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A client's portfolio from 2020 to now shows a huge shift in project focus

I was looking at a designer's site I've followed for a while. In 2020, their portfolio was almost all branding and logos, maybe 90% of the work. Now, it's flipped to about 70% product design and UI/UX case studies. The change happened over the last two years. I think the cause is the job market pushing more designers toward digital product roles. But I've also heard some people say a portfolio should show your core passion, not just chase trends. What's the better move for someone building their book right now: showing a clear specialty or showing you can adapt to where the work is?
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emma_young
emma_young2mo ago
Core passion" is just code for "unemployed.
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the_leo
the_leo2mo ago
Show your best work, even if it means your focus changes (like mine did).
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gavin928
gavin92820h ago
...and honestly, that part about "core passion" being code for unemployed hits way too close to home. I've watched so many talented people stick to their guns on what they love only to watch the work dry up underneath them. It's not that they're bad designers or anything like that, their passion work is usually really solid. But when the market shifts and clients start wanting different things, you either adapt or you start wondering why your inbox went quiet. The way I see it, showing you can handle different types of work isn't selling out, it's just being smart about keeping the lights on while you figure out where you actually want to land long term. That designer you mentioned probably still loves branding deep down, but they're also making rent and building skills that pay the bills right now.
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