We've reviewed nearly 400 studio websites while building the D1S1 database. Some make you want to hire the studio immediately. Others make you close the tab. The difference usually isn't talent — it's presentation.
Here's what we've learned about what works.
Show the Work, Not the Process
The most common mistake: burying finished work under layers of process documentation. Mood boards, wireframes, stakeholder maps, and strategy decks might impress other designers, but they bore the clients who actually hire you.
Lead with the outcome. Show the final identity, the launched website, the printed packaging. Make it beautiful. Make it big. Then — if you must — put process in a secondary section for people who want to dig deeper.
One Case Study Is Worth Ten Thumbnails
A grid of 50 project thumbnails tells a visitor nothing. You could be brilliant or mediocre — they can't tell from a 300px square.
Pick your 8-12 best projects. Give each one a proper case study with:
- Large, high-quality images (not compressed to save bandwidth)
- A clear description of what you did and why
- The client name and industry
- The scope of work
Quality over quantity, every time. A studio with 8 exceptional case studies will win over a studio with 80 thumbnails.
Speed Matters More Than Animation
We've seen studios with gorgeous websites that take 8 seconds to load. By the time the page renders, the visitor has already left.
We've seen studios with gorgeous websites that take 8 seconds to load. By the time the page renders, the visitor — often a time-pressed client or creative director — has already left.
Optimize images. Use WebP or AVIF. Lazy-load below-the-fold content. Keep your initial paint under 2 seconds.
Be careful with motion. Page transitions and scroll animations are beautiful when done well, but they add loading time and can frustrate users who just want to browse quickly. If you use motion, make sure the site remains functional and fast without it.
Make Contact Easy
You'd be surprised how many studios hide their contact information. It's in the footer, behind a hamburger menu, or on a separate page with no clear path to it.
Put an email address on every page. Or a contact button that's always visible. Someone browsing your portfolio who thinks "I want to work with these people" should never have to hunt for how to reach you.
Write Well
The studios with the best conversion rates (anecdotally — we don't have hard data) are the ones that write well. Not marketing copy. Not jargon. Clear, confident prose that explains what they do and why it matters.
Bad: "We leverage strategic brand narratives to create meaningful consumer touchpoints."
Good: "We design brand identities for food and beverage companies."
Your Website Is Your Source of Truth
This is a core D1S1 principle and it bears repeating: your own website should be the definitive record of your work. Not your Behance. Not your Instagram. Your site.
Why? Because it's the only platform you fully control. Algorithm changes, platform shutdowns, and feature removals can't touch your own domain. And when someone searches for your studio name, your site should be the most comprehensive, up-to-date result.
Keep it current. A portfolio that hasn't been updated in a year signals a studio that's either too busy to care about presentation (bad) or not doing enough interesting work to show (worse).
Technical Basics
From reviewing hundreds of studio sites:
- HTTPS is non-negotiable. It's free (Let's Encrypt) and its absence signals neglect.
- Mobile must work. At least 40% of portfolio visits come from phones. If your site breaks below 768px, you're losing potential clients.
- Meta tags matter. When someone shares your project on Slack or LinkedIn, the preview card should show a compelling image and description. Set up Open Graph tags.
- Don't block crawlers. If search engines can't index your case studies, people can't find them. Check your robots.txt.
The Platforms
Based on our tech stack data, studios are building on:
- Framer — Growing fast among design-led studios. Great for visual polish, limited for complex functionality.
- Webflow — The workhorse. Handles everything from simple portfolios to complex sites with CMS.
- Next.js / Custom — For studios that want full control. More work, more flexibility.
- WordPress — Still common, especially among older or larger studios. Works fine when maintained.
- Squarespace — Quick to set up but limits differentiation. Fine for a starting studio, limiting for an established one.
The platform matters less than the execution. A thoughtful Squarespace site beats a sloppy custom build every time.
The Bottom Line
Your portfolio exists to do one thing: convince the right people to contact you. Every decision — layout, content, speed, navigation — should serve that goal. If something on your site doesn't help a potential client understand your work and reach out, question whether it needs to be there.