In Spring of 2023, I was in my last semester at University meticulously deciding what projects should go in my portfolio. It felt like a career make-or-break decision. If I put my projects in the wrong order, I wouldn’t get a job. If I had too many different types of design work, I wouldn’t get a job. If I didn’t have the perfect personal branding, I wouldn’t get a job. I’m sure there are a ton of recent design graduates out there who are still on the job hunt with that same mentality. So let me hold your hand when I tell you– none of those things are true.

What I have found true throughout several portfolio reviews, interviews, and conversations with more experienced designers is that portfolio reviewers want to see how you play. They might even want to see it more than your work. That’s not to say your work isn’t important–it is. The quality and creativity of your work are likely what will get you an interview, but what sets you apart is what you choose to create outside of your job or classroom. I’ve had several portfolio reviewers tell me as much. It was reaffirmed again last Summer when I had the chance to participate in a Designers are Scary Panel. One of the first things that popped up in our conversation regarding what sets candidates apart was the ability to see their personalities shine through in their portfolios. One of the easiest ways to do this is by answering one simple question.

What would you choose to create if you were unburdened by the restrictions of a class assignment or the endless requirements of a client project?

Most of us have a “Playground” or “Archive” section to dump the work we’re not sure what to do with. Most of the time it could more aptly be titled “The Graveyard.” Don’t let that opportunity go to waste. It’s a chance to show your interests, the mediums you’re fascinated by, and the topics you obsess over. That will say more about what you’re passionate about than the app design you were required to make in six weeks. So, why am I even going on about all of this?

After a year of being at a small studio and shifting towards motion design, I’ve finally decided it’s time to show off some of these amazing projects I’ve had the chance to work on and add them to my portfolio. While I have a ton of beautiful work for our studio clients, I’ve regretfully realized that I don’t have many new design-related projects to add to the “play” section of my portfolio. I say design-related because in truth, If I were to fill up my playground wit h “just for fun” work from the last year, one would think I was a photographer, not a designer. Even as I write this, I realize perhaps my portfolio should reflect that inclination toward photography in the last year. It’s been a needed escape from the world of screens and pixels. It’s one of the few artistic mediums that gets you into the world. I digress– that’s a Ding for another time.

Back to the point.

I wish I had spent more time this year recharging through other types of fun projects. I haven’t given myself the freedom and permission to play. That may be in part because so much of the work we do here at the studio does feel like play. We’re often given a sandbox to run amok in even within the confines of client projects. Yet, It’s human nature to want to explore the sandbox next to you even if you’re already in one.

‍In the pursuit of success, so many of us have forgotten what made us want to enter this industry in the first place.

I’m encouraging everyone to carve out the time to play for yourself and only yourself. Be creative in the ways you have fun. For a long time, I used the excuse of not having time to learn new skills and have fun with them. That’s not true at all. I was being too rigid in my idea of what play can look like. For example, I’ve been wanting to learn more 3D for a while now but it can be a time-consuming and intimidating medium. So, for this week’s Ding visuals, I incorporated some play just for myself into my work. I took the opportunity to start learning Spline, one of the less time-intense and user-friendly 3D programs.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you get there. Designers tend to be purists. We think the creative process has to go a specific way; steps one through four have to come first in the branding process; we can’t start working until we have every single asset. That’s a rather limiting way to approach work as a group of self-proclaimed creatives. We can do better.

‍I’m challenging myself and everyone reading this to do better during the rest of 2024. So have fun, and go play!

If you liked this, you'll love the Ding newsletter it was written for by a small studio. Go check it out!