excellent graphic design portfolio website should contain the designer’s best work. It should be easy to navigate and offer a smooth browsing experience. 

A good-quality design portfolio site needs to have all the essential pages we described in this article. Above all, it should be clutter-free, simple, and visually appealing. 

How Many Projects Should You Have on Your Graphic Design Portfolio Website?

Some designers will tell you to display two to three of the best projects on your portfolio site, while others will suggest you feature five to six projects. How many projects should you actually display?

According to experts, the best practice is to exhibit most of your best work. If you can’t display them all, try to feature at least four to six projects on your design portfolio website.

That’s a Wrap

At this point, you should feel confident as you have enough knowledge on how to create a graphic design portfolio website. 

In this article, we’ve described everything from what a design portfolio is and what the best graphic design portfolio examples are to how to create a portfolio website without any hassle.

We believe you’ll utilize all the information we shared here and build your professional graphic design portfolio site. We wish you all the best on your website creation journey.

Good Reads