Finally realized I was putting way too much fluff in my portfolio

I spent 2 years cramming every single project I ever touched into my design portfolio, thinking more work meant I looked busier and more skilled. Last month a creative director I respect looked at it and straight up said "I stopped reading after the third page because nothing stood out." That hit me hard because I thought quantity showed range, but really I was just burying my best stuff under a pile of mediocre filler pieces. Now I'm down to 5 strong projects with clear results for each one, like a website redesign that boosted signups by 30 percent. Has anyone else had that moment where someone made you see your own work differently?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarw831mo ago

Oh man, that creative director did you a huge favor! I had a similar wake up call when a friend looked at my portfolio and asked "why is this one even in here?" and I couldn't even remember what the project was about. lol. It stung at first but then I realized I was treating my portfolio like a storage closet instead of a highlight reel. Now I just keep my 4-5 best projects that actually got real results and it feels so much cleaner. Sometimes you need that brutal honesty to stop hiding behind quantity and actually show what you can do.

grant_foster791mo ago

A buddy of mine once threw out half his book after a client couldn't pick which project was his best work.