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even if you take on a big freelance project and it doesn't land the way you hoped, you still walked away with a real deliverable, a new client relationship, and a clearer process. that's the part most people miss.
The clearer process part hits home, that's usually the thing you only notice you gained after the dust settles. What's one process change you made after a project like that, that you still use on every client now?
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
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Two months later: 141 → 158. Still top 5%.
Last time I posted, my Contra Discovery Score was 141.
Today it’s 158, and I’m still in the top 5% of creatives.
A few things changed since then.
I became a Lummi Expert, which gave me an expert badge, featured placement, and more visibility inside Contra.
I also stopped treating my portfolio like a gallery and started treating it more like proof.
Recently I added a full Aegir Aqua case study series:
Brand identity, packaging & 3D
Presentation design
Website design & development
Same client, but split into separate case studies so each type of work is easier for clients to understand.
That has probably been the biggest portfolio improvement for me lately.
I’m also still sending proposals consistently.
That part hasn’t changed.
My last post was basically saying: if your profile is already strong, the problem is often not the profile it’s volume.
I still believe that.
But now I’d add one thing:
Volume gets you seen. Proof gets you taken seriously.
A strong proposal gets the click.
A strong case study gives the client a reason to stay.
And having both working together is where things start compounding.
So the progress since August:
141 → 158 Discovery Score
Still top 5%
Lummi Expert badge
More complete case studies
Better positioning across brand, packaging, 3D and web
Still refining. Still applying. Still learning what actually moves the needle.
If anyone is working on their Contra profile, case studies, or proposals, happy to share what’s been working for me.
Hey Asad congratulations on your growth. 😍 I am new to contra and I am still learning and your post was very informative for me. Could you plese guide me more on how I can grow here?
From one project to a long-term collaboration.
After working together on this SaaS explainer, my client told me they’re looking to build a long-term collaboration and keep bringing more projects from their SaaS clients.
They already have another project coming up next.
For me, this is what good freelance work should lead to:
Good work → trust → repeat collaborations.
Looking forward to what’s next.
AI didn't take my job. It became my business partner.
Every designer I know is asking the same question right now: what's left for us when AI can make something pretty in 10 seconds?
Here's my honest answer, from branding and from product.
The way I work has completely changed. Moodboards, variations, mockups, even clickable prototypes: what used to take days now takes hours.
But here's what nobody says out loud: people are making a lot of pretty things. And pretty doesn't build a brand.
Pretty doesn't tell a stranger why they should trust you.
Pretty doesn't make your offer clear in 5 seconds.
Pretty doesn't fix the screen where users give up.
That part is still on me. It's actually most of my job now.
So I stopped seeing AI as a competitor. It does the drafts, I do the thinking, and my clients get both, faster.
Designers, how has AI changed the way you work this year?
Wonderful presentation and I like your thought you shared