A great personal website is a thing of beauty, an experience you build specifically to represent yourself. It's a tool that tells others who you are, what it's like to work with you, and what kinds of work you want to do next. But it's hard to not only get a site up, but be happy with the design and keep it up to date.
If I'm honest, I've had a hard time keeping my own website up to date and looking fresh. A few months ago I was interested in starting a side project, you know, something that I call the shots on creatively. After a couple of weeks of thinking about things, I could work on I thought about my own website and how I wished it was something I was more proud of. That led me to choose to make my website my new side project. Here's what I discovered and why I think it's worth it for you to invest in your own website.
Why should designers build their own website instead of using Dribbble or Behance?
Your own website is your digital home, a space you fully control. While platforms like Dribbble and Behance handle the hard stuff for you, the tradeoff is that you have little control over the experience.
Dribbble, Behance, and Instagram are great for exposure, but you only control what you post. It's hard to make your work stand out when so many people, at various levels of skill, post similar content, sometimes even using the same lay-flat clay iPhone mockup you both downloaded for free. If you want your work to stand out, create an experience that takes visitors on a deep dive of your work. Build a home where you control how the content is displayed, how much of the work you dive into, and how your visual style comes through.
How can a personal website help designers learn new skills?
A personal website doubles as a learning lab where you can experiment with code, writing, and visual design in a low-stakes environment. If you don't know how to code, learn by building your first website. Want to become a better writer? Start a blog and share your perspective on things that relate to your work. Want to get better at branding or web design? Create your own personal brand and bring it to life online. You can do whatever you want with your site, so treat it as an experimental platform that helps you practice while developing new skills.
Why does a custom portfolio website make a stronger first impression?
When you own your website, you create a memorable experience that acts as the first touchpoint for your personal brand. Visitors won't get lost in a sea of other designers or recommended posts, they'll be focused entirely on your work.
Let's make our next side project our own home on the internet and create a memorable experience that represents us. Reach out on Twitter once you wrap it up, I would love to take a look.
Related reading
Tobias posted a great article on why personal websites matter. Read it here. Shawn Park wrote a great article about why he updates his portfolio each year. Read it here