Chapter 12: Best Portfolio Themes

Finding the best portfolio themes to showcase your work takes a bit of effort. Fortunately, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you by sorting through the options. We came up with a handful of fabulous themes that will work for photographers, designers and artists. If you sell anything that has a unique component to it, then one of these themes is for you. 

A search for “portfolio WordPress themes” pulled up hundreds of options. We chose a few factors to help narrow the choices. Our team looked for something updated frequently, enough features for any type of business and an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

We also factored in things such as whether the theme was responsive to mobile devices. Small companies want something customizable. We looked at whether the premium versions were affordable to small business owners. 

There are approximately 1.88 billion websites. How can you make yours stand out from the crowd? Your design certainly has an impact on how site visitors see your business. Here are some tips for finding the best portfolio theme and some of our top choices. 

What to Look for in Portfolio Themes

A portfolio website is a bit different than some other formats. You’ll need big, gorgeous photographs to showcase your work. Some of the things to look for in your portfolio themes include:

• Mobile responsiveness
• Hero image to show off your top images
• Grid pattern so people can see past work
• Compatibility with booking platform for photographers and other service-based businesses
• Place to add testimonials
• Affordable pricing as artistic endeavors can have seasonal shifts in revenue

Take the time to step back and really look at the aesthetics of a theme. Does it fit the tone and personality of the work you do? If you take fun, children’s and family portraits and go with a dark, serious theme, they might not match. Consider who your target audience is and if the portfolio theme appeals to them. 

Our Favorite Portfolio Themes

We looked through dozens of portfolio themes to choose a few favorites. We tried to come up with options that would meet the majority of businesses. These are an excellent place to start and should work for almost anyone out of the box. 

Go Portfolio

Go Portfolio has an elegant, modern look for web designers and other professionals. You can customize the colors and images for a personalized look. The theme also has several portfolio layouts so you can choose the style that works best for you. The theme runs $21 on sale.

Impressive Portfolio

Impressive Portfolio has a very elegant look that works well for fashion photography or upscale creations. The theme comes in four versions: 

• Free–pictured above 
• Pro 
• Photographer 
• Teacher

The free version comes with a mobile responsive design, 10 fonts and some CSS customizable options. The Pro version runs $59.99 and brings additions such as 1000 font options, infinite scroll, homepage section sorting, more slider styles and testimonial section. 

Peak

Peak is the perfect portfolio theme for the highly artistic. Portrait photography, architecture or travel bloggers will appreciate the collage of favorite photos in the hero section of the front page. 

The theme starts at $59 and brings features such as slide-out widgets, WooCommerce support and optional mega menu. You can choose from various layouts for your posts, add a portfolio or allow it to choose automated tiles based on what’s popular or new. 

CV Portfolio Blocks

CV Portfolio Blocks has a fun vibe and is a good way to introduce prospective clients to your work. The free version is compatible with Gutenberg blocks and allows for drag-and-drop editing. You can add your resume and a portfolio. 

The premium version costs $39 and gives you added features such as better organization. You can integrate the portfolio with the paid version, use built-in blogging and create a visual timeline of your work for more engagement. 

Our Winner: Sleek Portfolio

Sleek Portfolio has a minimalistic look that puts the full focus on the personality behind the portfolio. This theme is quite versatile and would work for a teacher, photographer, home builder, designer or anyone else in a creative industry.

Some of the top features of this design include:

• Mobile friendly 
• Compatible with WooCommerce 
• Eye-catching landing pages 
• Schema friendly
• Customizable widgets

Upgrading to the premium version costs $59 for a  year or $149 for a lifetime license and support. You’ll gain:

• Ability to reorder homepage sections 
• Four additional portfolio layouts 
• Unlimited color schemes 
• 600+ Google fonts 
• More background options 
• Priority support

You can also pay them to install on your site or make customizations. For those who aren’t as web design savvy, it might be worthwhile to pay someone to initially set things up so you get the exact look and functionality you want. 

Finding Perfect Portfolio Themes

Finding the right portfolio themes for your business might take a few tries. Don’t be afraid to download free versions and see if you like the look and feel of each. Once you find the theme that shows your brand personality, you can then decide if you should upgrade to a paid version to gain additional features.

Those who do creative work need a way to showcase their best work. A portfolio theme allows you to share images, before and afters and even inspire your clients to try something new. 

Web Design Themes

Chapter 1: Cosmetology Themes
Chapter 2: Small Business Themes
Chapter 3: Day Care Themes
Chapter 4: Pet Grooming Themes
Chapter 5: Real Estate Themes
Chapter 6: Restaurant Themes
Chapter 7: Wedding Themes
Chapter 8: Teacher Themes
Chapter 9: Events Themes
Chapter 10: Manufacturing Themes
Chapter 11: Flower Shop Themes
Chapter 12: Portfolio Themes
Chapter 13: Photographer Themes
Chapter 14: E-Commerce Themes