01Five portfolios worth studying
Each site below was checked live in October 2026; designs change, so visit them for the current version.
| Portfolio | Who | What it does well | Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|
| brittanychiang.com | Front-end engineer focused on accessibility | About, experience and projects on one clear page | Structure and clarity beat effects |
| joshwcomeau.com | Developer and educator | Interactive guides that demonstrate skill as they teach | Your work can be the portfolio |
| lynnandtonic.com | Web designer | A site reinvented many times, with an archive of versions | Personality and craft, sustained |
| jessicahische.is | Lettering artist and illustrator | Large, image-led work with clear categories | Let visual work speak |
| bruno-simon.com | Creative developer | A 3D world explored by driving a car | Spectacle works when spectacle is the skill |
02The clean, structured portfolio
Brittany Chiang's site is a common reference for developer portfolios: a short introduction, a timeline of experience with the technologies used at each role, and selected projects, in a calm two-column layout. A reviewer finds what they need in seconds. This pattern suits most developers, designers and professionals because it respects the reader's time.
03The portfolio as a body of work
Josh Comeau's site is mostly tutorials and courses, many of them interactive, such as guides to Flexbox, CSS Grid and SVG paths. It shows skill by teaching it. Writers, educators and consultants can do the same: a few genuinely useful articles demonstrate expertise more convincingly than a list of claims.
04What the best examples have in common
- Within seconds you know who the person is and what they do.
- The best work is easy to reach, without hunting.
- There is a voice: real writing, not generic claims.
- Contact is easy.
- The site itself demonstrates the skill being sold, whether clarity, craft or code.
05Portfolio styles by field
Different fields reward different emphasis. Engineers benefit from clarity, experience timelines and links to code. Product and UX designers need case studies that show process and outcomes. Visual artists and photographers need large, well-ordered galleries with minimal text. Writers need a handful of their best pieces with context about where they were published and what they achieved. Consultants need outcomes and testimonials more than visuals. Choose examples from your own field first, then borrow ideas from outside it.
06How to use examples without copying
Pick the example whose lesson fits your work, then apply its principle to your content. A UX designer can borrow Brittany Chiang's clarity; an illustrator can borrow Jessica Hische's image-first approach; a creative developer might borrow Bruno Simon's ambition. Copying a layout directly makes your site look like someone else's and can raise copyright questions. What makes a good portfolio website? breaks down the content, and best website design inspiration sites points to galleries with more examples.
- 1Name your one strengthWhat should a visitor remember?
- 2Pick a matching exampleOne whose lesson fits that strength.
- 3Write your case studiesThe content matters more than the layout.
- 4Design to frame the workCalm by default, ambitious only if ambition is the skill.
What people who tried it say
When Hacker News users share great personal sites, they praise clear writing, fast pages and genuine personality over effects, while acknowledging that spectacular portfolios work for people whose job is building spectacle.
- Ask HN: What are some great personal blogs/portfolios?Hacker News
Commenters share favorite personal sites, highlighting clarity, good writing and distinctive personality.
- It took me a decade to find the perfect personal website stackHacker News
Discussion of building and maintaining personal sites, with many arguing for simple setups that make it easy to keep publishing.
Looking for more first-hand opinions? Search Reddit for “best portfolio website examples”. We link the live threads rather than summarizing them, so you read them in full.
Our take
most people should study Brittany Chiang's portfolio, not Bruno Simon's. The 3D car is unforgettable because driving cars in a browser is his job; for everyone else, clarity is the impressive part.
Where this falls short
Portfolios change, and "best" is a judgment; these are widely cited examples rather than a ranked list. What works depends on your field: creative fields reward visual ambition more than engineering or consulting roles do.
Orlume can build a clean, structured portfolio in the style that suits most careers (introduction, experience, case studies, contact) from a short description.
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Sources
- 1.This might be the coolest design portfolio you'll ever see · Creative Bloq
- 2.5 steps to creating a UX-design portfolio · Nielsen Norman Group
Researched and written by the Orlume team · Updated October 2026
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