To Behance or not Behance - Your Online Portfolio

If you work in a creative field, it’s important to share your work. That’s why Photographers, Graphic Designers, and Copywriters all develop portfolios to showcase their talent. If you’re looking for the next gig, or even if you’re an employer searching for the right talent, an online portfolio is very important to help you decide your next steps.

If you haven’t developed a portfolio yet, one of the most popular online platforms these days is Behance. It’s published millions of projects since its launch in 2006, and it remains the go-to place to showcase your work.

So while you know you must have an portfolio, the question is: should I use Behance for my online portfolio?

There are many choices of online portfolio sites these days, so let’s weigh the pros and cons of whether you should use Behance – or someone else (see a full breakdown of platforms).

The Pros of Using Behance

Behance is a well-established platform. Part of the Adobe Creative Cloud plan, it can run as low as $9.99 per month. Or, you can add a portfolio for free, with limited design and feature options.

Originally Behance was just a scrapbook. Over the years, the site added job listings and creative tools, in addition to the piles of portfolios listed on the site. Behance is a platform that allows many people with web design careers to showcase their portfolios of visual work such as graphic design, fashion, illustration, photography, and more.

One of the pros of Behance is that it is extremely easy to use. If you’re an artist who’s not a coder, this is a good site for you.

You can like and follow other people’s work and it has a Pinterest-like bulletin board feel. Organize your work based on the type of project. You can also list projects that are under construction and ask your followers for feedback. Finally, you can link part or all of your portfolio to your social media accounts.

Working with ProSite and Behance 

Mobile developers use ProSite to build and customize portfolio websites, which they host on the Behance network. These websites have their own URLs, allowing them to display a member's portfolio in a personalized environment. The major phases of creating a portfolio site include the following:

• Layout
• Customization
• Pages
• Publication

Layout in ProSite

The selection of a layout is the first step in creating a portfolio website with ProSite. The next step is to choose the projects in your Behance portfolio that you want to add to your ProSite website by dragging their icons into your project list. Don't forget, you may continue to optimize your website after it goes live by making changes such as choosing a new layout.

Customization

Customize the look and feel of your ProSite website with the Design tab -  this tab allows you to change dozens of design elements under the layout and style buttons. Scroll down the list to the left of the main panel to select elements such as page links, project links, and dividers. An area of your website will be highlight as you hover over each section, indicating the significance of that section. Click a section to change it, and follow the instructions on the pop-up window.

Creating Pages

Add pages such as gallery pages, link pages, and custom pages to your ProSite website. A gallery page allows you to display additional projects, which you may use in a variety of ways. Designers often divide their projects into multiple pages according to criteria such as subject, date, client project, etc. Add your work to a gallery page by using the projects tab and customize the page with the design tab.

Two page links to remember:

1. Add a link page to control your site navigation. This type of page will redirect users to the website of your choice when they click on it. You'll often use link pages on your ProSite website to take users to your blog.
   
   
2. Add a custom page to create a blank page that you can design however you choose. Locate this page in your pages list after you create it and select "Edit Page Content" on the gear dropdown to edit a custom page. Add embedded or uploaded content to the page with the Remote button.

Hitting Publish

Publish your ProSite website after you're happy with its look and feel. This requires you to upload the website's content and a cover image. Crop the cover image and give it with a title. You will also need to fill in several fields such as creative fields, search tags and their description, etc. Think of it like you're launching your very own website...because you are!

You'll have the option of providing additional information such as copyright options, tools used and visibility settings. Click the "Publish Project" button to publish the project. Click the "Settings" button from your main ProSite page and ensure the "Project Visible To" dropdown box isn't set to "Private". This action will allow you to view your project on the Portfolio page.

The Cons of Behance

We think Behance is a little simplistic, in terms of the design selections, so there is a kind of uniform look to the site and the portfolios listed.

Also, you have to compress each of your file images and save them for the web in order to upload. This takes some time.

Each project on Behance shows the number of people that have viewed your project and liked it. That makes it a little risky to list your project out there -- what if no one rates it or appreciates it?

To Behance or Not to Behance?

Artisan Talent has been working with creative talent for more than a decade. We always recommend that you develop a digital portfolio to share your work. If you don't have the time or resources to create your own, using a site like Behance will not only help you show off your skills, it will also help you sort your work by type, which is something that is important when applying for a job. A potential employer will want to see your best work that potentially fits the role you’re applying for; sites like Behance help you meet this need.

Still not sure what portfolio site is right for you? Check out our guide to the best portfolio platforms.

No matter what digital portfolio site you choose, Artisan is devoted to helping increase your professional presence. Teaming up with a talent agent means you will have a much better chance of getting and keeping the career or short-term gig you’ve been dreaming about. Contact us today – we’re here to help!