9 portfolio layouts for people with only three projects
Three projects is enough for a portfolio. These nine layouts show how to arrange them, each paired with a free casita you can start from.
Three projects can make a good portfolio. The trick is not to apologize for the number, but to arrange the work so it feels chosen. This list is about arrangement, not selection. If you are still deciding which projects to show, our guide to making a portfolio when you only have a few projects comes first.
Each layout below is a way to place three pieces on a page. Pick the one that fits your work, then start with the free casita that goes with it.
A few things hold for every layout. Lead with your strongest piece. Put a plain title and one sentence of context next to each image. Say what your own part was, especially on team projects, and label personal experiments as personal. Visitors are not checking whether you have a lot of work. They are checking whether you can explain what you did.
1. A hero project and two supporting pieces
Best for: People with one standout projectGive one project the top spot and two the next row.
Choose the project you most want to be known for and let it fill the first screen, with a title, a sentence on your role and one strong image. Below it, show the other two at half the size. The reader knows at once what matters most, and the smaller pieces show range without competing for attention.
2. Three equal cards
Best for: Anyone with three similar projectsShow all three projects at the same size, side by side.
Equal cards say that every piece matters equally. Give each a cover image, a title and one line that says what it was. This layout is simple to build and easy to read on a phone, where the cards stack neatly. It suits work that is about the same weight and style.
3. Before and after
Best for: Designers, editors and restorersShow the starting point beside the result for each project.
Place the original and the finished piece next to each other, then add two sentences on what you changed and why. It shows your thinking, not just your taste. Be careful to describe what you personally did on any shared project, and add a short description for each image.
4. A process strip
Best for: People who want to show how they workTell one project in four small steps, from sketch to finish.
Show a sketch, a draft, a revision and the final piece in a row, each with a short caption. A reader sees how you work, which is often what a client or employer wants to know. Use it for the project you are proudest of and keep the others simple.
5. One project told in posts
Best for: People with one substantial projectSpread a single project over a few short posts.
Write one post for the brief, one for the middle and one for the result. Each is short, and together they tell a full story. Our guide to writing a project story helps with the structure. It works well when you have one big piece of work and little else.
6. A single column of work
Best for: Writers, photographers and illustratorsStack three projects in a simple vertical list.
A long single column reads like a story, one project after another. Give each a heading, an image and a short paragraph, and let the visitor scroll. It is the easiest layout to keep calm, and it works well on every size of screen. Keep each paragraph short, add a plain description to each image and leave a little space between projects so none of them crowds the next one.
7. A gallery with a caption
Best for: Visual artists and photographersLead with images and let one line do the explaining.
Show the three pieces as large images with a one-line caption each: what it is, when it was made and what part you played. Captions keep the page honest and give people who cannot see the images something to read. Add a longer description underneath for the one you want to discuss. If a picture carries meaning that words cannot repeat, say what it shows in a short sentence, so the page still works for a screen reader.
8. A case study and two quick looks
Best for: People with one major project and a few smaller onesGive one project depth and the other two a paragraph each.
Write the first project as a full case study with the problem, your approach and the result. Give the others a short paragraph and one image. It tells a reader that you can go deep when needed and be brief when it is not.
9. A timeline of three milestones
Best for: Early-career people and career changersShow your work in the order you did it.
Put the three projects on a simple timeline, oldest to newest, with the year and a line on what you learned from each. It shows growth, which is attractive to anyone who is hiring for potential. It also takes the pressure off any single piece. If a project is older, say so, and say what you would do differently now.
Match the layout to the work
Layouts are not neutral. A hero layout says that one thing matters more than the rest, so use it only if that is true. Equal cards say the opposite. A process strip says you care how the work was made, and a timeline says you are growing. Think about what you want a visitor to conclude, then choose the arrangement that says it without any extra words.
If two layouts both seem right, try each in a preview and look at the first screen on your phone. The one where the most important thing is clear in a few seconds is usually the better choice. You are not locked in either way, and swapping later takes only a few minutes.
Words still matter
Even a visual layout is carried by its words. Write titles that say what the project was, not clever names that need explaining. Use first person and plain verbs: "I designed", "I wrote", "I built with two friends". Read the page aloud once, and cut any sentence that you would not say to a person across a table. Plain language makes a small portfolio feel confident rather than thin.
Choose, then keep it simple
Whichever layout you pick, give every image a short description for people who cannot see it, and say what your own part was. You can add images to your portfolio and change the look later with Casa DNA without rewriting anything. A small page, kept current, beats a large one that is out of date.
Start from this casa
Print Garden
Print Garden is a sawtooth-roof studio with skylights, a courtyard and a place to make a mess, with a paint tin, a little print machine and a little manuscript.
Focus Hours
Focus Hours is a tall clock house with two little side rooms and a face worth slowing down for, with an open book, a steaming cup and a pencil.
Questions people ask
Is three projects enough for a portfolio?
Yes. Three well explained projects, each with your role in plain words, give a visitor more to respond to than a long gallery with no context. Choose work you are happy to talk about.
Which layout works best on a phone?
A single column and three equal cards both stack neatly on a small screen. Whichever you choose, check it on your own phone before you share the link.