Still applying and not hearing back? Read this.

The design job market in 2026 is the most challenging I've seen in a long time. And, I've lived through a few in the past 25 years.

Layoffs. Hiring freezes. Roles that get posted and then disappear.

Designers with great work and real experience sending out applications for months without a single callback.

If that's where you are right now, I want you to know something: it's not just you. And it's not just your portfolio.

But here's what I've also seen this year.

Designers landing roles. Yes, it happens. The ones I see getting hired aren't doing more of what's not working. They're doing something different.

I've worked with several designers in the past year who landed both contract and full time roles. Almost none of them got there through job boards.

Here's what I keep seeing:

One great case study will always beat five mediocre ones.

Hiring managers move fast and have less patience than ever. As a former hiring manager it's part of the process. There is only so much time. So, it's important to add only your best work.

A portfolio with one case study that clearly shows the problem, your thinking, your decisions, and the outcome will always outperform a portfolio packed with work that makes them guess.

If you have five case studies and none are landing, the answer isn't a sixth.

It's going deeper on one.

Contract roles are converting to full time.

This is the quiet shift most designers miss. Companies that froze full time hiring are still bringing in contract designers. And the smart ones are treating every contract engagement as a 90 day interview.

Three of the designers I worked with this year started on contract and converted. I would often hire contract designers to help with a specific project, on a 3 - 6 month contract. Often, I would either extend their contract or bring them on full time.

The foot in the door is smaller right now but it's still a door.

Referrals are outperforming applications by a wide margin.

"Easy Apply" feels productive. It almost never is. Every designer I've seen land a role this year had a human involved somewhere in the process.

A former colleague. A connection who passed their name along. Someone who vouched for them. The job board gets you in the pile. The referral gets you the conversation.

My last three full time roles came through referrals. One was a former manager the other two were designers I had worked with.

The common thread across all of it: they stopped trying to out-apply everyone and started reaching out to their network.

Refine the work. Then find the human.

If your portfolio isn't converting and you're not sure which case study to fix first, that's exactly what a portfolio review is for. I'll record a 20 minute video audit and show you specifically what's working, what's confusing, and where to focus your energy before your next application.

→ Book your portfolio review — $95 "My callback rate doubled after Anthony's audit."

Talk soon, Anthony

P.S. If you're actively job hunting right now and want to talk through your overall strategy, not just the portfolio, a 1:1 strategy session might be the better fit. But start with the review. It almost always surfaces the thing worth fixing first.