A case for shorter, tighter portfolios.

I had an inspiring conversation with a designer who is leaving their full-time role to start their own practice - it got me thinking about portfolios as careers grow and expand.🤔

They showed me their work - 40 slides of design excellence. 🤌 ✨ Identity systems that were precise yet expansive. Color choices that were inspiring and expressive. Art direction that made you think and feel.

They are at an exciting point in their career... They're getting opportunities to do higher-level strategic work with founders, where budgets are 5x bigger and the impact is foundational. 

One interesting discovery for my client is that their new audience has shorter attention spans - they don't need or want to see every project.

The shift in how we present our work evolves naturally over time... After years of proving your craft and hard skills, it's hard for designers to recognize when they've reached this inflection point. When it becomes more about the impact and value... and when does showing depth of craft become a barrier rather than a bridge?

I don't think the solution is about making your portfolio shorter... It's about speaking directly to who's looking:

Early-stage pitch decks to seasoned investors
Brand evolution work to scaling companies
Strategic design work to ambitious founders

There's power in focus. In understanding your audience. In telling the right story at the right time and in the right way.