Your Portfolio Is the Trailer, Not the Movie. Hard Truths & Tactical Advice
Why curiosity, business acumen, and design aesthetics are some of the most in-demand design skills right now
There was a time when UX job listings proudly used titles like UX Wizard, UX Ninja, or Rockstar Designer. I’m not joking—I once had a business card that said Design Unicorn. That era defined much of the early 2000s tech industry, and for many of us, it shaped how we built our careers.
Back then, we weren’t just executing—we were expected to be Swiss Army knives of tech and creativity. You had to be the researcher, the visual designer, the front-end coder, the copywriter, the client whisperer. And if you couldn’t do it all, well, you’d better learn fast.
That era taught me a lot. It made me scrappy, made me resourceful. It pushed me to be entrepreneurial and figure things out when I didn’t yet have the skills. But it also came at a cost.
I spent years peanut-buttered across responsibilities—client calls, design reviews, user research, visual design, stand-ups, pitching, coding, shipping, debugging. Clients were happy. My output was strong. But inside, I was fried. My creative growth stalled. My team relied on me for all parts of the project and process. And when it came to hiring more talented creatives people to join the team, we struggled to define the role we actually needed to meet our business now and in the future.
Fast forward to today.
We’re no longer calling ourselves Ninjas. Now, it’s Product Designer.
On the surface, the industry looks clearer. But here’s the thing—the job descriptions still carry the ghost of those Unicorn years. They signal a desire for someone who can do it all without really understanding what “it all” entails. And when I look at the designers I mentor or interview as a hiring manager in AI/UX, I see a lot of confusion about what will actually set them apart.
So let me tell you.
Good Design Matters More Than Ever
Design has always mattered. But in an era where AI can generate wireframes in seconds, it’s your taste, strategy, and design thinking that matters most.
If your resume looks like it could be formatted for an accountant role, start there. I can’t tell you how many "designer" resumes I see that are dry, default, and forgettable alongside Linkedin profiles that have no connection to their website or personal brand. As design professionals, its important that your brand yourself.
This is your corner of the internet—your name, your story, your visual language. Your expertise isn’t just how you design a product; it’s how you present design your own narrative. Your portfolio, resume, LinkedIn profile—they are all part of your personal brand. Show hiring teams that you understand hierarchy, typography, color, voice. Show us you can tell a clear, confident story.
Tactical Job Hunting: Less Spray & Pray, More Strategy
The market is tough right now. I see too many talented designers playing a numbers game—mass applying to every job they see on LinkedIn, hoping something sticks.
In his excellent post, "No One’s Coming to Save You", Mindaugas Petrutis breaks down why. And I couldn’t agree more.
“‘They think, “I applied to 100 jobs today.’ But if you applied to 100 jobs, you probably applied badly to 100 jobs.”
Instead, here’s what Petrutis recommends
Pick 10 companies you actually want to work for.
Customize your portfolio and messaging for each one.
Track your results. What’s getting you a response? What’s not?
Adjust and refine.
It’s way harder than spraying your resume everywhere, but it works.
The designers I’m mentoring who are landing roles are doing it differently:
They’re A/B testing their applications. Adapt, ask for feedback and try again.
They’re sending fewer, higher-quality resumes.
They’re showing up in Slack groups, ADP list, Discord servers, and other design communities.
They’re reaching out to hiring managers with thoughtful, personal messages that ask about the impact of design.
They’re applying through backchannels, referrals, and relationships—not just "Easy Apply."
Your Portfolio Is the Trailer, Not the Full Length Movie
If you want to stand out, stop treating your portfolio like an exhaustive museum of every project and every step you’ve ever touched. Your case study shouldn’t be a 60-minute documentary. It should be a blockbuster trailer—a compelling snapshot that makes me want to lean in reach out and ask questions. A variety of case studies that showcase different skills that you have honed.
Show how you made an impact. What problem were you solving? How did you shape the outcome? What did you learn along the way? Cut the filler. Keep the substance.
Why Skill-Stacking Isn’t Enough Anymore
For years, designers were told to stack skills like trading cards—motion design, coding, research, UI, UX, visual, interaction, writing. The more you could do, the more "valuable" you seemed.
But the reality is, being good at everything isn’t what gets you hired today
Thinking critically about what to build (and why).
Asking better questions. “How will we know if this works? how might we pivot? what tools are our users ALSO using?”
Understanding how their work drives business outcomes.
Bringing stakeholders and cross functional team members along in the process.
Knowing when to lean on tools like AI—and when to challenge them.
This is the difference between an executor and a creative leader.
AI can automate tasks. It can help you move faster. But it can’t think for you. It can’t advocate for the user in the room. It can’t connect the dots between product strategy, user needs, and design.
That’s your job now.
AI Is Your Sidekick, Not Your Competition
AI is here. It’s already reshaping how we work, ideate, and deliver.
But AI is like a junior designer. It can move fast, generate options, prototype in minutes—but it lacks taste, nuance, and product intuition. Your value isn’t in how many screens you can churn out. It’s in your ability to guide, edit, and elevate.
As I wrote in my last post: Prompting is a design skill. So is knowing when to ignore the output. You are the director.
The designers who will thrive in this next chapter aren’t the ones who fear AI or blanket send their resumes. They’re the ones who treat AI it like a creative partner, their portfolios as a movie trailer, their corner of the internet as their brand.
If you’re navigating this shift and want real, practical advice on career strategy, design leadership, and AI’s role in our work—I share more in my newsletter.
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