1. Custom-built sites can look like AI spam
A hand-rolled portfolio is respectable. But in a market flooded with generated sites, small tells — eyebrow labels, generic hero copy, sparkle motifs — make reviewers ask: is this a real person or a template?
Lead with identity. Make it obvious a human made deliberate choices.
2. Niche down, even when it scares you
Candidates worry that specializing closes doors. The counter-argument from every positioning book on the shelf: narrowing increases relevance for the jobs you actually want.
3. Show where your skill ends and AI begins
When an entire case study reads as AI-assisted — copy, visuals, metrics graphics — reviewers cannot calibrate your level. Mixed fidelity is worse than consistent craft.
4. Designers become more empowered, not less
Push back on the narrative that AI eliminates design jobs. The flip side: designers who adopt AI can do more — research synthesis, iteration, prototyping — with the same hours.
5. Hand-drawn craft still has a place
One review pushed back on generating every asset with AI when the story was about human-centered data. Knowing when to draw, photograph, or build by hand is itself a senior signal.
