We’ve found five great inspirational websites for freelancer designers – these can provide insight into how to construct your own website and online portfolios. However, please don’t copy them but rather seek to emulate things that you think work well.
Radium
Cosmin Daniel Capitanu of Romania runs Radium, and he’s a freelance designer and architect. While you may find his about page a little awkward due to the English-as-a-second-language aspect—we’re pretty sure that you’ll agree that his designs are something special. His portfolio is clear and appealing—and the simplicity of the overall site design is one worth considering if you’re not really a wordsmith.
Author/Copyright holder: Radium.ro. Copyright terms and licence: Fair Use
See more at: Radium
Flamy
Another beautifully presented site for web work, design and development—this is two freelancers, Kenneth and Chai, working in partnership with complementary skill sets. It’s a great way to promote their work and to offer a wider service range to their clients than they perhaps could on their own.
Author/Copyright holder: Fla.my. Copyright terms and licence: Fair Use
See more at: http://fla.my/
Ivo Mynttinen
Ivo Mynttinen’s site is the strongest portfolio we’ve seen. The designer and developer has a really clean site and packs in a lot of work to testify to his credibility.
Author/Copyright holder: Ivo Mynttinen. Copyright terms and licence: Fair Use.
See more at: http://ivomynttinen.com/
Miro Hristov
Miro’s a web developer and UX designer, and we love the look of his simple and clean portfolio site. It describes his skills and experience with brilliant simplicity and allows him to convey a very clear message to potential clients.
Author/Copyright holder: Miro Hristov. Copyright terms and licence: Fair Use
See more at: http://www.mirohristov.com/ - about
Jordan Flaig
This is another fabulous portfolio with a very clear message from the landing page onwards—the perfect style for someone who likes design to do the talking.
Author/Copyright holder: Jordan Flaig. Copyright terms and licence: Flair Use
See more here.
Hey! Why no digital nomad portfolios?
Yes, we thought you might notice that. The reason there are no digital nomad portfolios is that most digital nomads don’t advertise the fact that they are digital nomads to their clients. Unfortunately, the term “digital nomad” has come – in some people’s minds – to mean “unreliable travelling slacker”. Professional freelancers and entrepreneurs may use the term “digital nomad” when talking to their peers, but they tend to avoid doing so on their websites. It prevents clients with negative associations from dismissing their work.
The one exception to this rule is freelance writers. There are a few digital nomad freelance writer blogs and websites out there; sadly, many of these are the reasons that digital nomads have a bad reputation with clients. Churning out articles on why you’d rather be surfing than working isn’t a great way to boost your credibility. That sort of hedonistic abandon taints the industry as a ‘scene’.
The founders of Interaction Design Foundation, Rikke Friis Dam and Mads Soegaard, are examples of hardworking digital nomads who work hard and stay dedicated wherever they go. In fact, all employees at the Interaction Design Foundation work online, and many of them live and work as dedicated hard-working digital nomads. You’ll find that whenever you prioritize your work, productivity, and perfectionism and work full-time (and often more), you’ll be able to work at the most amazing places in the world and deliver high-quality results to the benefit of your own business and your clients or users. If you’re able to work hard anywhere—you can continue to live an exciting and independent life while adding value to the world via high-quality results for as long as you want.
The Take Away
These five websites for freelancer designers can provide inspiration and insight into how to construct your own website and online portfolios. However, please don’t copy them but rather seek to emulate things that you think work well.
If your particular style of work isn’t represented in the examples above—you can easily look for it or find more. Just Google— “(your expert area—whatever it is)” and “freelance” together; you’ll find plenty of people who do what you do as a freelancer or entrepreneur.
References & Where to Learn More
Hero Image: Author/Copyright holder: India7 Network. Copyright terms and licence: CC BY 2.0
