Start with a project shortlist, not a folder of everything.
For a small architecture practice, five clearly presented projects can explain your approach better than twenty incomplete ones. Select work that demonstrates the commissions you want more of, then check whether each project has enough material to stand alone.
A useful shortlist should show different strengths without repeating the same building type and camera angle. Include a built project when it demonstrates the finished result. Unbuilt work can belong in the portfolio too, provided its status is clear.
Can a visitor tell what the project is, what you contributed and why it matters from the page itself? If not, the missing piece might be a drawing or two sentences of context, not another glossy render.
Give each project a beginning, middle and detail.
Do not upload images in the order they appear in your camera roll. Sequence them as you would a short architectural presentation. The first image establishes the project; the following images explain space, material and decisions.
| Role | What to choose | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Opening image | A strong overall view, exterior or interior | What is this project? |
| Spatial view | A second angle, circulation or relationship to site | How does it work? |
| Drawing | A legible plan or section | How is it organised? |
| Detail | Material junction, light or a distinctive decision | What makes it particular? |
| Context | Site image or concise explanatory text | Why was it designed this way? |
This is a sequence, not a mandatory five-image formula. A small interior might need fewer frames; a complex development may need more. Avoid near-duplicates merely to fill the page.
Keep the original proportions when they carry meaning.
A panoramic exterior, portrait interior and square detail do not have to be cropped into identical cards. Cropping may be appropriate for a project index, but give visitors a way to see the intended full composition on the project page. Check every important subject at mobile width.
Plans and renders need different treatment.
Architectural drawings
Export a clean presentation drawing rather than a screenshot of CAD software. Remove construction layers, unreadable dimension strings and private client details where they are not needed. Retain a scale bar or explanatory labels only if they remain legible at the size the viewer will see.
A drawing with tiny text may work in a printed A1 portfolio but fail completely on a phone. Consider a simplified web version, and offer a larger view if reading the plan is important. Use SVG or a crisp raster export according to the drawing's complexity, file weight and permitted fonts.
Architectural visualisations
Identify visualisations as such when a project is not built. Keep a consistent colour treatment across a series, avoid exaggerated post-processing and check that the image corresponds to the design being presented. If the project has changed since the render, label its stage rather than suggesting the picture represents an as-built condition.
Photography
Check permission from the photographer and any contractual restrictions before publishing. A studio's possession of a photograph is not automatically a licence for every form of online use. Also consider privacy: visible house numbers, personal documents or identifiable occupants may need attention.
Deliver originals and web-ready exports separately.
Keep the high-resolution master files. For web delivery, export appropriately sized copies, preferably in modern image formats supported by the site's implementation, with a fallback when needed. The developer should generate responsive variants so a phone does not download a desktop-sized photograph.
As a starting point, a large landscape master of roughly 2000–3000 pixels across often leaves room for desktop layouts. This is a practical working range, not a fixed SEO rule; exact output sizes depend on image composition, display density and the actual website. Check visual quality and transferred file weight together.
Use meaningful names, not DSC_4829-final-FINAL2.jpg. Keep the master separate from compressed exports so a new crop or larger display can be prepared without degrading an already compressed file.
Make image descriptions useful.
Alt text should convey the image's relevant content to someone who cannot see it. For example, “Timber-lined living room opening onto a planted courtyard” is more helpful than “modern architecture design website photo”. Decorative images can use empty alt text; drawings that carry detailed information may also need nearby explanation.
Write the few facts that give images meaning.
A short project page can be excellent if the basics are unambiguous. Visitors should not have to guess whether a building was realised or which work was yours.
- Project name and type: a clear, human-readable title.
- Place and year: at a level you are permitted to publish; specify whether the year refers to design or completion.
- Status: completed, under construction, competition, proposal or concept.
- Role: lead architect, collaborator, interior design, visualisation or another accurate contribution.
- Credits: photographer, co-authors, consultants and collaborators as agreed.
- Short explanation: the brief, one central design choice and what it achieves.
Courtyard house · Residential · Concept
“The plan organises living spaces around a sheltered outdoor room. Large openings connect the kitchen and living area to the courtyard while a more enclosed edge protects privacy.”
This is an invented example showing the level of explanation, not a claim about an Atmosferi client commission.
A final checklist before the website build.
- Choose the strongest projects for the audience you want to reach.
- Arrange photographs by story, not file creation date.
- Provide legible drawings and correctly labelled visualisations.
- Supply high-resolution masters as well as suitable web exports.
- Confirm the right to publish images and identify the required credits.
- Add project title, location where appropriate, status, year and your role.
- Review crops, captions, image descriptions and download size on a phone.
If you have only a few strong images, publish those well. A coherent portfolio is more convincing than a long archive of nearly identical photographs or unfinished project pages.