https://designshaped.com/notes/ Writing from the Friday sessions: portfolio, resume, and career lessons from Tim and Nate. en-us https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-10-02/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-10-02/ Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Narrow your pitch: fewer jobs, more interviews · Unshipped or under NDA, the work still counts · No numbers yet? Show your math · Write your headings for people who skim https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-25/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-25/ Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Unpaid projects still count as experience · Lead every bullet and title with the outcome · One title, one mountain · Write case studies for people who skim https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-18/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-18/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Pick an angle, even if it closes some doors · Title each case study by what changed and why it mattered · Estimate the impact nobody measured, and show your math · Most rejections are about the numbers and the company's needs https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-11/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-11/ Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) If nobody would argue the opposite, it isn't a differentiator · Some narrowing only shrinks the pool · Want more than one industry? Build more than one niche · No numbers? Estimate, and label it https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-04/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-09-04/ Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Agencies and in-house teams want different proof · Centralized teams hire the skill they don't have yet · Lead with why the work mattered, then what you built · Trust gets decided on looks before anyone reads https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-08-28/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-08-28/ Fri, 28 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) A niche costs you some jobs and buys you interviews · Write case studies for people who skim · A bullet that only names an activity is fluff · No interviews? Look at your resume before your portfolio https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-08-14/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-08-14/ Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) One site can't sell to clients and hiring managers at once · A narrower target means fewer jobs and more interviews · Write case studies for people who only read the headings · Getting interviews but no offers? Practice the presentation https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-31/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-31/ Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) AI writing has a look, and reviewers are learning it · The design engineer title is having a moment — for better and worse · Senior UI work is not disappearing — the surface is · Agency vs. product is still a positioning problem https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-24/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-24/ Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) AI copy has recognizable patterns · AI-generated images undermine credibility · ATS is now audience number one · The 80% bar moved https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-17/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-17/ Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) If recruiters call but hiring managers do not, fix the résumé first · Claiming AI experience you did not have on the job · Framer is harder to recommend when AI builds sites faster · Notebook LM for learning and presentation https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-10/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-07-10/ Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Custom-built sites can look like AI spam · Niche down, even when it scares you · Show where your skill ends and AI begins · Designers become more empowered, not less https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-06-26/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-06-26/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Referrals still beat applications · Centralized vs decentralized changes what you should show · Recruiters match keywords, not vibes · "Business sense" is a positioning problem https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-06-12/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-06-12/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Template portfolios need to feel like you · Vanity metrics hurt more than they help · Your about page is a wall — fix that · Lead with user outcome, not app name https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-06-05/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-06-05/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Double diamond on the homepage positions you as junior · Case studies need metrics and impact · Three audiences, three priorities · Niche down to stand out https://designshaped.com/notes/publishing-claude-code-plugins/ https://designshaped.com/notes/publishing-claude-code-plugins/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim) The decisions we wish we'd made on day one — HTTPS over SSH, a source repo per plugin, and treating the marketplace as a curation layer, not a code dump. https://designshaped.com/notes/framer-seo-geo-aeo/ https://designshaped.com/notes/framer-seo-geo-aeo/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim) The three kinds of optimization a designer portfolio needs in 2026 — and the exact Framer settings, free tools, and on-page rules that get your site found by Google, Bing, and AI chat. https://designshaped.com/notes/claude-code-skill-patterns/ https://designshaped.com/notes/claude-code-skill-patterns/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim) A Claude Code skill is just a prompt that loads on demand — which means the difference between one that fires and one that sits dead is almost entirely how you write it. Here are the patterns that hold up. https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-05-29/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-05-29/ Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Decentralized teams want generalists · AI fluency is part of staying relevant · Freelance without senior mentorship shows · Webflow because ChatGPT said so https://designshaped.com/notes/the-portfolio-edit/ https://designshaped.com/notes/the-portfolio-edit/ Sat, 23 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) The single editing pass we run live every Friday — what to cut, what to lead with, and why three strong projects beats eight average ones. https://designshaped.com/notes/portfolio-teardown-junior-mid/ https://designshaped.com/notes/portfolio-teardown-junior-mid/ Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Three audiences, one portfolio (pick a primary) · Do not hide your process behind accordions · The section most junior portfolios skip · Output vs. outcome https://designshaped.com/notes/resume-reviews-recruiter-story/ https://designshaped.com/notes/resume-reviews-recruiter-story/ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Recruiters are not reading your resume · Lead with why, not what · More content beats clever layout · The summary section is optional — and risky https://designshaped.com/notes/applied-ai-design-cycle/ https://designshaped.com/notes/applied-ai-design-cycle/ Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) The cycle still wins · Discovery and research: light assist, heavy human · Definition and prioritization: where judgment matters most · Ideation and execution: faster surfaces, same bar https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-27/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-27/ Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Behance alone does not pass the entry-level bar · Build a trust funnel on your homepage · Storytelling titles got an upgrade — keep going · Impact sections need outcomes, not activities https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-20/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-20/ Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Clever AI tools do not replace recruiter workflow · Black-box AI erodes trust · Sparkles do not signal professionalism · AI keywords in job descriptions are table stakes https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-13/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-13/ Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) No about page, no referral path · Section titles are storytelling opportunities · Web dev portfolios need different expertise · Photography showcases on product design portfolios confuse positioning https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-06/ https://designshaped.com/notes/feedback-friday-2026-02-06/ Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Capstone case studies should not look like AI landing pages · Drop "capstone" and "thesis" from titles · Career pivots need a transferable story · Homepage marketing vs case study depth https://designshaped.com/notes/building-a-portfolio-understanding-the-target-audience/ https://designshaped.com/notes/building-a-portfolio-understanding-the-target-audience/ Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT noreply@designshaped.com (Tim & Nate) Recruiters: phrase-matching and scannable facts · Hiring managers: process, judgment, and proof · Future peers: referrals and personality