5 underrated Semplice features

With every update we make to Semplice, our portfolio system for designers, we aim to live up to our name.

In Italian, Semplice means simple. Since the beginning, our goal has been to create a powerful tool that is simple and beautiful, easy to use. Yet in a sense, Semplice can be as simple or technical as you want it to be.

Some people use Semplice to make a quick page and launch it fast. Others dig in further. The more you play around with the tool, the more possibility you discover. Semplice is as simple as we know how to make it, but it’s powerful.

For those who enjoy digging in, these are some of the hidden gems of Semplice. The features you don’t have to use to create your portfolio, but can make it even better.

The motion feature

Lots of people add the standard fade-in or hover animations to their pages, but you can do so much more with the Semplice motion feature. Create a parallax effect where layers slide behind or in front of either elements. Fade out certain elements on scroll. Set an image to come in from the side on click.

In fact, the biggest challenge with this feature is using restraint. Too much animation and your portfolio feels chaotic. Subtle animation in the right place enhances your portfolio significantly.

To set an animation, click the element you want to add motion to. In the editor pop-up, navigate to the "Motion" tab and choose from On Click, On Scroll, On Hover or On Mouseover. Now adjust the settings and preview your changes straight within the content editor until you're happy with the result.

These guides from our Semplice knowledge base will help:

Creating a hover animation

Creating an on-click animation

Adding and adjusting ScrollReveal effects

Customizing page & color scheme

Often, the portfolios that stand out are those with a little extra attention to detail. Beautiful, thoughtful case studies are the core of Semplice, so we have some nice little features that allow you to customize your case studies from top to bottom.

Instead of using the same template for every project, you can adjust the navigation, background colors – even the “back to top” arrow in the bottom right corner – on a page-by-page basis to complement the work.

Related Semplice guide: Using your page branding options

Portfolio grid hover video

To the delight of the filmmakers and animators who use Semplice, we finally released a thumbnail hover feature this year. This is the perfect way to tease video projects in your portfolio grid, giving people a glimpse of an enticing scene on your homepage.

You also have the option to use a GIF for your project thumbnails, which creates a more playful effect.

Custom social share image

There’s nothing more anti-climactic than seeing an “I just launched my website” post that shows placeholder text and imagery in the link preview – or no preview at all. Not only does this look unpolished, but it’s not going to get you a click. It’s common knowledge at this point that tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images.

It’s easy to customize your share image and page title/description in Semplice. Just go to your project or page settings and navigate to the SEO & Share tab. Then click straight into the title or description to edit the text. Upload an image sized for Facebook and Twitter and you’re done.

Related Semplice guide: Setting your social share image

Custom loading bar

Another small but lovely detail: Changing the color of your site loading bar. Choose a color that fits your site scheme and style.

With these features, you can elevate your site experience and give your work the presentation it deserves. For more Semplice pro tips and tutorials, visit our shiny new helpdesk. We're adding new guides and hacks all time.

Cover image from verenamichelitsch.com