You’re just one scroll away from finding the architecture portfolio template you’ve been looking for.
We’ve searched high and low, and talked to professionals all around the world to create these five free templates. And now it’s time you used them to build something unique — with a fraction of the time.
Architecture Portfolio Templates to Use Right Away
We brought you five templates that you can use to build your site for free. They are a great base for your content, ensuring that everything is consistent.
1. Museum
If you want a sophisticated, yet modern feel to your site, Museum is the template for you. Your large images can sweep anyone off their feet.
2. Palazzo
Palazzo provides a refined canvas for your compelling designs. Your works will shine through the page, giving them the well-earned the wow-factor.
3. Cubic
The Cubic template allows you to showcase your work fair and square. You can choose a bold accent color to bring liveliness to your site.
4. Chapter
The Chapter template’s bold design is here to accompany your stunning visual story.
5. Agora – Architecture Portfolio Template by Archifolio
Agora is an elegant template with a breezy layout and a great framework to highlight your work.
Which Is Better? PDF Portfolios vs Portfolio Websites (+ a Special Surprise 🤫)
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to this question. The most objective way is to list the advantages and disadvantages of the possible options. Thus, you may consider what is important to you and what you can compromise on.
Choosing an InDesign template:
Pros:
- highly customizable,
- no need for coding,
- no need for internet access to view it, and
- it can be printed.
Cons:
- harder to share (it can be a humongous file),
- not interactive,
- difficult to update it frequently,
- InDesign skills and software are needed, and
- extremely time-consuming to create.
Creating a website for your portfolio:
Pros:
- customizable,
- easy to share (with just one link),
- effortless to update,
- interactive, and
- having your name as your domain looks professional.
Cons:
- it can be difficult to set it up,
- sometimes you need coding skills,
- there are few templates for portfolio building,
- no guidance, and
- extremely time-consuming to create.
As we said there is no right or wrong choice because it depends on your situation. It might be difficult to choose, but that is why we have a special surprise:
Your all-in-one tool: Archifolio
Luckily we have a universal solution: Archifolio. With it you can create impressive, professional-looking architecture portfolio websites in no time without having website-building experience or coding skills. It has all the features that you need for creating a stunning portfolio and you won’t have to worry about file size limitations. We’ll do all the dull tasks so you can focus on what really matters: the content.
Pros:
- customizable with a what-you-see-is-what-you-get editor,
- effortless to update,
- interactive,
- easy to share,
- loads of guidance for writing the perfect portfolio,
- no need for coding,
- no need for any website-building experience,
- an intuitive user interface,
- it’s super fast (giving you heaps of time to focus on the content), and
- professional domain to impress hiring managers.
Architecture Portfolio Template Structure
- Homepage/Portfolio Cover page
- Project pages
- About page/Resume
- Contact page
- Optional: Awards/Press/News page, Extracurricular projects
1. Homepage/Portfolio Cover Page
A.k.a. your hook. We all know how important first impressions are. You only have a couple of seconds to convince your future employer to read on. This is a crucial part of your architecture portfolio and you should give it the proper attention. Here are some portfolio cover examples to get inspired.
2. Project pages
The project page is the core of your portfolio.
In portfolio websites, each project should get a separate page. For the PDF versions, you need a title page, where you introduce the project and then you need to have 1-3 pages to showcase your designs.
3. About page/Resume page
Once you’ve convinced your audience with your work, you’ll need to show your personality. Why? Clients and employers want to see if they can work with you. Present yourself professionally, but feel free to talk about your interests and inspiration.
Pro tip: Add client testimonials to your About page to show how professional you are.
4. Contact
Your contact page must be as simple as possible. You’ve already impressed your potential employer with your work, so the only thing they need is a simple way to get in touch.
5. Optional pages
Additional pages for an architecture portfolio website might include a CV page, an awards page, or even a press or news page.
It’s great if you can upload or build your architecture resume with the tool you choose so they work well together. If you have your works published somewhere or you get an award for your work, don’t be shy about it. Present them clearly, maybe this will be the reason why they choose you.
Tips for Students
We know how hard it is to create a comprehensive portfolio of your projects when you are still a student and don’t yet have years of experience. But don’t worry, we have a few tips that might be just what you need.
Be Ruthless About the Selection
You should only showcase your best work. Therefore, you need a layout that does not require you to have dozens of projects but still has that professional look to it.
Research the Company You’re Applying To
You will hear this tip all the time, but only because it is super important. Do your research before applying to any job and tailor your application. Check out what skills they mention in the job advertisement, and mention them somewhere noticeable. With your undergraduate architecture portfolio, you need to reflect the style of the company, i.e. if they are a very traditional architecture firm, a bright neon-colored website might not resonate with their values.
Try to Find Your Own Style
The time spent in university is the perfect time to experiment and find your design aesthetic and own style. Then, choose a portfolio layout and color scheme that reflects your overall attitude toward architectural design.
Opt for A Customizable Architecture Portfolio Template
Let’s be honest: It’s a pain in the neck to create a portfolio and you don’t want to create it more than once. However, you need to update it frequently and what might work now may not be what you prefer later.
Unfortunately with InDesign templates, it can be annoying to change one word or one image because it might ruin the whole layout. If you opt for a website-based portfolio template, you don’t have to worry about images and texts sliding together due to the dynamic nature of websites.
How Long Should Your Portfolio Be?
As every architecture firm and hiring manager is different, we can only give you a rule of thumb. Finding the right balance between having enough and not too much can be challenging, but our recommendation is to have at least 5 projects in your portfolio.
Out of these 5 projects, you should at least have 3 very detailed projects, from start to finish, with sketches, detailed plans, and the end results as well.
The great thing about architecture portfolios is that they are a fusion of art and engineering. Therefore, it is greatly appreciated if you have a multidisciplinary portfolio. This could mean that you include some furniture designs, some photography projects, some graphic design works, etc. This will show how versatile you are.
7 Examples to Learn From
1. Portfolio Homepage – Be Clear and Have an Obvious Navigation System
To dig deep into a homepage of an online architecture portfolio, we brought you the website of Oladimeji Ladejobi:
This portfolio was created with Archifolio’s Chapter template.
Well-done:
- easily identifiable name,
- understandable navigation (projects, extracurriculars, contact),
- great introduction,
- clear layout, and
- right away you are presented with his projects.
Could be improved:
- more projects in separate project pages.
Homepages are extremely important. It is the first thing your audience sees when they get to your site. Therefore, the most vital aspect of a great homepage of an architecture portfolio website is navigation and design.
2. Online Project Page – Let Your Pictures Speak for Themselves
We’ll walk you through an architecture portfolio website project page (the most important sections of your portfolio) with the example of Aisy Jordan-Smyth:
This project page was created using the Palazzo template
Well-done:
- naming the project,
- having capturing, high-quality pictures,
- sharing a few details for context (project type, location, software used),
- short but demonstrative description,
- clear navigation,
- hand drawings to show the process, and
- beautiful renders at the end.
The essence of an architecture portfolio website lies in the project pages. You need to present your skills, your work ethic, and of course your designs through your work in a way that your future employer gets to know you.
3. About Page – Show Your Personality in A Professional Way
Let’s see the example of a great About section from Lisa Duffield‘s portfolio website.
This responsive website was created with Archifolio’s Palazzo template
Well-done:
- a professional picture,
- a great introduction,
- keeping it simple.
Could be improved:
- condensing the written text,
- adding a link to an architecture resume.
Architecture portfolio websites have the flexibility to create a simple about page where you can introduce yourself to your future clients and employers. You can include your CV on the about page as well.
4. Contact Page – Keep It Simple
To see a good contact page in action, you can check out the portfolio website of Aisy Jordan-Smyth:
This website was created with Archifolio’s Palazzo template
Well done:
- clear layout,
- easily understandable,
- multiple ways for contact:
- professional email address,
- social media accounts, and
- a contact form.
And after all the architecture portfolio websites, let’s see some examples of offline portfolios.
5. Pdf Portfolio Cover Page – Keep It Simple but Memorable
To see an example of a great PDF portfolio cover page, here is one by Shariful Arik.
Well-done:
- name is visible,
- simple but memorable look, and
- includes the date (2014-2020).
Could be improved:
- more descriptive title (e.g. architecture portfolio).
When it comes to an architecture portfolio cover page, you do not need to worry about navigation (unlike with portfolio websites), however, your cover will be your hook to convince your future employer to read on. As opposed to homepages, you can’t showcase your projects right away and therefore you need to find a design solution that is simple but memorable all the same.
6. Title Page/project Page – Keep It Visually Interesting
To look at a title and project page example, we brought you Benjamin Wichman’s beautifully designed portfolio.
Well-done:
- catchy title,
- contextual information on the title page,
- presenting different methods (e.g. model building),
- showing the process,
- technical drawings included
- high-quality drawings and pictures, and
- changing up the layout of the pages.
Could be improved:
- larger font, and
- larger images.
In an offline portfolio, you have a bit more flexibility when creating a project page, however, this also means that you need to change it up a bit every now and again. Having the same layout for 30 pages is off-putting and doesn’t show much creativity.
7. Resume Page – Be Relevant
If you’d like to see a great example of a resume page, check out Vingan Razvan’s portfolio.
Well-done:
- visible contact details,
- clear layout,
- listing all relevant education, and
- including competitions, awards, and publications.
Could be added:
- list of relevant skills.
When it comes to offline portfolios the order is usually quite strict. You need to include your CV right after your cover page. This doesn’t give you much flexibility, but on the other hand, employers know exactly where to find your qualifications and work experience. Resume pages are the offline versions of the about and contact pages, and therefore need to include a ton of information.
Key Takeaways
All in all what is a good architecture portfolio template like?
- easy to use,
- customizable,
- easy to share,
- has sufficient whitespace,
- there’s no visual clutter, and
- has a good image-to-text ratio.
This is what we, here at Archifolio are working on. We created templates that can save you time and energy.
Sign up to Archifolio and create your professional website quickly and easily.
Here are some other useful resources you might like:
Fanni Szalkai
Marketing Manager of Archifolio, Architecture Portfolio Expert & Tiny House Enthusiast 🏡
