Harry Ashton

Ex-lead Frontend Dev.
Co-Founder · Dad of 2
Apps: 📚 · 🧠

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@ArchiveExplorer Being make AI video ads for 2 years straight?

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

With most good things in life, they don't come easily

[Florian Darroman @floriandarroman]

I wish someone told me that when I felt like giving up:

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@ronin21btc Oh boy, she should try America. Though, the UK is great if you've got some wealth. The further out from the cities you go the less money you need to live well. Definitely people who are very happy living in the UK. All of this nonsense we're currently living in can be reversed.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@hicasamadim (6+6) * 6 = 72

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@hicasamadim 72

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@BiancoDavinci The soul has left the building.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@KevinNaughtonJr Detachment from reality. Everybody can choose the life they lead or change their trajectory in some way shape or form. Your now doesn't have to be your forever. People get very complacement.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

The summaries are somebody's opinion. Read them yourself, form your own. Everybody has different takeaways from the reading the same book. It's about your own individual experience going through a journey/story/set of information. Skipping all that is how you lower your cognitive abilities.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@brockpierson

[Andy @PositivFuturist]

Why Object Oriented Programming sucks.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@WhiskyToad "We'll do it all for you, full founder setup, trust me bro"

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@WhiskyToad 😂😂

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@ephraim167 @starter_story Good intuition

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@_aaronpaul25 @starter_story @madebycol Well that's awkward

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@LBC Yeah we had to move ours out too, my co-founder had to leave the UK to make that happen and it was one of the best decisions for our business. The UK is not tech or startup friendly.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@forgebitz Seen way too many horror stories like this, don't leave anything sitting in them.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

@DannPetty Another great one to go with this 👇

https://t.co/cPx3HAxALo

[DANN© @DannPetty]

Your portfolio has one job.
Make someone who's never met you feel like they already know exactly what kind of designer you are.

These things will help:

1. Show the work. Immediately.
I cannot tell you how many beautiful portfolios I clicked off of because I couldn't find the work. Stunning animations, incredible typography, clever interactions nut no work anywhere to found quickly. I'm hiring a designer. Show me what you design! If I have to scroll more than a few seconds to find work, I'm gone. Those hiring have thousands of these to get through. They'll appreciate the time you save them by showing your work in a respectful time.

2. Don't hide work behind rollovers.
I know it looks cool. But I'm in a hurry. If your work is hidden, I'm not finding it.

3. Three projects is not a portfolio. It's a teaser.
If you only have 3-4 projects showing, I immediately wonder what have you been doing? Where are the side projects? The experiments? The fun stuff you made at 2am just because you wanted to? Show more work! Not everything has to be a polished case study (most shouldn't tbh because no one is reading it). Throw in the logo you made for fun. The brand concept nobody hired you for. The UI exploration you did on a weekend. That's the stuff that tells me who you really are as a designer.

4. Stop repeating your name.
I clicked on your link. I know your name. The first thing I need to see is your work, not your name three times.

5. Don't make me figure out how to use your site.
If your portfolio requires instructions, it's too complicated. I don't have time. Neither does the person hiring you. Do you read instructions? Probably not either.

6. The about me section matters more than you think.
The portfolios that stopped me all had one thing in common. I felt like I knew the person. Their pets. Their hobbies. Their personality. Design is a team sport. I'm not just hiring your work. I'm hiring YOU. If it came down to two equally talented designers where one surfed and the other displayed no outside hobbies, I'm going with the person I can connect more with, the surfer since we'll have things to talk about besides work. Use this to your advantage. It's the secret tip most most.

*The portfolios that make my final list all do this:
Work visible immediately. Clear about what they do. Personality came through. Something unique that made me stop and explore.

*The ones that don't make it:
Beautiful design. No work. Or work hidden so much I gave up finding it.

Important note: With all that said, the #1 thing that gets people hired: relationships.
I'm not gonna lie. The people I already know online get looked at first. Every time. That's not fair, but it's real.

Make relationships.
Be a kind person.
Get the work.

[Harry Ashton @TheHashton]

Always put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager/client when building your portfolio.

Great watch for anybody in the UI/UX space. Thanks @DannPetty , deffo sharing this with my students 👏

[DANN© @DannPetty]

I went through 200+ portfolios and pretended to hire a designer.

Here's what actually stood out.