<p>A little over a month ago, I wrapped a project with the <a href="https://www.boston.gov/">City of Boston</a>. It was, in a word, tremendous. I was brought in to help the city’s <a href="https://www.boston.gov/departments/boston-digital-service">Digital Service team</a> define a new design system, and I got to do it all alongside <a href="https://christinebath.com/">Christine Bath</a>, a tremendously talented designer and researcher, and one of <a href="https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/commencement/">my former coworkers from 18F</a>. The project wove together <em>so many</em> of the things I most enjoy about design systems work: interviewing stakeholders, building a map of the products (and teams) the design system would need to support, and some honest, old-fashioned design work. And all in the service of helping a city government better support its constituents. It was good work with great people, and I’m honored I got to do it.</p> <p>But the project’s done now. As a result, I’m thinking about what’s next; and that means I’ve updated <a href="https://ethanmarcotte.com/work/">my portfolio</a>.</p> <p>I’ll be honest: I struggle with portfolio updates. I mean, I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve done, and of the people I’ve gotten to do it with. But the exercise of <em>pulling together a portfolio</em> involves more than a few things I find difficult. That includes, but is not limited to:</p> <ol> <li>distilling all of a project’s complexity into a punchy writeup, maybe a screenshot or two;</li> <li>making my <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=conspiracy+wall&tbs=imgo:1&udm=2">conspiracy wall</a>-shaped skillset legible to others; and</li> <li>talking about myself.</li> </ol> <p>But hey, who cares about feelings and anxieties! Capitalism sure doesn’t! I still had to, y’know, update my portfolio. So I designed a little process to help me get out my head, and start getting pixels on a screen.</p> <p><span class="w"> —</span> well, I say “process.” I started by looking around at a few friends’ and colleagues’ portfolios, and spending time identifying what I liked about <em>how</em> they showcased their work. Just a few examples:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://weightshift.com/">Naz</a> and <a href="https://v7.robweychert.com/projects/">Rob</a> both lead with a brief project overview, before diving into a collection of just immaculate artifacts.</li> <li>Some of <a href="https://henry.codes/work/">Henry</a>’s case studies are <a href="https://henry.codes/work/youtube/">full step-by-step narratives</a>, as in-depth as they are lovely.</li> <li><a href="https://kayserifserif.place/work/">Katherine</a> showcases snippets of design or code as best supports the story she’s telling around her work.</li> <li><a href="https://melchoyce.design/work/">Mel</a> really invites the reader into their design process, showing the early, raw materials that ultimately build toward the final result.</li> </ul> <p>And honestly, after a week or so of idle field research, it was so <em>freeing</em> to see the sheer diversity of approaches. It really did help identify a portfolio structure that felt right to me: a single page, one that’s using a curated set of projects to (hopefully!) highlight the kind of work I like doing.</p> <p>From there, I started thinking a bit more about what else I’d like to include on the page. Some things felt easy: I’ve kept the brief section outlining <a href="https://ethanmarcotte.com/work/#hed-how-we-can-work-together">how I typically structure my client engagements</a>; it’s a useful conversation starter and, as a colleague once told me, it’s helpful to let others know how they can hire you. Other things felt more difficult. Ultimately, I figured I’d lean into my <span class="stage-direction">[checks notes]</span> varied skillset, and <a href="https://ethanmarcotte.com/work/#hed-what-i-do-and-what-i-like-doing">highlight it at the top of the page</a>, along with some common themes from my design practice.</p> <p>Right now, I’m happy with where things landed. But hey, look. As much as anything else on this little site, this post you’re reading is a marker. A moment. Over time my portfolio’s going to change, shift, stretch, and warp, to the point where it won’t resemble anything I’ve written up above. I’ll do different work; I’ll talk about my work differently; maybe I’ll even reconcile myself to the profound unease I feel when I’m asked to describe myself as a specific kind of digital designer in 2025-friendly terms. But for now<span class="w"> —</span> right now<span class="w"> —</span> I’ve got a <a href="https://ethanmarcotte.com/work/">new portfolio</a>, and I’m feeling pretty proud of it.</p> <p>This is all to say: <em>I’m currently available for hire.</em> While I typically work on a contract basis for my clients, I’m open to full-time roles if the opportunity’s right.</p> <p>Thanks, as always, for reading.</p>
<hr /> <p>This has been “<a href="https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/a-carried-leaf/">A carried leaf.</a>” a post from <a href="https://ethanmarcotte.com/wrote/">Ethan’s journal.</a></p> <p><a href="mailto:listener+rss@ethanmarcotte.com?subject=Reply%20to:%20“A carried leaf.”">Reply via email</a></p>