Chat with a concept artist at my local coffee shop made me rethink my whole portfolio setup

I was in Portland last week grabbing a latte, and this guy named Marcus who does character design for a game studio started talking about how he organizes his showcase pieces. He told me he never posts his highest effort work first because "viewers get overwhelmed and swipe away in under 3 seconds." That hit different because Ive been leading every gallery post with my most detailed stuff, and my engagement has been flat for months. Has anyone else tried frontloading their showcase with simpler pieces to hook people?

3 comments

3 Comments

mark_green3d ago

Is this really that deep though? Like, yeah, maybe some people scroll fast but I feel like leading with your best work is just common sense. Nobody walks into an art gallery and asks to see the doodles first before the oil paintings. I've had a portfolio site for like 8 years now and I've tried both ways and honestly my bounce rate barely changed. The people who are actually interested in your work will look at everything anyway. This guy Marcus sounds like he's overthinking it or maybe he just wants to sell you something. Engagement numbers can be finicky for a million different reasons that have nothing to do with which piece you put first.

theas283d ago

Respectfully, I think there's something to the concept artist's approach that goes beyond just scrolling speed. Leading with a simpler piece gives viewers a moment to understand your style before you hit them with the complex stuff, which can actually keep them engaged longer. If people bounce in 3 seconds anyway, why not test something different for a month and see what happens?

emery102d ago

Best work first" reminds me of that time I put my favorite song first on a mixtape and nobody listened to the rest.