Art director portfolio website example
Alexandra Zsigmond is a New York-based art director and curator whose portfolio spans editorial illustration direction for two of the most respected publications in American media. The site opens with a full-bleed image of colorful illustrated publications fanned across a light surface, immediately showing the depth and range of work inside.
The Work section is organized as a two-column grid of large editorial photographs, each showing a curated spread of print pages, magazine covers and illustrated layouts. It is a graphic design portfolio website that uses print editorial photography as the showcase medium, letting the commissioned illustration speak for itself.
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Art director graphic design portfolio website design
The homepage hero is a scrolling full-width photograph of printed magazine spreads and color illustration strips fanned across a light background. The palette is drawn entirely from the artwork itself — vibrant and deliberately varied — with a clean white frame and minimal uppercase sans-serif navigation tucked into the top corners.
The Work page is a two-image-per-row editorial grid on a white background. Each entry is a large photograph styled like a product shot, with printed pages and magazine covers arranged against bold colored backgrounds such as mustard yellow and pale blue. No titles overlay the images — the photography carries all the context.
The editorial art director behind the portfolio
Alexandra Zsigmond works at the intersection of fine art, illustration and editorial design. As art director for The New York Times and The New Yorker, she has commissioned original illustration from over 1,000 artists worldwide, across work that ranges from magazine covers to Sunday Review spreads.
The portfolio also documents her curatorial practice alongside a Talks section featuring her speaking engagements. It positions her not just as a designer but as a cultural figure who shapes how illustration enters public discourse.
Who this website is a good example for
Editorial art directors and designers. This site shows how to use photography of printed work as the primary portfolio medium, creating a gallery-like presentation without designing case study pages for every project. It is a strong reference for anyone directing editorial illustration.
Curators and creative directors. The portfolio bridges design and curation within a single minimal site. Creative directors who work across disciplines can draw from how Alexandra Zsigmond positions both functions without cluttering the design or requiring separate sites.
Graphic designers seeking editorial clients. The site demonstrates the presentation that resonates with high-caliber editorial clients. For any graphic designer building a portfolio to attract magazine or newspaper commissions, this is a reference point for tone, restraint and the level of presentation expected at that market.
Graphic design portfolio website ideas
Photograph print work as styled still-life images. Alexandra Zsigmond photographs editorial spreads and magazine covers arranged on colored surfaces, turning physical publications into compelling portfolio entries. For print-focused designers, this approach is far more evocative than screenshots and gives each project its own distinct visual identity.
Let your work set the color palette. The site has almost no defined brand color — all the personality comes from the illustration and printed work on display. If your portfolio covers a wide range of styles and clients, this restraint means the work always leads.
Keep navigation at the edges. The wordmark sits top-left and the three nav links top-right, leaving the entire center of the screen to the images. For graphic design portfolios where the work should be the visual center of gravity, edge navigation is a clean and effective solution.
Give speaking and thinking their own section. A separate Talks section documents the designer's intellectual contribution to the field without cluttering the portfolio pages. If your career includes public speaking or published writing, keeping it in its own section lets the work gallery stay clean while still showing the full picture.
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