Designers should know the importance of having a portfolio that establishes their persona and who they are as well as what their passion is. Displaying what you do is important, as it will convey a message about the person you are and what you are about to people who view this portfolio. So, making the first impression is really crucial.
Knowing how important portfolio is to any individual, we are here to guide you on making a single page design portfolio without you having to scramble or go crazy trying to find the most suitable way to present your ideas.
In the other post, you can see some examples of Beautiful Single Page Portfolio Website Designs.
Today I would like to share 5 important aspects when you design a single page portfolio website:
1. Structure
When starting out to make a single page design portfolio, you should remember there must be a structure to the portfolio. Figure out a title that will suit your portfolio and ensure the title makes a strong statement. Once you have the title in hand, write a summary on what you want people to expect or know about this single page. It is not advisable to write a whole fairy tale or long paragraph as this will bore people out easily. So, choose professional, concise and powerful 3 or 4 liners that will give people a long lasting impression of the page.
This will actually excite and intrigue people to know what is next. Next, prepare the design or work that you wish to display. Choose the best and unique ones and do not spare your best for last as this page should be considered as your introduction to the world. Last but not least, ensure your page has a tab that allows visitor to probe further on what your page is about. Having these 3 crucial points will allow you to enhance your capability and ideas on making this page a stand out as well as a visitor’s favorite page to visit.
2. Website Address and Hosting
When making a single page design portfolio, using a unique website address is important. It does not make sense if you are trying to showcase your work but have a website address that is free or with advertisement. You want visitor’s to concentrate on what you are about and what you are offering them so spending a bit more money to get a unique address that is easily remembered or pronounced as well as identifies what your website about is the right way to.
Your work is important to you. The endless hours you spend penning down your ideas should be kept private and confidential so hosting your website address by yourself will certainly eliminate competition and ensure your work is protected from fraudulent hands or mind. With you driving the force behind your single page design portfolio, you can ensure your website runs 24/7, updated with current information as well as looking professional and informative all at the same time. Most of all, your privacy is maintained with you at all times.
3. Design
When designing your single page portfolio, have fun with it. Showcase your designing abilities and ideas and do be shy with it. One thing to keep in mind is to place your design portfolio stylishly and professionally. Placing it all over the place will give the impression that you are not design tech person, more over you actually don’t take your design portfolio seriously. Don’t end up being a laughing stock just because you were not up to placing it strategically.
Ensure your outlook is simple yet classy. Having animation is truly encouraged however the animation loading has to load as quickly as possible. The solution for this would be to choose lower resolution or small sized file. A person who visits your page has no time to sit and wait for your page to load. A normal visitor’s attention span is 1 minute or less so having animations that attract their attention could really be a plus boost for you.
Animation is truly a great way to show off your website to visitors. Showing off is only the small portion as the big portion would be to capture the attention of your visitor. Fun websites that have animations will allow the visitor to really understand how you work as well as enjoy their experience of browsing through your page. However, when choosing animations, it’s good to keep in mind that your animations should not take a lifetime to download. Using techniques that are simple yet innovative will give your page the needed boost and will force your visitors to choose you instead of your competitor.
The background of your website should blend in with your work. Do not let the background of your page overshadow your work as it will cause your work to take a step back which should not be your reason for building this single page design portfolio in the first place. Choosing a background that is calm, serene, professional and with 2 to 3 tones of color should do the trick.
4. Communication
It is essential your visitors know how to contact you or know when or what time you are available so that if they have any inquiries, you will be available in anyways to answer them. So, placing the communication icons on a place that is strategically and visibly located such the top of your page could potentially bring your visitors coming back for more. These communication icons include Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, Skype, VOIP or many others. Again, your preference on how you would like to be contacted is entirely up to you.
Another way of communicating with visitors would be to introduce yourself in a short 3 liner sentence. Now, do not write your whole life story as people will get bored easily. Moreover, let your work do the talking for you. That 3 liner short sentence is for people to get to know you just one step closer and it adds a personalized touch to your work. Killing two birds with one stone is as simple as 1, 2, 3. You could also link any detailed file about yourself to the page so that if visitors would like to get to know you better, they can easily download the file and see you for themselves.
5. Work Validation
In order to not allow the page to appear cluttered just add about 12 – 14 pieces of your work. These would plague you with a sense of mysterious making visitors wanting more. This amount of pieces is sufficient to also not give an impression of you overselling yourself. So, check your work and display the best. If visitors like your work, they will surely get in touch you.
Another way to validate your work is to advise them a 2 – 3 liners of information regarding the work you have displayed. That information could really tell a lot and give visitors and idea of how much effort you put into your work. Ensure the CSS and XHTML of your page is approved and confirmed accordingly.
The above outlines would have given you the necessary ways or guide to make a single page design portfolio. Once you have this guide in your hands, executing it will be breeze as you would only have to think of what you will be doing instead of how are you going to get it done.
I’d be interested to hear whether you have a single page portfolio website. Share your story in the comment below?
