Debate: Should your portfolio show only finished work or the messy process too?

I got some feedback last month from a design director at a meetup in Austin. She said my portfolio was too clean, that showing only polished final mockups made me look like a 'stock photo of a designer.' But I also had a recruiter tell me last year that process documentation was boring and they just wanted to see results. So which side is right? I personally started adding one case study per project that shows my early sketches and a failed concept where the client hated my first idea. Has anyone else gotten burned by showing too much process or too little?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant.kevin2d ago

Nah, noah nailed it. That's exactly the split I've seen too.

noahw535d ago

Honestly it depends on what level you're targeting. Junior designers need to show process to prove they can think through problems. Senior roles already assume you have that skill, they just want to see the final product.