How to Make an Art Portfolio Website

4. Secure a domain name

Your domain -like squarespace.com-is like the street address for your website. Choosing a domain name for your portfolio is an important step.

When you're going through this process, make sure you pick a domain name that sounds professional, is easy to remember and spell, and is relevant to your name or brand. Another important thing to remember: To optimize searchability and make things smooth, consider using your full name or a combination of your name and your art medium.

Try the free Domain Name Generator

5. Customize your design

The design of your website should clearly complement your artwork without burying it or overshadowing it. Here are some tips to consider.

• Choose a clean, minimalist design that puts your artwork front and center.

• Use a color scheme that complements your work and aligns with the colors you use.

• Ensure that your site is optimized and responsive for mobile so website visitors can view it on their phones easily.

• Maintain consistency with fonts, colors, and overall style throughout the portfolio.

• When in doubt, consider how you want your website or art to make someone feel, and whether your design choices reflect that feeling.

Remember that the goal is to create a design that highlights rather than distracts, reflecting your artistic style while providing website visitors with an optimal viewing experience.

On Squarespace, you can add the different images and text you want in a website section and use the Layout Switcher to get automatic recommendations for how to lay them out. Or use Site Themes to quickly choose fonts and color palettes that fit your energy.

6. Build out the essential pages

A well-structured art portfolio website typically includes project pages, a professional bio, contact information, high-quality images and design, and oftentimes, a store.

Here are some things to consider for each section of your website.

Project pages

Dedicated project pages are a good space to share more detail about larger projects, like a series, client project and results, or collaborations. You don't need a page for every project-think about which projects help you tell the story you want to share with your website visitors.

When creating project pages, try to:

• Organize your work into categories if you work with multiple mediums.

• Use high-quality images that accurately represent your artwork.

• Include clear titles, an indication of what medium you used, and the year your artwork was made for each piece.

• Add a brief description, story, or results behind select works of art to add context.

Professional bio

Your professional bio or About Me page should include some information about you as well as an artist statement, if that feels applicable. This is also a good place to highlight any relevant education, exhibitions, or awards that you want to show off.

Be sure to use this space to include a professional photo of yourself, communicate your passions, and emphasize what makes your artwork particularly unique. Consider what else a site visitor might want to know about you, like what you like about working with clients, and weave that in too.

Contact page

A contact page is essential because it allows website visitors to reach out to you if they're interested in working together. It's good to provide several ways for people to reach out to you. Include an email, business phone number, and/or social media handle just to keep options open.

Along with sharing your info, consider adding a contact form to make getting in touch even easier. You can customize this based on your goals. For example, a freelance designer might use this as a client intake form, with custom questions about project goals. A painter could use it to standardize outreach about their work.

If you have a physical studio or gallery space that people can visit, be sure to include the address in this section, too.

Online store

If you're looking to sell your art online, creating a dedicated online store is essential. Some tips to remember when you're building out your store:

• Clearly display the prices, sizes, and accurate availability of your artwork.

• Include secure payment options, including buy now, pay later options like Klarna.

• Provide clear information on your shipping information and policies.

• Make it easy to navigate and browse.

• Ensure product photos and descriptions are clear and detailed.

If you want to start selling reproductions of your art, you can sell digital downloads in an online shop or use a print on demand service (POD) to sell prints. Print on demand companies handle production, inventory, and shipping, so you can start selling without the initial overhead costs.

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