Online portfolio galleries have become the places to see and be seen. There's dozens of sites that offer to help you create an online portfolio and make it available to anyone looking for you "creative types." Suddenly, getting your work out there isn't the problem- it's deciding where to show it. Alas, what is a cyber-socialite artist to do?
As a Columbia student, or alum, you're eligible to put your work in the Portfolio Center Archive. When professional artists and employers are looking for creative talent in Chicago, they look for Columbia College students - and this is where they look. Register and send us your completed web portfolio and we'll make you instantly viewable to anyone who's interested.
Beyond our web walls, there's a few other types of sites you might consider:
5oup is a UK based free portfolio site for students, run by students that allows you to display your work, as well as connect with artists worldwide.
Artistsportfolio and Absolutearts include work from students, professionals and amateurs with a free portfolio and a "portfolio pro" (read: costs money) option.
Creative Hot List allows employers to search by a variety of skills, making this site a good resource for job seekers. It's going to cost you though- 35$ for 6 months.
Illoz and Artrom are "invitation only" galleries, meaning the work must be reviewed and approved before they will allow you to post there.
All of these websites offer you their version of Portfolio Production, meaning you can upload X number of images, to be displayed in a pre-made format. So, if they're willing to do the design work for you, should these online gallery portfolios take the place of your own portfolio? Absolutely not. "When I get resumes from people, I kinda don't like to be bounced back to a site like creative hotlist," says talent recruiter Sharon Potsch, "I much prefer PDFs of samples or a link to a website of their own." Anyone considering anything creative should take the time to create something outside of a gallery website; if a designer can't be bothered to design their own website, why would you hire them to design something for someone else?
When you're deciding where to post your work, be sure to check the gallery to make sure you've found a good fit. Who's the site aiming to appeal to? Is the primary goal networking or employment- and what are you looking for? Just like a slumber party won't do if you're in the mood for a soiree, choosing your gallery makes all the difference in how your work will be received.
