Newsletter issue: #155
Read time: 1m 19s

Remember when 67.9% of designers landed jobs within three months?

Now it's 49.5%.

Ouch.

The design market isn't just saturated – it's drowning.

You're not just competing with local talent anymore. It's global designers, AI tools, and an industry evolving faster than your iPhone battery drains.

Most UX portfolios are digital landfills of mediocrity.

Hiring managers spend 60 SECONDS per case study.

That's not a typo – ONE MINUTE.

Your 15-minute portfolio read? They've already ghosted you and matched with three other candidates on DesignerTinder.

The cold, hard truth:

If you're following the same playbook as everyone else, you're invisible.

• Clean Medium article
• Sleek Behance portfolio
• Active Dribbble presence
• Standard case study template

Congratulations! You've created the design equivalent of beige wallpaper.

Picture this conversation:

Hiring Manager: "Show me why I should care about your work."
​Most Designers: "I followed a 5-step process and made this thing pretty."
​Hiring Manager: deletes email

What actually works? The Minto Pyramid Principle:

1. TOP: Lead with your knockout punch "Reduced ticket resolution time by 47%, saving 1,200 employee hours monthly"
2. MIDDLE: 2-3 key decisions that made the difference Not "did user research" but "Eye-tracking showed 78% missed the primary CTA"
3. BOTTOM: Evidence that validates your claims "5 rounds of testing with 87% task success rate"

This isn't just another framework – it's your lifeline in a sea of "meh" portfolios.

The market is brutal, but look at it this way: when everyone's zigging with bloated process stories, your zag with results-first storytelling becomes your superpower.

Remember: Designers who tell the best story win. And now you know how.

Get my detailed implementation checklist + all 5 deadly portfolio mistakes I didn't even cover here 👇

Read the Case Study Framework