Question for Mid-Senior Designers: how much of your online portfolio is actual client work vs personal projects and conceptual work? I am feeling challenged because a lot of my agency client work has been b2b in industries I dont want to continue working, and while its all on brand for the client it isn’t representative of the work I want to do. So do I let the client work lead in my portfolio? Or do I let me own work lead because it better represents the kind of businesses I want to work with?

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The client pieces that showcase your POV and creative chops tend to be the initial iteration at the start of the project. After that, it gets dialed down by client feed back and multiple cooks in the kitchen. So, for client pieces, showcase the versions that reflect your POV. Most of my pieces that made it to launch are watered down versions of my vision.

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Swing for the fences. Base hits win ball games.

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I’ve wrestled with the same thing. Most of my professional work has been in healthcare and B2B, which is solid experience but not always the kind of design that reflects where I’d like to go creatively. What’s worked for me is leading with a balance: I showcase strong client pieces that prove I can design on brand and deliver results, but I also mix in personal or conceptual projects that highlight my style, interests, and the type of work I want more of.

That way, hiring managers or clients see that I can meet business needs while also having a creative range. I think portfolios should tell a story about where you’ve been and where you want to go, not just be a record of past deliverables.

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Love this perspective, thank you!

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80% Doesn’t matter.
People don’t hire portfolios they hire personality. People instinctively hire for Vibe and train for Skills. A decent looking portfolio should show competency but a skilled creative should have a vibe to them. If you don’t mesh, there is no portfolio cool enough to get you hired.

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This definitely used to be the case. Because the market is so saturated, a lot of hiring now requires the full package. It doesn’t cut it to have just a “decent looking” portfolio anymore, because the next person over is going above and beyond to make a really great one.

Definitely after you break through that barrier and grab someone’s attention though it’s up to vibe and how well they can talk about their work and decisions.

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Maybe 75% client work, and the rest personal projects. But I’m also not looking to pivot out of the client work I’ve already done. In your position, I would include more of what you’d like to do or show that you can do a variety of work.

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