What matters more when hiring a designer: years of experience or the work itself?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately while rebuilding my portfolio and applying for new roles. Design is one of those fields where a number on a CV can say very little. Someone can have five years of experience and a weak portfolio, while another person may have fewer years in a formal design role but much stronger visual thinking, range and execution.

In my own process, I’ve been focusing much more on how I present the work itself: the decisions behind it, the systems I build, the way a project develops across brand, editorial, digital or UI. I’m trying to make the portfolio show not just what I made, but how I think.

Curious what other designers and hiring managers think: when you review a designer, what matters more to you, years of experience or the actual portfolio?

#DesignCareers #HiringDesigners #VisualDesign #Portfolio #DesignProcess