A website portfolio structure is the way project stories are grouped, summarised, and opened. A gallery is the visual list. Without categories and summaries, the page is a folder of pictures. Visitors cannot tell which project is relevant, and you cannot maintain the set.
This is about organising work you are allowed to show. It is not a promise that unnamed client logos prove a result.
Categories people can use
Choose a small set of categories based on how buyers look, not how internal teams are named:
- Industry (manufacturing, education, retail)
- Type of work (website, CRM, integration)
- Sometimes both, if you truly have the volume
Five clear categories beat twenty tags. A project can sit in one primary category even if it used several skills. If everything is tagged “digital,” the filter does nothing.
Write the category rules down so the next project does not invent “misc.”
What each item needs
On the list:
- Project or client name, if you have permission
- One sentence on the job, not a slogan
- The category
- An image cropped for the card, prepared as in website images
On the project page:
- The problem in the client’s context, without invented metrics
- What was delivered
- Your role, if partners were involved
- A handful of images that show the work, with informative alt text
- A next step for someone who wants similar work
If you cannot say anything specific, do not publish a case study. A logo strip with permission is more honest than a fictional paragraph.
Navigation and filters
The portfolio should be reachable from the path you described in information architecture: usually under work, projects, or the relevant service.
Filters must show the current category and a way back to all projects. An empty filter needs a sentence (“No manufacturing projects yet”) and a link to the full list, not a blank grid. Do not build a second, conflicting menu inside the filter that uses different names from the site header.
Mobile filters should be usable without covering the results permanently. Product catalogues have a similar problem, covered in e-commerce product filtering. A portfolio is smaller, so resist copying a shop’s entire filter sidebar if you only have twelve projects.
Adding a project without breaking the gallery
- Confirm you may name the client and show the work
- Place it in an existing category or revise the category list
- Write a one-sentence summary and a factual page
- Crop images for the card and the article
- Check the filtered view and the unfiltered list
A practical example
A studio has 30 thumbnails titled “Project 01” to “Project 30.” The replacement uses four categories: corporate sites, commerce, CRM, and integrations. Each card states the sector and the deliverable in one line. The CRM filter shows six items. A project that was both a website and a CRM is filed under the buyer’s main reason for the work, and the page mentions the other piece in the body. The team deletes three items they cannot explain.
Key takeaways
- Categories should match how a buyer searches your work.
- Each item needs permission, a summary, and a factual page.
- Filters need a clear reset and a sensible empty state.
- Fewer honest projects beat a large unexplained gallery.
FAQ
Should we sort by date or by featured work?
Lead with a small featured set you can defend, then offer date order. An unexplained “featured” flag that never changes looks like the rest of the site is neglected.
Do we need a page per project?
Yes, if you want the item to be understandable and linkable. A lightbox with no text cannot answer “what did you do?”
Can the same project appear in two industries?
Prefer one primary category so counts stay honest. Mention the second context in the story.