Coroflot (and Some Useful Tips)

Hello! I’ve just spent the past day or two uploading my artwork to a portfolio-hosting site called Coroflot. Check out my page by clicking on this nifty little badge:

Why join a site like this? Well, I’ll give you three good reasons:

(1) Simple, clean design for free. Although I have a personal portfolio website, I feel that it is a work in progress. I based my site on a Tumblr theme, and I don’t think it is showcasing my artwork to its fullest potential, mainly because of image size constraints. I am investigating other themes and web design options to invest in down the road, but in the meantime, I can use Coroflot as a decent-looking, free alternative for sharing my work online.

(2) Traffic. Joining a portfolio site like this is a good way to get more traffic. Presumably, many of the people who visit Coroflot are interested in illustration, design, or hiring a freelance designer or illustrator. Now that I’ve joined Coroflot, my portfolio will be one of the pages that comes up when someone searches for the word “illustration.” Yes, I am still one in 14,126, but that is better than being one in a zillion on Google! Additionally, when someone sees my portfolio on Coroflot, he or she might be tempted to click on the links to my personal website and blog. Lastly, Coroflot offers a traffic-monitoring tool, which enables me to see how many hits I am getting.

(3) Inspiration and networking. I plan on using Coroflot as a way to discover new artists and to follow their progress. Looking at other illustrators’ and designers’ work inspires me to be more creative, and I enjoy seeing what my favorite artists will come up with next. Admittedly, I could use Coroflot for this purpose without creating my own page, but part of the fun is being able to follow people and (hopefully) gaining a few followers of my own.

I highly recommend checking out Coroflot. If you do end up deciding to build your own Coroflot page, check out my advice below.

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