How often do you need to refresh your website portfolio?

The art of attracting potential clients.

Hello dear Creatives!

I think it has been over 4 years since I had my portfolio website, and never for a minute did I think that I don’t need it! My website showcases my illustrations portfolio, as well as my online courses (pssst, my newest Affinity-Fresco botanical vector art course is live!). We chatted about having a portfolio website a while back in this post:

As a creative professional, your portfolio is one of your most important assets. It’s not just a collection of your work—it's your story, your credibility, and your introduction to potential clients. But like any creative project, it needs to be updated regularly to stay relevant and appealing. So, how often should you refresh your website portfolio?

Let’s explore!

Why your portfolio needs regular updates

I will say this right from the start, a stale, outdated portfolio can give off the wrong signals. It may suggest that you’re not actively working on new projects, or worse—that your skills haven’t evolved. How often do I refresh my website portfolio? As often as it needs. Practically speaking - I think lately at least once per month (for me personally), it’s really just a few minutes.

Here are some key reasons why you should refresh your portfolio regularly:

To showcase your growth

Every project you complete brings new skills and insights. Regularly updating your portfolio shows potential clients that you’re continuously improving, evolving, and keeping up with industry trends.

For example, I started lately to experiment with lineart illustrations, such as this one here:

To attract the right clients

Your portfolio should align with the type of work you want to attract. I am feeling very excited about this new lineart style of illustration, so it was a natural next step for me to refresh my online portfolio and to “put it on the menu” in a way. This way, you signal potential clients that you are ready to be hired for this style of illustration.

If you’ve shifted focus or specialized in a certain niche, your portfolio should reflect that. By keeping it updated, you’re more likely to attract the kinds of clients and projects that excite you the most. You would rather draw animals or anthropomorphic animals? Showcase them in your portfolio, don’t be afraid not to include and humans illustrations if that’s what you don’t want to attract.

PS: for those of you who know me for my pattern design, have you noticed I am not including any patterns on my website portfolio? Why? This isn’t what I wish to attract right now.

Highlight your best work

Your best work today is likely different from what it was a year ago. Keeping your portfolio current ensures that you’re always showcasing your most impressive and relevant projects, the kind of work that will win over your ideal clients.

In the future I am planning to possibly build extra landing pages for separate “illustration categories”. For example one for lineart type of illustration, another one for flat vector design, maybe one for repeat patterns, or perhaps one for black and white art. Think of your portfolio like a restaurant menu, like when you go to an Italian restaurant: pizza, pasta, salads - whatever helps the customer to see if this restaurant is the right fit for them :)

Do you guys have any questions? make sure to leave a comment below? Any wishes for a YouTube video perhaps?

You can also read this article via the Substack app:

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Hi! I’m Weronika Salach, a freelance illustrator specializing in children’s books, toy design and surface pattern design. Over 40,000 happy students have taken my digital illustration courses and watched my YouTube videos. Let’s connect :)

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👉 Skillshare

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