Are you worried about how to publicize your work and find clients who want to buy your work as an animator?
Having a good website portfolio is essential to make your way in the creative industry and spread what you do.
If you are looking for work as an animator, it is not enough to have creativity and talent: you must know how to present your work attractively and know how to sell yourself. This is how you will find clients who hire your services.
To create your digital portfolio, the first thing you should do is find a website platform where you can show your work. There are many options for portfolio websites that offer you different advantages and possibilities.
Here you will find a list of the best options for you.
1. Wix
Best for animators that do not have a wide budget to create their portfolio website.
Wix is a good option if for the moment you do not have much money to create a portfolio website, since even in its free version you can create a website with a very professional look.
Besides, you can also find free and very creative templates to make your portfolio stand out. In its free version, Wix will give you a domain, which is very valuable since other platforms do not have this option without you having to pay.
Another great feature of Wix is that you do not need to have any knowledge of web page design to get a result that you like. The platform is designed so that anyone can create a web page and manage it over time.
Wix offers a wide variety of customizable templates so that you can create your portfolio to your liking and in case you cannot find a template that you like on the platform, there are a large number of other options on the web, paid and free.
Also, there are a large number of tutorials that will teach you how to get the best out of this platform so that you can install templates and customize them.
Pros
- They have a free plan that you can use.
- The platform allows you to upload videos of up to 30 minutes, which is perfect to show your animation reels or videos where you show your creative processes.
- Wix gives you the option to enable sales on your website.
- You can add videos from platforms like Google Drive, DropBox, YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook.
- All Wix themes are 100% customizable.
Cons
- The free option does not offer many benefits.
- Their most basic paid plan still includes ads.
Price
- Connect Domain: $5 a month
- Combo Plan: $14 per month
- Wix Unlimited package: $18 per month. The best option for freelancers as it does not include ads (more professional).
- Wix VIP: $39 per month
Source: Wix
2. Webflow
Best for animators that do not know how to program.
Webflow offers an online website editor that allows, by dragging and dropping elements, to generate truly professional results. This is great in case you do not have any programming or web design skills.
The optimization of web pages for mobile phones is also another very useful plus since many people often use their mobile devices to surf the Internet.
In the template gallery, you will find a multitude of predefined designs for your website. Some of them are free and then there are many others for payment.
The truth is that the gallery is very wide, but you can help yourself with the filters and keywords to narrow your search.
A good idea is that before creating your portfolio you are clear about what style you want it to have, this will make the template selection process and the creation of your portfolio faster.
Something new that Webflow offers is that your portfolio website can have animated features, so your talent as an animator can be shown not only in your gallery but also in the design of your portfolio.
The platform provides you with tutorials so you can learn how to integrate this feature, but in short, they provide a wide variety of possibilities that will add a lot of personality to your website.
Pros
- Webflow gives you a complete and orderly tour of the platform through links that provide detailed information on how it works.
- The platform offers workshops related to the operation and tools offered by the page.
- Webflow layouts and animations automatically adjust to devices of any size and orientation.
- Most of the Webflow functions can be used for free.
- In the template gallery, you will find many free premade layouts for your website.
Cons
- Although it is a platform that can be used without having programming knowledge, you will need to invest time in learning how its interface and tools work.
- There are CMS templates for Personal and Professional plans that their advanced features can only be applied and used on computers with certain specifications.
Price
- Webflow Free: does not require a credit card and you can use it for an unlimited time.
- Basic: $12 per month
- CMS: $16 per month
- Business: $36 per month
Source: dexter-morgan.webflow.io
3. Format
Best for animators that their priority is to have a visually attractive portfolio.
Format was thought for photographers but its interface allows an animator to show high-quality images of their projects and also include videos, such as reels or creative processes.
This platform works excellently on mobile devices such as phones or tablets, so it is one less worry since Format makes sure your portfolio always looks and works well.
With Format, you can create your portfolio in a very fast and uncomplicated way, which greatly facilitates the process if it is the first time you create a portfolio website or you do not have experience in this.
The good thing about Format is that it is not only a good platform to create a portfolio but it also includes other tools such as e-commerce and creating a professional email. This is important because it will make your customers take you more seriously.
Many website builders are focused on companies or stores, but Format was designed to meet the needs of artists and that is what differentiates it from other platforms.
All its themes are designed so that your portfolio impacts and looks professional and artistic at the same time.
If you are interested in taking care of the aesthetics of your portfolio website and not only uploading your work, Format is undoubtedly a good option for you.
Pros
- This platform not only ensures that you have a good portfolio website but that you grow as a professional through the courses they provide.
- All Format themes are 100% editable, so you can use a default one and give it the look you like.
- They have a very complete and attentive customer service that even helps you in the construction of your portfolio website.
- You do not need advanced knowledge to create your portfolio. The platform is very simple to use.
- All Format plans include hosting.
Cons
- Format does not have free plans.
Price
- Pro: $12 per month. It is a good option for freelancers since it offers the possibility of uploading 1500 images, which is important for animators, and it has an affordable price.
- Pro Plus: $18 per month. You can upload unlimited photos.
- Unlimited: $25 per month. Apart from being able to upload unlimited photos, they give you a more complete support service and a professional Gmail email completely free.
Source: Format
4. Adobe Portfolio
Best for animators who use a program of the Adobe Suite.
Adobe Portfolio is a platform specifically created for Adobe users and aims to be a tool for all graphic artists to show their work. This means illustrators, designers, photographers, and of course animators.
It is a fairly simple platform with which you can create a portfolio website without going through complex processes and obtain beautiful, creative and professional results.
If you use any of the Adobe Suite products, you will have access to Adobe Portfolio. All its themes are optimized to offer a good view of your artistic creations.
To create your portfolio, you just have to choose the theme that best suits your style, what projects you want to show, write a short paragraph about who you are, and what you do.
Any theme you choose on the page is optimized to be viewed correctly from any mobile device, so you will not have to worry about how your portfolio looks from tablets or phones.
You can also add a welcome page to your portfolio and edit the characteristics of your theme to adjust it to your preferences.
Adobe Portfolio is a platform that will guarantee that your creations look excellent and will not reduce the quality of your images or videos.
Pros
- All its themes are web responsive.
- It is very simple to use.
- The platform is made to show graphic creations so the photos or videos do not lose quality.
- You can have a custom domain.
- You do not need knowledge of programming or web design to get a professional-looking portfolio.
Cons
- You must necessarily have a subscription to an Adobe Suite program to use it.
Price
Because it is a tool integrated into Adobe Creative Cloud, it does not have an additional cost to the payment you make to use the Adobe Suite.
Source: Portfolio Adobe
5. WordPress.org
Best for animators who want more than just a portfolio website.
WordPress.org is the most used website builder on the market and offers a lot of advantages and possibilities that can help you create a very complete portfolio website. With WordPress you can create your portfolio website from scratch so that it meets all your needs and the best of all is that you do not really need to be an expert to get the best out of this platform.
This website builder is used by a large community of users, which means that on the web you will find hundreds of tutorials, classes, tips, and tools to give your portfolio the professional look it needs. If you create your portfolio website in WordPress.org, you will not only be able to exhibit your creations but you can add other parts such as a blogging section or an online store section.
These are things that can complement your portfolio and make your website generate more interest since people will start to see it not only to observe your work but because they know they will find something extra and beneficial. To use WordPress.org you will only need to purchase hosting, which you can get at Bluehost for only $2.99.
Pros
- This platform is web responsive, which means that your portfolio website will work and look good from practically any mobile device.
- It has SEO optimization, which will make your website easier to find on the web. So you can be seen by more people.
- It is an open-source platform, many designers and developers create plugins that you can use on your website without having to pay.
- There are a large number of hosting providers that support websites created in WordPress and each one offers different advantages.
- You can integrate Google Analytics to your website and thus evaluate the performance of your portfolio website.
Cons
- If you use independently developed plugins or elements, they may tend to crash or not work well.
- Its operation can be a bit confusing if you do not know about web pages, however, you can learn easily.
Price
Using WordPress.org is completely free, only that for your website to work you must buy a domain and host separately. As you already know, Bluehost offers domains and hostings from $2.99 per month.
Source: ThemeForest
6. Fabrik
Best for animators who want a portfolio website with an incredible look without having to get involved in the process.
Fabrik is a platform for creating website portfolios and was made thinking about the needs of all types of artists, including animators.
It has a drag and drop interface, some incredible and visually attractive templates, and integration with Vimeo, YouTube, Soundcloud, and Slate, which will help you a lot if you have your reel on one of those platforms.
This is one of the best alternatives to create an online portfolio that your potential clients will not forget.
Not only can you create a portfolio website that represents your creative and artistic style but also one that looks professional and convinces your potential clients that you are an expert.
Fabrik’s goal is for you to simply take care of making everything look the way you want, without having to get involved in the technical aspects of running a website.
To start creating your portfolio, the platform asks you to tell them what type of artist you are. There you should choose the option that seems similar to animation and then they will explain to you all the benefits that Fabrik offers you based on your niche.
You can create different portfolio categories and even add a blogging section, all as they say: “without touching a line of code”.
Pros
- They offer 14 days of free use and without having to link your credit card.
- All themes are designed by experts.
- It allows you to upload high-resolution images, which is ideal to show your models.
- All the themes available on the page are responsive.
- You can use different layouts for each page of your portfolio website.
Cons
- Does not have free plans.
Price
- Personal: $11 per month. Includes unlimited blog posts and 2GB media storage.
- Professional: $16 per month. You can create up to 20 portfolios and 100 projects.
- Unlimited: $26.00 per month. It has unlimited media storage, projects, portfolios, and blog posts.
Source: arielpalanzone.onfabrik.com
7. Weebly
Best for animators who feel they need a little help creating their portfolio website.
Weebly allows you to create websites in two ways: paid or free. It is also a versatile website builder, which works well for many types of web pages, including portfolios for animators.
It also offers a guide on how to use the platform for those who are using a website builder for the first time.
Its operation is quite simple, you only need to register on the platform and provide your information data. To make it faster, Weebly also allows you to sign up using your Facebook or Google accounts.
After completing those first steps you can choose a template for your portfolio website immediately. The page has different themes for the different types of web pages that can be created there and there is one category dedicated to website portfolios.
The best thing of all is that these themes are free. To choose the one that best suits your needs, you can preview them and evaluate how much you like them.
Pros
- Weebly themes allow you to add multimedia content so that you can attach videos or images.
- They also have responsive themes. This is important because you do not want your animations to look bad when someone comes in from a phone.
- They provide a detailed guide so you can create a professional-looking portfolio website.
- The first year offers a free domain.
- You can purchase a Cloud hosting that will help your portfolio always load quickly, which is ideal for your animations to be seen without problems.
Cons
- You cannot edit the default themes.
- The disposition of the support team will depend on the plan you buy.
Price
- Free plan: You will not have to pay anything to use it. Good for basic websites.
- Personal plan: $5 per month. It allows you to use your own domain.
- Professional plan: $12 per month. More appropriate for business.
- Performance plan: $25 per month. Ideal for online stores.
Source: linentemplate.weebly.com
8. PortfolioBox
Best for animators who want an artistic portfolio website.
To begin with, this is a highly recommended platform because you really do not need technical knowledge to create a portfolio website with it.
Here you will find everything you need in one place, to be able to exhibit your works in different types of formats, whether in images, video, or gifs.
Even if you plan to go beyond just having a portfolio, PortfolioBox allows you to create an online store. This will help you if you want to sell services or products through your website.
PortfolioBox knows that artists place a lot of importance on the image and what they can convey with it, that is why it puts at your disposal minimalist themes where your works are the protagonists.
It also has colorful and customizable themes to convey your personality and allows you to create galleries and upload videos.
Pros
- It allows you to upload a large number of images to your portfolio website without losing quality.
- It is a very complete platform that gives you everything you need to put your website to work.
- Includes hosting to host your portfolio.
- All their themes are responsive.
- Their most basic plan costs only $0.9.
Cons
- It does not have free plans.
Price
- Light: It costs $0.9 per month and allows you to have up to 10 pages.
- Pro: $7.9 per month. It allows up to 50 pages, gives you a free domain, and supports 24 hours a day.
- Pro Plus: $14.9 per month. It allows you to have up to 1000 pages, 1000 images, includes a free domain, and support 24 hours a day.
Source: mattlincoln.co.uk
9. IM Creator
Best for animators that are students or consolidated artists.
IM Creator is a website builder for students, artists, or non-profit organizations. The reason is that it is intended to be a help for people who cannot afford a website.
If you can prove that you belong to any of these three categories, you can receive full financing to use the platform. That is, you will not have to pay anything to access all its functions.
IM Creator gives you free hosting but you also have the option to export your website and use another hosting provider.
Thanks to the templates they have available you can create a portfolio website with a professional and aesthetic image, ideal for displaying your creations.
Setting up your portfolio website in IM Creator is quite simple. It has the option to drag and drop which means you can have your website ready in a very short time.
The platform has many minimalist themes, designed to make your works stand out. All themes are customizable and responsive.
Pros
- All themes are customizable and you can modify many aspects such as color, text, and background, among others.
- The free plan has all the features of the Premium plan available.
- You can create your own theme from scratch with a blank template.
- The platform allows you to preview the themes on both computers and mobile devices.
- The support team is very attentive and even provides manuals.
Cons
- There are no free plans that you can access without approval.
- You cannot make sales through your website.
Price
Apart from the Free plan that you can access if you make the request and are approved, you can also choose to pay the Premium plan for $8 per month.
Honestly, if you cannot access the Free plan, it is best to opt for other platforms that can offer you better benefits at a similar price.
Source: imcreator.com
10. Krop
Best for animators who want to get a job using their portfolio website.
Krop is an excellent option if you want a lot of benefits at an affordable price.
Creating a portfolio website here is quite simple, apart from the fact that you have the possibility of creating galleries, which simplifies the process of thinking about how you want to exhibit your work.
This platform is only for creating website portfolios, so all the templates that you will find here will help you to show your work in a way that impacts and does not detract from the quality of the visualization of your creations.
As soon as you finish creating your portfolio website, it can be seen by hundreds of clients who are looking for animators like you, since this platform is also used by employers.
Pros
- All themes are optimized to display graphic pieces.
- You can create several folders to be sections on your website.
- Prestigious companies such as Facebook, Netflix and Nike use this platform to hire people.
- You can also use the search engine to find jobs, not just wait to be contacted.
- The platform is self-hosted, so you will not have to resort to other services externally.
Cons
- There is no free plan.
- The free trial only lasts 14 days.
Price
- There is only one plan that costs $9.99 per month.
Source: Krop
How to Choose the Right Platform for You
Make Sure it Does Not Affect the Quality of Your Projects
There are platforms that allow you to upload files with a size limit and if you try to reduce the file to fit the parameters of the page, surely your animation or image will lose quality.
When you choose your platform, decide on one that allows you to upload images with good quality, and has enough space for you to upload your projects. Another thing to take into account is that this platform can work well despite uploading large files.
Define What you Want to Achieve with Your Portfolio
There are animators who simply want a portfolio website to show their creations and nothing else. However, others aspire to have a blogging section or even to sell products and services through their website.
It is important that you have this clear by the time you go to create your portfolio, to avoid choosing a platform with limited possibilities when you really want to have a very versatile portfolio.
Be Honest with Your Budget
When looking for which website builder to use, you will be dazzled with all the possible options. However, although they look very attractive, the most expensive options are most likely not the best for you.
In the first place, because they are focused on other types of websites such as online stores, and second, it will be a difficult expense to sustain over time, especially if your portfolio website is not monetized.
Choose only what you can afford and that does not cause you a problem after several months.
Conclusion
Having a portfolio website is one of the first steps to becoming known in the market and getting clients.
There are different types of portfolio websites that you can choose from, some will favor you more if you want to show your work and there will be others that would serve you more if you want to use it for other things such as publishing posts or selling your services.
You must evaluate each one to decide which is the best option for you.
- WordPress.com, Wix, and Weebly are perfect options if you want to go beyond creating a portfolio website and plan to add more things in the future, such as a blogging or sales section.
- PortfolioBox, Krop, and IM Creator are good options if your only interest is to create a portfolio website to show your creations and nothing else.
- Adobe Portfolio is perfect if you are already subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud since that will help you save money and it is a platform of excellent quality.
- Fabrik and Format are the best options for those animators whose priority is the aesthetics and look of their portfolios.
- Webflow is perfect for animators who have zero knowledge of web design and need a little help in creating their portfolio.