Portfolio
Léa Fortin
Art director portfolio
A dark portfolio that opens on moving lava behind glass.
Demo site: portfolio
Portfolio website design for graphic designers, photographers, art directors and freelancers
A portfolio website should show a short selection of the best projects, explain the brief, the process and the outcome for each one, load quickly despite heavy images and make contact obvious. It lives on a domain name registered to the person, which they own and keep for their whole career.
. 1 demo website. The brands, copy and images in these demos are invented for demonstration purposes.
Demo websites: Portfolio
How many projects should a portfolio show?
Fewer than you'd think. An art director looking for a freelancer scans the first few projects and makes up their mind. A handful of strong projects, chosen for the kind of work you want to land, beats a grid of forty thumbnails where the best one gets lost. A graphic designer who wants more brand identity work puts logos and brand guidelines up front, not brochures. A photographer sorts by type of shoot: portrait, product, event. The rest can live in an archive. Each project gets its own page with a clear title and a carefully chosen cover image, because that's what Google and social networks display when someone shares the link.
What makes a good case study for a graphic designer or art director?
It's a short account of a project: what the client wanted, the constraints, the directions explored, what was kept and why. Sketches and rejected versions often interest people more than you'd expect, because they show how you think. Describe the outcome with facts the client is fine with seeing published, never with inflated numbers. Before putting a project online, check your agreement with the client: some contracts limit what you can show or ask you to wait for the public launch. A well-written case study also draws specific searches, like 'food packaging art director Montreal', that a home page alone would never catch.
Why buy a domain name in your own name?
Because a portfolio on a free platform or a social network belongs to the platform. It changes its rules, cuts your reach or shuts down, and years of work vanish with the address. A domain like firstnamelastname.ca stays yours whatever the host, and it gives you an email address that looks more serious to an agency. It's also the domain Google ties to your name when a prospect types it after meeting you. The domain should be registered to you, not to the vendor building the site. That way you take it with you if you ever switch hosts.
What a portfolio website needs
| Element | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A short selection of strong projects | Visitors judge you on the first images they see. |
| One page per project, with a case study | It shows your process and draws specific searches. |
| Optimized images that load fast | A slow portfolio gets closed before the second image, especially on a phone. |
| Simple contact and stated availability | A client in a hurry wants to know if they can book you without digging. |
| A domain name in your own name | The address follows you through your whole career, whatever the host. |
What comes with your website
Your site is hosted in Québec, backed up, secured, monitored day and night and kept current for Google and AI search: see everything that comes with it. See everything that comes with your website
Learn more
- Request a quote for your website
- How we price a website
- Website design for Quebec small businesses
- Website design in Montreal
- Website design in Quebec City
- Website design in Trois-Rivières
- Managed IT services for SMBs
- Website examples: Marketing agencies
- Website examples: Retail and e-commerce
- Website examples: Construction
FAQ
Frequently asked questions: Portfolio
Isn't a Behance or Instagram account enough as a portfolio?
Those platforms help you get seen, but you don't own them and they mix your work with everyone else's. A site in your name presents your projects in the order you choose, with your own words, and it comes up on Google when someone types your name. The two work well together.
Can I add new projects myself?
Yes. The site comes with a visual editor: you add a project, change an image or some text, then publish. No code to touch.
Should my portfolio be in French and English?
If you work with agencies in Montreal or outside Quebec, an English version opens doors. If your business is based in Quebec, the French version has to be complete and at least as prominent as the English one. Each language gets its own addresses.
Is Léa Fortin a real art director?
No. Léa Fortin is a demo site with a made-up name. It shows one way to present art direction work, with a dark mood and an opening animation.
How much does a site like these cost, and how long does it take to go live?
The price is set after a no-commitment scoping meeting, based on the number of pages, the languages, the copy to write and features like booking or an online store. A simple showcase site goes live quickly; an online store or a client portal takes longer. If you have a fixed date, we build the schedule around it.
Do I own the website?
Yes. The domain name is registered in your name, the copy, images and analytics are yours, and the code is handed over on request.
Does one of these sites feel like you?
Tell us which one and tell us about your business. We will come back with a mockup in your colours and a clear price.