IRL Portfolio
What could a portfolio look like beyond the mockup age?
I try to keep my portfolio updated, and some years I do better than others. But as the end of this year creeps up, I have been thinking about what a portfolio is in 2026. We have been living in the age of the mockup, and it’s because it looks pretty cool. Although sometimes I'm struck by how those mockups can also hide the work a bit. I scrolled through a site recently, and the work was great, but the amount of vibe imagery surrounding it started to feel like it was hiding something it didn't need to. At the same time, we're living in the age of “Is it real?” Should there be a shift in how we present our work? What could that look like?
I had a project a few months back where I designed 2- and 3-D elements for an event. I could not go to this event, so I was excited to scan social media to see how it all turned out. And it was actually a really interesting way to see the work. People took pictures that I had no control over (some involving dogs, yay). People interacted with elements in ways I hadn’t thought of. And I started to seek out other projects I had done in this way.
Wiener stickers were definitely a hit. (Starkville is home to a surprisingly large, yearly wiener dog race.) And I learned the sign could use some ferns at the bottom.
What if this were a whole way to present a portfolio of work?
PROS:
• It shows the work got produced and is out in the world – a start to finish project.
• You get to see how others interact with the work.
• Leans into an unpolished aesthetic.
• Longer term, you can see how others interpreted the work for themselves. For example, in the case of a logo, others will use the brand standards to create their own materials.
This is a logo I did many years ago (can I freshen it please?) and I don't have control over its use anymore. It's made it onto things ranging from a tablecloth to a plane. But maybe I'm the most excited about the cake!
CONS:
• Not every good design gets produced, and good work deserves to be in your portfolio regardless of what may have stalled the project.
• If you’re early in your career, you may not have the benefit of having enough of this to make it a full portfolio. Having just started collecting these, I don't think I do either at this moment.
• You might be limited to projects that are "social media worthy" which might exclude other projects that are just as worthy.
Other Ideas
Another great thing I saw was an online portfolio with case studies (are we over these yet?) where instead of reading the copy, you could choose to listen to short audio clips of her explaining some part of the project. I thought this was cool because she kept it short – no more than a couple minutes. And it showed that she was good at explaining things. It made her feel more like a real person. I get anything can be generated, but assuming it is real, it’s a nice option.
Lastly, you could go in really, really deep on one project like these Process Pamphlets. They're more like little art books. Honestly, I don't know if I have the patience to keep up with or gather all the minutiae that went into these. You would also need a great project for this to stand alone. But it is a really cool look into the process, and that kind of behind the scenes context is hard to fake.