One or multi paged portfolios
November 2, 2008 by Mathias Vain · 4 Comments 
When an artist starts to make a personal portfolio, they always make at least 2 different kinds of portfolio templates ( well, I made 5 
). and then they have to consider many styles, single page, multi, flash and so on… I’m going to make your life just a little bit easier explaining the pros and cons of one-page versus multi-paged portfolios.
One Page Portfolios
Pros:
1) Easy to slice and code.
2) Easy to look around and get contact info.
3) Less time to make.
4) May contain more graphical elements.
5) Less chance to mess up the code and slicing.
6) Better for freelancers
Neutral:
1) Good with less information
Cons:
1) May get very messy.
2) Harder to display using a CMS (content management system). The only good CMS for one page folios is blogging CMS “Wordpress”
3) Doesn’t have much room to work in.
4) Viewers may get tired from scrolling
5) Takes a long time to load on slower internet connections
Multi-page Portfolios
Pros:
1) Easier to navigate the site and see the information you want to see.
2) Easy to get a CMS.
3) A lot of more room to work in.
4) Better for designing studios
5) Can use more flash elements
Neutral:
1) Good with a lot of information.
Cons:
1) Takes a bit more time to slice and code to make it look properly
2) Takes more time to make it.
3) Coding may be a pain in ass
And now for inspiration, here are a few kickarse Portfolios from both genres.
One-page
1) http://www.daleharris.com/
2) http://fernandobittar.com/
3) http://www.thibaud.be/ (not much of a traditional one paged portfolio, but it’s still cool)
Multi-page
http://www.mac-design.org/
2) http://www.emesstyle.com/index.php
3) http://www.eveninglab.com/
4) http://www.iso50.com/iso50.html
This is a pretty good list of the technical merits for and against one/multi page portfolio sites, but its missing any discussion whatsoever regarding the actual presentation of content. IMO the presentation is an even more important deciding factor of direction since it will impact the actual interaction with portfolio content. Assuming that a person visits a portfolio site to judge capabilities based on previous project experience, they are unlikely to be as concerned with code/CMS/technical execution of the container as they are with the flow/ease of discovery/quality of individual projects. That said here are a list of merits for both single and multi-page portfolio sites from a presentation perspective.
—- One Page —-
1. Its simple – When it comes to usability its almost impossible to not understand how to navigate a one page site and from a visual perspective its very unlikely that a simple container will outshine the projects on display.
2. Linear order and flow – Just like a printed portfolio the designer defines the order of viewing and can place items for optimal progression and flow.
3. Limited space – If a user is expected to scroll one page its unlikely that very many projects will be showcased. In essence a one page folio encourages careful editing to show only a handful of the very best work.
— Multi Page —
1. Organization – Its possible to show many different examples and categories so the viewer sees examples of previous projects related to their project requirements.
2. Complexity – The muli page site shows off the designer’s ability to organize and streamline content and usability. However, this is a double edged sword since it can also highlight an inability in this area.
3. Personality – A larger site provides more opportunity for the portfolio owner’s personality to be exposed. Multiple instances of writing and imagery, while detracting from the projects, provide an in depth view of the individual or group who would be hired. In fact it has been argued that personality is as or even more important that previous project experience when making a hiring decision.
One page portfolios allways my best
I like the flash one that is onepage very nice, good article thanks
Great tips. I think it really depends on how much experience the designer has…and whether or not the designer has tied down his business to one niche or whether he / she has broadened their business to be in many different niche categories.
Thanks.
Rachel
AllGraphicDesign.com