Creating an Online Portfolio
Posted by Jen Clark on 19th February 2010
One of the questions many students, designers and creative professionals often ask is 'What is the quickest and easiest way for me to get my folio online for people to see?'.
In the past 10 or so years, since the digital revolution really began in earnest, a number of web-based platforms have been developed by companies and parties the globe over allowing creative individuals from all backgrounds the ability to set up their own online spaces whereby they can showcase and discuss their work.
It is only really in the past year or so though that some of these platforms have really established themselves as cutting edge - extremely easy to use, cheap (if not free) to set up, open to endless variances of customisation, technically sound and clean and seamless in their execution. There are however undoubtedly still some fairly average products out there.
I decided to create a quick list of currently available tools allowing those creative types to whom the words 'programming' and 'code' might be quite foreign to take a look at in order to quickly build good looking, accessible online portfolios:
1. Cargo (you must apply directly for an account) is a web publishing (CMS) and community-building platform currently in development. It powers a variety of creative communities in the fields of Education, Design, Research, and Conceptual Art. See www.cargocollective.com
2. Carbonmade (up to 35 images free then you pay a fee per month) is a platform that allows users to manage an online portfolio with a variety of tools that can change how work is displayed. The core idea behind the design of Carbonmade is to keep images and/or video at the forefront. See www.carbonmade.com
3. Viewbook (free 30 day trial then fee per month) is an online service that enables users to present and promote their images with a maximum degree of flexibility and quality. This product is excellent for photographers in particular and the interface is extremely clean and elegant. See www.viewbook.com
4. Behance (you have to request an invitation to join) is undoubtedly one of the biggest online portfolio building networks on the web today. It allows users to create a unique profile including information, links and galleries of work. See www.behance.net
5. The Loop (in beta stage and free!) is a new Australian website aimed at bringing together creative professionals and employers. On here users can create custom profiles, load images of work and also view job listings etc. See www.theloop.com.au
These are just some of the sites I've stumbled across in recent times that I have quite liked. There are, of course, many others to choose from too if Google is anything to go by. I hope this helps point some of you in the right direction though :)
1. By aistrope on 20th February 2010 @ 4.35 PM
Indexhibit is another good one: http://www.indexhibit.org
Stacey is a great Australian based offering: http://www.staceyapp.com
Krop is very professional looking: http://www.krop.com/creativedatabase
Virb also looks very nice: http://www.virb.com
Flickr is another, but I don't think it looks that professional: http://www.flickr.com
Computer Love too: http://www.cpluv.com
You can also host a few images on a directory listing on INfront too. I wouldn't personally show this as a portfolio but if there was enough interest this is definitely something we could set up.
2. By aistrope on 20th February 2010 @ 4.37 PM
There is also http://www.coroflot.com. I am sure there are many more too.
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