Mobile-first portfolio: make casting agents review your work without zooming

Your mobile-first portfolio is often the very first audition. If every thumbnail, reel and credit loads fast and fits the small screen, casting agents stay focused on your talent instead of pinching to zoom. Follow this guide to redesign, test and launch a mobile-first portfolio that turns hurried swipes into callback emails.

Why a mobile-first portfolio is now non-negotiable

Over 60 % of global web traffic already comes from smartphones. In casting, the figure climbs even higher because agents browse links between meetings, on set or in transit. A desktop-centric site wastes those micro-moments. By switching to a mobile-first portfolio you:

• Reduce bounce rates that occur when galleries fail to scale down.
• Increase shortlist saves inside directories such as Artfolio's new actor portfolios.
• Meet Google's Core Web Vitals, helping your name rank above competing profiles.

Core principles of a winning mobile-first portfolio

1. Thumb-friendly navigation

Place your primary menu at the bottom or top-left where thumbs naturally reach. Use buttons no smaller than 44 × 44 px. A concise menu—Home, Reel, Gallery, Résumé, Contact—keeps attention on your work.

2. Retina-ready, compressed media

Agents drop off when a 40 MB video buffers. Export reels in H.265 at 720 p, under 10 MB per minute. Serve responsive images with srcset so portraits stay sharp on iPhone 14 but lightweight on older Androids.

3. Caption and metadata strategy

Every asset needs alt text and captions aligned with casting search intent—“Lead role • Period drama • 2024.” This doubles as SEO fuel and as screen-reader context, improving accessibility. For deeper optimisation see image speed best practices.

4. Lightweight fonts and colour contrast

Use one web-safe font and preload it. Maintain WCAG AA contrast (4.5:1) so directors scanning outdoors can still read scene notes.

Your 10-step mobile-first portfolio checklist

1. Audit current pages with Google Lighthouse and note scores below 90.
2. Define a single break-point (e.g., 360 px) as the design baseline, then progressively enhance for tablets and desktop.
3. Switch to flex or grid to avoid fixed-width elements that overflow small screens.
4. Resize hero video to a 16:9 placeholder image that swaps to autoplay only on Wi-Fi.
5. Implement lazy-loading for galleries beyond the first viewport.
6. Inline critical CSS under 14 KB and defer the rest.
7. Add structured data such as ProfilePage and VideoObject to help Google show rich results.
8. Enable service-worker caching so agents on set with poor signal still view your last visited page.
9. Run device tests on actual iOS and Android hardware (see next section).
10. Ask three industry peers to review UX; iterate before announcing the relaunch.

Testing a mobile-first portfolio on real devices

Combine at least one cloud lab and one human tester to catch both rendering bugs and subjective friction.

Common pitfalls and quick fixes

• Floating social bars hide navigation. Swap to a collapsible share button.
• Portrait photos cropped at forehead. Adjust object-fit and upload a 4:5 ratio fallback.
• Auto-play audio surprises. Mute by default and show visible controls.
• Text images instead of live text. Replace with HTML to boost SEO and accessibility—a must per accessibility guidelines for actor pages (article available soon).

Quick self-assessment: Is your current portfolio mobile-ready?

FAQ

Do I need a separate mobile site?

No. A single responsive codebase is cheaper to maintain and scores better on SEO than two versions.

How large should my demo reel file be?

Aim for 50–70 MB maximum for a 5-minute reel. Compress with HandBrake and enable adaptive streaming if possible.

Which CMS handles mobile-first design best?

Any CMS that allows custom templates works—WordPress, Webflow, Ghost. Pick the one you can update quickly.

What if my agent insists on PDF résumés?

Provide a downloadable PDF but also embed the content as HTML. This dual approach satisfies both SEO and legacy preferences.

Next steps

Combine the checklist above with profile refinements described in this guide to directory tweaks and you will own the tiny screen casting directors use most. When you are ready, compare your first-impression metrics with the five-second scan advice in our five-second profile scan article. Launch your upgraded mobile-first portfolio, monitor engagement, and iterate every quarter.

Ready to win more callbacks? Optimise now and let your talent shine without zooming.