John Henry Müller
John Henry Müller’s portfolio does several things very right. For one, the way responsive typography is handled makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Secondly, I love the way testimonials are sprinkled throughout the home page, between other things. And hey, anyone who can get a good review from both Zeldman and their own mother deserves to be on this list. Platform: Static SiteVictor Vergara
If you’re going to go all out on animation and flashy stuff, do it like Victor Vergara. The site loads fast, the 3D objects are kept simple, and they the animations run smoothly. The whole aesthetic of the site plays heavily into the retro-3D feel, and it looks fantastic. As presentational sites go, it’s good. Just go ahead and assume that I’ve done some griping about fallbacks, but otherwise it’s beautiful. Platform: Static Site (I think)Peak
Peak has achieved something simple yet wonderful with diagonal lines, silhouettes, and a cool (as in mostly blue) color scheme that I absolutely adore. Plus, they’re actually pulling off the logo-in-the-sidebar layout that it took me ages to get right. Platform: WordPressDesignerpart
Designerpart reminds me of the old days where everything had to look like a shiny vector, but in a good way. This time, they use shiny vector blobs in the background as a motif, and while I think they could have made some of the text on top a bit darker, the whole effect is nostalgic and modern at the same time. Is it weird that I’ve come to love “blobs” as a trend? Platform: WordPressFlorian Monfrini
Many sites go for the collage look, but Florian Monfrini’s portfolio is one of the few that actually makes use of the full screen at large resolutions. I mean, why not? If you’re going to cover the screen with your work, really cover it. After that, it’s pretty much standard post-modernist faire, but it does look good, and it does stand out. Platform: Static SiteBethany Heck
Bethany Heck’s portfolio has what might be one of my favorite URLs of all time: heckhouse.com. Also, the entire portfolio consists of project titles, sometimes joined by the logos associated with the project. Some lead to external links, and others to lightly art-directed sub pages with impeccable typography. It’s so simple, yet it slams you in the eyeballs with lots of high-quality, high profile work all at once. I love it. Platform: WordPressNicky Tesla
If you keep up with various design blogs and news sites, you might have seen Nicky Tesla’s portfolio, and for good reason: it’s a spreadsheet. No, it doesn’t “look like” a spreadsheet, we’ve had those before. It’s literally a publicly available spreadsheet on Google sheets, with a domain attached to it. I wouldn’t call it the most usable site, what with a few text contrast issues, but on the whole… it works. And it’s certainly intriguing. There’s also a mobile-specific version that is a lot easier to read. Platform: Google SheetsPixelfish
Pixelfish is a fairly standard business site, but it’s good-looking for all that. Just a simple, good website. Can never have too many of those around. Platform: Concrete5Alex Faure
Alex Faure’s portfolio brings us more blobs, but with pictures in them! Everything else about the site is almost “standard elegant minimalist portfolio”, but the blobs make it stand out amongst the other sites in the genre. It’s gorgeous. Platform: Static Site (or a CMS based on Node)Ada Sokol
Ada Sokol’s portfolio uses that “preview on hover” technique popular with many artsy portfolios, but adds a sort of pseudo-3D smudge effect to the mix. The rest of the layout is familiarly asymmetrical with overlapping elements, but it’s always nice to see a small new twist added to an old formula… Even if the formula’s not actually that old yet. Platform: WordPressShonen
Shonen is, as far as I can tell, some sort of art portfolio. It goes hard on the minimalism, monospaced type, and a typeface called MAD sans that I have just now fallen in love with. Platform: SquarespaceONNO
ONNO brings us a classically modernist (Is that a thing, now?) portfolio that focuses on white space, gray backgrounds, and the occasional light drop shadow. It’s simple, reliable stuff, and always looks elegant. And it works without JavaScript! Platform: Static SiteKairos Studio
Kairos Studio is our one video-focused portfolio on this month’s list. They keep it simple: scroll down to watch videos (silently!) play. The navigation in particular interests me because it combines primary navigation with contextual navigation based on where in the site you are. Sure, the text is a little small, but I’d like to explore the basic concept further. Platform: Static SitePBDA
Have you ever seen a semi-post-minimalist collage-style industrial-artsy site in Russian? Well now you can, because that’s the only way I can describe PBDA. With all of that, plus the bold yellow, it’s a site that takes familiar elements and turns them into something of a spectacle. I want more. Platform: Custom CMS (probably)Vincit
Vincit is a pretty large design studio with a lot of high-profile work, so their style runs toward the business-friendly minimalism in such a way that their whole site looks a bit like a tech company advertisement. It’s also a highly varied design, that evolves rather dramatically as you scroll down the main pages of the site. I particularly like the animations as well, because they run fast. You can tell they’re there, but they don’t ever slow the experience down. Platform: Craft CMS3 Sided Cube
3 Sided Cube is an app development company, so it makes sense that they lean hard into the “programmer” aesthetic with monospaced type. They mixed all of that up with bright colors and distinctly presentation-style layout and navigation to create a site that’s bold and brash while still being easy enough to read. Platform: WordPressLOOP
LOOP is on the list because it’s pretty. The site’s look is pretty standard business-minimalism, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying a well-crafted portfolio site. Platform: Craft CMS5S
5S is a content studio that starts off with a bold promise, and goes on with a boldly modernist aesthetic that combines some pastels, some light illustration, and a fair amount of the now-requisite animation. The aesthetic feels a little odd sometimes, but hey, that’ll just make it stick in your head better. Platform: WordPressejeeban
ejeeban is a Malaysian design studio that embraces the now-familiar put-a-grid-in-the-background trend, combined with pretty good type, and the occasional use of (gasp) texture. I know! None of the individual elements of the design are particularly new, but the overall effect is nonetheless striking and memorable. Platform: Custom CMS (Probably)Voga
Voga gives us more blobs! What is that now, three? Anyway, we’ve got blobs, minimalism, beautiful typography, and a very strong focus on using photos to show off their work in the real world. Platform: WordPressEzequiel Bruni
Ezequiel Bruni is a web/UX designer, blogger, and aspiring photographer living in Mexico. When he’s not up to his finely-chiselled ears in wire-frames and front-end code, or ranting about the same, he indulges in beer, pizza, fantasy novels, and stand-up comedy.
Read Next
LimeWire Developer APIs Herald a New Era of AI Integration
Generative AI is a fascinating technology. Far from the design killer some people feared, it is an empowering and…
By WDD Staff
20 Best New Websites, March 2024
Welcome to our pick of sites for March. This month’s collection tends towards the simple and clean, which goes to show…
Exciting New Tools for Designers, March 2024
The fast-paced world of design never stops turning, and staying ahead of the curve is essential for creatives. As…
Web Tech Trends to Watch in 2024 and Beyond
It hardly seems possible given the radical transformations we’ve seen over the last few decades, but the web design…
By Louise North
6 Best AI Productivity Apps in 2024
There’s no escaping it: if you want to be successful, you need to be productive. The more you work, the more you…
By Simon Sterne
3 Essential Design Trends, February 2024
From atypical typefaces to neutral colors to unusual user patterns, there are plenty of new website design trends to…
Surviving the Leap from College to Real-World Design
So, you’ve finished college and are ready to showcase your design skills to the world. This is a pivotal moment that…
By Simon Sterne
20 Mind-Bending Illusions That Will Make You Question Reality
Mind-bending videos. Divisive Images. Eye-straining visuals. This list of optical illusions has it all. Join us as we…
By Max Walton
15 Best New Fonts, February 2024
Welcome to February’s roundup of the best new fonts for designers. This month’s compilation includes some innovative…
By Ben Moss
The 10 Best WordPress Quiz Plugins in 2024
Whether it’s boosting your organic search visibility or collecting data for targeted email marketing campaigns, a great…
By Robert Reeve
20 Best New Websites, February 2024
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so this latest collection is a billet-doux celebrating the best of the web this month.
Everything You Need to Know About Image Formats In 2024
Always trying to walk the tightrope between image quality and file size? Looking to branch out from JPGs and PNGs this…
By Robert Reeve