Your portfolio doesn't need 20 projects
Designers add 20 projects to look experienced. Here's why 3 projects work better and win more clients.
As designers, we're told we need tons of case studies and fancy websites to win clients. We're supposed to explain everything about how we work.
What if I say this is completely BS?
What if it no longer matters? What if nobody cares? What if nobody has time to see everything you do?
The question: Does adding all these amazing case studies still matter? The answer is yes and no.
The common misunderstanding
When it comes to portfolios, everyone thinks they need the best case studies to impress clients.
People just add everything. Their 6-step or 8-step UX process. Boring or fancy wireframes. A lot of written copy.
The result? Nobody is interested in you.
Think about this: if you had to hire yourself, would you want to read everything while you only have a few seconds and a long list of people to choose from?
The truth is when clients visit your website, they just want to observe the work you did, how you did it, and what results you delivered. Nobody wants to see the copy you've written. They want to see its performance.
That's all. That's everything.
The "less is more" approach
Believe it or not, in reality, just 3-4 solid projects in your portfolio can transform your whole life.
Here's the truth: I don't even have case studies in my portfolio, but I still made over 6 figures.
You know?
I believe you win when you focus more on visuals, frame your work, frame your talents, and show your visual process instead of telling everything.
Just remember: people don't read. They scan. You have 3-5 seconds to grab them because they have countless options available.
What actually works
Instead of focusing too much on process, longer layouts, and over-explaining everything, here's how I would do it: keep visuals first but tell the story, describe the problem, describe who the client is, show the results, add a call to action.
These are the most basic steps you need to take to get more clients and build a successful business.
Bottom Line
- Pick your 3 best projects only.
- Focus on quality over quantity in your portfolio.
- For each project, just show: problem, visuals, results.
When you focus on what matters, clients notice. A designer with 3 focused projects gets more attention than someone with 20 unfocused ones. I learned this when I removed 15 projects from my portfolio. Got better clients. Made more money. Less is more.
You're not building a website, you're building a business.
See you in another one!Let's grow together 🙌
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