A checklist to find out if your portfolio website meets minimum requirements. This is a summary of recommendations given in the lessons of Web Technology.
1. The entire site should have a clear identity which is visible on all pages.
A clear identity can be a name or an alias and/or a logo.
2. The site (design) should have at least a ‘personal touch’ although a unique personal design will be appreciated.
This means a default, off-the-self template or theme will not suffice.
3. Make sure all items in the showcase portfolio have at least a title, short description and a date/period. Consider adding full context-information (who/where/when/what/why): who made this, where and when was it made, what is its purpose/where was it made for, what process was involved creating it, etc.
4. Images should be presented in such a way that they load fast and are not too large (so you can view multiple, eg. in a gallery). The images should be clickable to allow to view an enlarged version (e.g. with a Lightbox).
5. It should be obvious how to contact you, from all pages. The means to contact should be at least a contact-form or email. Consider adding social media connections. For instance a Linked-in connection is a necessity for a professional portfolio.
6. There should be (something like) an ‘About’-page also, at which you introduce yourself.
7. The site should be professionally build: no errors, smooth navigation, optimized images, thumbnails.