Behance

Behance
Name	Behance
Type	Private
Industry	Internet
Founded	2005
Founder	Scott Belsky; Matias Corea
Headquarters	New York City
Parent	Adobe Inc.

Behance Behance is an online platform for showcasing and discovering creative work across visual arts, design, photography, illustration and related fields. It serves as a portfolio host, networking site and job board, connecting individual creators with agencies, studios, publishers and brands. The platform influenced practices in digital portfolios, creative hiring and online curation across the contemporary creative industries.

History

Behance was co-founded in 2005 by Scott Belsky and Matias Corea in New York City during a period marked by the rise of social web services such as Flickr, Myspace, YouTube, WordPress and Facebook. Early adoption occurred among users connected to institutions like the Rhode Island School of Design, the Parsons School of Design, the Pratt Institute and the Royal College of Art, with visibility growing through events such as SXSW and Adobe MAX. As the site matured it intersected with trends from companies like Dropbox and Squarespace and movements represented by outlets such as Creative Review and It's Nice That. In 2012 Behance was acquired by Adobe Inc., aligning it with products including Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom and the Creative Cloud subscription model, and later integrating with services from firms like LinkedIn and agencies such as TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Platform and Features

Behance provides tools for portfolio presentation, project curation, analytics and job listings, paralleling features in services such as Dribbble and Cargo Collective. The interface supports media uploads from creators influenced by workflows involving Canon, Nikon, Sony camera systems and software exports from Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. Social features mirror patterns found on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Vimeo with following, appreciation and curated galleries. Project discovery leverages editorial curation similar to that of The New York Times' arts pages and magazines such as Wired and Fast Company, while tagging and search draw on taxonomies used by platforms like Behance competitors and aggregators such as Design Milk and Dezeen.

Community and Usage

Behance’s community has attracted practitioners from institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern, the Cooper Hewitt, and commercial studios such as Pentagram, IDEO, Frog Design, and Sagmeister & Walsh. Individual users include alumni of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of the Arts, School of Visual Arts and notable practitioners whose work circulates alongside that of photographers linked to agencies like Magnum Photos and illustrators represented by galleries like Spoke Art. Creative directors from publications such as Vogue, The Atlantic, The Guardian and Monocle have used the site to scout talent, while recruiters from companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple have posted listings. Community initiatives and offline events echo programming from festivals including Design Indaba, Typism, AIGA conferences and city-level meetups in San Francisco, London, Berlin, Tokyo and São Paulo.

Integration and Partnerships

Following acquisition, Behance was integrated into the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem, enabling single-sign-on and asset syncing with Adobe Stock and services like Typekit (now Adobe Fonts). Partnerships expanded to educational platforms such as Coursera and Skillshare, and to career services exemplified by collaboration with LinkedIn and job marketplaces like Indeed. Content and curation collaborations appeared with media outlets including The New Yorker, Fast Company, The Verge and design publishers like John Maeda-affiliated projects and galleries such as Eye on Design. Corporate partnerships have included campaigns with brands like Nike, Spotify, Samsung and PepsiCo for sponsored showcases and hiring drives.

Business Model and Ownership

Behance began as an independent startup funded through angel investors and venture networks similar to AngelList and accelerators akin to Y Combinator patterns. In 2012 it became a wholly owned company within Adobe Inc., operating alongside Adobe’s subscription offerings such as Adobe Creative Cloud. Revenue streams include premium job postings, enterprise hiring solutions, branded content and integration benefits tied to Adobe’s commercial ecosystem including Adobe Stock licensing. Corporate governance reflects parent-company structures comparable to other acquisitions like Marketo and Fotolia previously absorbed into larger software portfolios.

Reception and Impact

Behance has been credited with transforming portfolio presentation practices alongside platforms such as Dribbble and DeviantArt, influencing hiring norms in agencies like AKQA and consultancies including McKinsey & Company's design arms. Critics and commentators in outlets like The New York Times, Wired and The Verge have debated implications for creative labor markets and visibility, comparing effects to those observed in gig platforms such as Upwork and creative marketplaces like Etsy. The platform’s curated galleries and galleries selected by Adobe editorial teams have contributed to careers of designers, photographers and illustrators who later work with institutions such as MoMA PS1 and brands like Ikea and Target.

Category:Internet properties