Introduction
In 2025, personal websites have evolved beyond simple digital resumes—they’re now immersive portfolios, storytelling platforms, and even interactive experiences. Whether you’re a freelancer, creative professional, or entrepreneur, a well-designed personal website can help you stand out.
Setting up your own website can be a challenge, with a variety of aspects to consider, covering everything from visual style to functionality.Making your website, though, can be difficult. Even if you understand the fundamental technological aspects, there are countless options for design, style, and text.
Why Create a Personal Website?
Learning how to create a personal website is a must for creative professionals, freelancers, and hobbyists who want to earn a profit. Whether expanding a personal blog to become a professional freelance writer or selling graphic designer services, personal websites increase your online visibility.
They also give you complete control over the narrative around your services, taking the resume website concept and fleshing it out with testimonials and media. As your career develops, your personal website design can also evolve in tandem, adding and sharing new content to reach potential clients.
Here are 10 inspiring personal website examples to spark your creativity, along with key takeaways to help you build your own.
Jey Austen – A Designer & Illustrator
Senior product designer and illustrator Jey Austin primarily uses white text and simple graphics on a black background for their personal site. While it may initially sound plain, vibrant colors like teal and orange pop in the thumbnails of different sections, with each 2D element taking on a 3D-like appearance when hovered over.
The gothic Pirata One font for the headers and unique imagery like crystals, swords, and butterflies add mystery to the website design and represent Jey’s personal style. With a picture and a short “Who is Jey?” bio, the website informs visitors of its creator’s originality while providing an enjoyable, aesthetically pleasing browsing experience.
Libby Peterson – New York Times Journalist
Like Katya Varbanova, Libby Peterson has collaborated with many high-profile outlets, such as the New York Times, building an impressive portfolio of work.Her personal website is designed with a clear understanding of how to present client work as closely as possible to its original format and style.
This means high-resolution images from print publications that place her design and photography skills in their original context. Peterson also takes the opportunity to link directly to her client work, from articles in the New York Times to award-winning competitions.
Laura Baross – A Designer & Architect
Like Arlen McCluskey’s website, Laura Baross’s personal website uses high-quality images and a minimalist sense of space for a clutter-free experience. Baross has a long and impressive history of delivering design and photography services for clients, including Forbes, Domino, and Medium.
Her expertise is reflected in the site’s overall professionalism, covering everything from making travel more sustainable to eco-friendly home solutions. Links to her work examples are complemented with a Journal page that extensively explores her ethos and guiding principles.
Her eclectic experience and abilities are broken down into lifestyle, fashion, design, and food categories. It’s a vibrant and stylishly presented personal website that showcases her flexible talent stack through a combination of static and animated elements.
Ali Abdaal – Doctor & Entrepreneur
Ali Abdaal is a doctor turned entrepreneur in the United Kingdom who also creates YouTube videos and podcasts on efficiency, academics, and personal development. The style of Ali’s website is pretty similar to Notion, with a basic and clean design that makes use of emojis.
Ali has a content-rich website with easily accessible information on who he is and what he does. In addition to writing blog entries regularly, he prepares posts for every podcast episode. He even publishes his book notes. This emphasis on content matches his brand and leads to numerous potential entrance points for his website.
It offers an easy-to-use interface with straightforward access to articles, podcasts, and book notes, all supported by interesting information about study skills, productivity, personal development, and realistic self-improvement tips.
Anna Sabatini – Web Designer & QA Analyst
Anna Sabatini shows off her talents by merging digital design with a sketchbook style. From the opening page displaying a pencil-lined self-portrait to hand-drawn lettering and interactive text, Anna’s website includes organic, artistic textures throughout.
The traditional-modern crossover goes further with typewriter-styled typography and a slick scroll-triggered animation on the right sidebar that reveals a menu. Along with featured projects and tutorials, a “Diary” section doubles as a personal blog where Anna shares her thoughts and observations. The writings have a stream-of-consciousness feel, showing Anna’s personal side.
Mack and Pouya – Photographer
Photography portfolios are typically image galleries showcasing previous work. There’s nothing wrong with this approach, but seeing a photography business putting a spin on the norm with a heavily branded site is refreshing.
U.S.-based wedding photography duo Mack and Pouya show their vibrant personalities through their website, with maximalist design, interactive buttons, and parallax effects. Loud colour combinations and bold text make this website feel like a celebration in itself, reflecting the business’ line of work perfectly.
Arlen McCluskey
With moving colour gradients sandwiching a primarily white layout, Arlen McCluskey’s personal website adopts a minimalist design approach. It sticks to a couple of fonts and is generous on whitespace, giving each project room to breathe and stand out.
Despite the streamlined mockups and colours, Arlen uses serif text, going against the typical minimal mindset of flat, clean designs. Arlen balances personality with professionalism with a Work section that boasts his designs and an About page that outlines everything from his superpowers to his favourite books.
Thick and Thin
Bobby Rowe’s website Thick and Thin is a vividly colorful slideshow that doesn’t encourage you to click until the bottom of the page. Instead, Bobby’s personality shines through with stories of human experiences and emotions, establishing a personal connection before pitching his services.
Once you reach the footer, three pillars appear: an “About” section, a case studies section, and a space to get in touch. Clicking each provides unique animations, sliding open new menus or taking you to a dedicated contact page. Plus, a menu in the top-right corner helps you navigate to any section, no matter where you are on the site.
Rhiannon Navin
If you’re an aspiring novelist looking to promote your latest book online, the website for Rhiannon Navin is a great personal website for reference.Like most personal websites, the landing page gets straight to the point, with a large image of Navin’s latest book dominating the screen.
It’s backed up with a glowing quote from the Richard and Judy Book Club and the Washington Post and followed by a detailed profile of the author.Navin also encourages people to get in touch and explore collaborations and provides several methods they can quickly get in touch with.Writers who are looking to take their blogging side hustle to the next level can draw on Navin’s content for plenty of actionable personal website ideas.
José Rocha
The website for José Rocha is a testament to the possibilities of digital marketing and design, loaded with animation and interactive illustrations. Like the best consulting websites, everything is clean and easy to use, coming together in a professionally designed website demonstrating his experience.
Rocha imbues his website with class by focusing on black-and-white imagery and fonts rather than overloading the page with color. This helps to keep the key information at the forefront, outlining his work history and creating brand identities through web design and art direction.
Conclusion
In today’s competitive professional landscape, your personal website serves as your 24/7 digital ambassador – making powerful first impressions, showcasing your expertise, and opening doors to new opportunities. Whether you’re a creative professional, entrepreneur, or executive, a strategically designed website can significantly amplify your career trajectory.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What makes a personal website stand out in 2025?
A personal website stands out when it combines clean, modern design with a clear personal brand. In 2025, standout sites feature bold typography, interactive elements, smooth animations, and fast performance. Using tools like Framer, Webflow, or WordPress helps users create visually impressive and functional websites.
Should I use a template or design my website from scratch?
Using a professionally designed template saves time and ensures a polished look—perfect for beginners or those who want to launch quickly. Custom design is ideal for creatives who want something unique. Many website builders offer customizable templates to blend both approaches.
Do I need a domain name for my personal website?
Yes, having a custom domain (like yourname.com) enhances your credibility and personal brand. It’s affordable and easy to set up with services like Namecheap, Hostinger, or Bluehost.
