College of the Arts

Online Portfolios, Blog & Website Building Tools

•   How To Create a Website - Blog with curated list of top website building tools for low/no cost! Very helpful!

• ArtStation.com – Build a portfolio and find job postings in gaming and other entertainment visual arts.

• Behance.net – Online portfolios, organized into a wide variety of searchable categories and free job postings.

• Blogger/Blogspot – Free, easy to use blog with domain name and variety of template options. Also offers advertising and analytics options.  Blogger.com and BlogSpot.com   are Google products and now work together as one. Blogger is the free publishing platform; BlogSpot is the free domain service provider. When you create your blog on Blogger, you'll automatically get a BlogSpot domain.

• Buildyourownblog.net – This is an excellent resource if you are not sure how to get started using a blog effectively.

• Carbonmade.com – Easy to use online portfolio site with clearly marked tabs for pricing of three different low cost options, examples and of course the projects themselves.

• Deviantart.com/browse/all – Where many amateur and professional artists start off or maintain an online portfolio of work.

• Instagram - A super convenient way to share art on-the-go used by both amateurs and pros, from sketches to finished art, and maintain a constant flow. Easy way to connect with communities of artists and in other interest areas using hashtags.

• Linkedin – This social media tool has become the standard for professional networking.  Think of it as an electronic resume with special features that allow you to collect recommendations, reach out to connect with others in your field or make contacts directly to people inside the companies you want to work for. Free basic account gives you everything you need, but also offers a “premium account” option for a fee.

• Newgrounds.com - Upload animations, games, audio (music and voice acting reels!), and artwork. Beware: This site does contain adult content, mostly in the form of crude comedic language and violence, uncensored opinions, etc. However, each section on the site does have age filters to sort out its content at different levels, ensuring some viewer protection.

• Portfolium - Designed specifically for students and recent college grads to showcase their work and offer recruiters a chance to scout entry level talent in a variety of areas.

• Squarespace – Build a websites or online store using elegantly designed templates with tons of customizable features.

• Virb.com - $10/mo gets you a custom website with unlimited pages, customization options, support services, custom domain, built in blog, unlimited photos, videos & audios, nice-looking themes, SEO tools and more.
• Websitesetup.org - Article offering tips for creating a website using WordPress, a free website building tool. Great for beginners.

• Weebly.com – Build a website, get a domain name, set up an online store or blog. You can set up the “basic” site with 500 MB of storage for free. For an annual fee, you can get more storage and other features.  

• Wix.com -  A direct competitor to Weebly, Wix allows users to create great looking websites from scratch with a plethora of intuitive controls, including domain name for free.

• Wordpress - Free and easy to use.  Start with a free account and move up as you develop your portfolio.  Domain name, tech support and a variety of templates and other tools. Fee based accounts are $4,  $8 or $25 per month.