Your Process Is Your Product

There’s a certain kind of post I can’t stand. It’s particularly common in the design community, but we’ve all seen them. 

Some designer comes across a real-world project like a movie poster, maybe a divisive rebrand, and decides they have to take a crack at it “the way it should have been done.” They post their version on Linkedin, Reddit, or Behance and add a caption like “Had to do it” or “Couldn’t help myself”.

(I actually just made myself a little angry typing that out)

Sure, it looks good. It succeeds at showing their ability to make something pretty. But what it doesn’t show is a brief. 

What were the client goals? What other concepts were shown and what was the feedback? How can we judge work without knowing what was asked for? 

The brief is the invisible part of every project, but it’s the most important part. It tells the whole story of why this thing exists. 

In a client-free vacuum we can all create whatever fanciful ideas we like. I can make logos for the Kansas City Chiefs and the king of England in the same day. I can rebrand the moon. 

Without a problem to solve, creative work is just personal expression. 

And if you want to sell creative expression, there’s art galleries for that.

Tell the Whole Story

The finished product never tells the whole story and this isn’t just the case for controversial rebrands. 

If your portfolio is full of gorgeous images of polished final creative and there’s no explanation of how you got there or why they exist, your work is being presented no differently than the redesigned Jaguar logos of the online haters.

You’re not selling finished products. 

(Unless you are - sorry Etsy-folks, this insight is aimed at service providers)

What you’re actually selling is your ability to create the finished product. You sell what you do. Not what you make. 

Show Your Work (Not Just Your Work)

1. Lead with the Problem, Not the Solution

Don't start with "Here's the logo I designed." Start with "The client was struggling with brand recognition in a crowded market" or "They needed to appeal to younger customers without alienating their existing base." Make people lean in to understand the challenge before you show them how you solved it.

2. Show Your Thinking, Not Just Your Output

Include the rough sketches, the mood boards, the three concepts that didn't make it. Walk them through your process: "We explored this direction first, but the client felt it was too aggressive for their audience, so we pivoted to..." People hire you for your brain, not your Photoshop skills.

3. Explain What Success Looks Like

Don't just say "The client loved it." Tell them something that actually happened: "Website traffic increased 40% in the first month" or "They finally felt confident enough to raise their prices" or even "The CEO said it perfectly captured what they'd been trying to say for years." Connect your creative decisions to real business outcomes.

The One-Question Interview

Working Creative: Do you walk your clients through your process when you pitch an idea? Why?

Cory Haggart: I do! Every time. Some clients hate it at first, but it's so important. I think it's because they've been burned in the past by agency BS or perhaps they misunderstand the process.

We're not trying to dazzle you with a cool thing you like (although that's a bonus). We're trying to solve a business problem together, to talk to your customers and make your company real and compelling. Ideally, a good pitch takes everyone out of themselves and puts them in their customer's perspective. What motivates them, and what will make them make a decision?

The funny thing is that if you do work that solves the problem, that connects with customers in an authentic way, it will often also be a logo (or whatever) that they might even wear. It's 2025 - what's more surprising than being thoughtful and authentic?

Bonus Question:

Working Creative: What do you imagine/picture/visualize when you hear the words “Working Creative”?

Cory Haggart: I think the term “creative” is a bit toxic, because everyone is creative. In every job. It’s just a term that agencies use internally to establish a hierarchy between who makes money and who has to babysit.

I think there’s a tough definition in terms of how much art goes into “design” or “copywriting” and I’d be very interested to see numbers on how many agency writers or designers (or developers!) practice their craft in their free time for their own (noncommercial) ends.

Further Reading

On the Working Creative website you can read my article The Five Most Effective Ways I’ve Learned to Get Creative Work I Love. This issue of our newsletter ties in to Effective Thing #5: Show-and-Telling Everyone. Properly telling the story behind the work you’ve just completed is one of the most powerful tools in your biz-dev tool kit.

Parting Thought

It took a lot of wrangling to connect my opening rant with the point I wanted to make about the importance of storytelling in your portfolio. They’re actually two separate things that drive me nuts. First, people shooting down other creatives’ output from the luxury of their client and deadline-free armchairs and second, the effort behind good creative work not being represented to its fullest by a couple of images in a portfolio. I can’t do much about the first one. That will always exist. But I can remind all of you to show-and-tell your process, show your mess and never forget the power of the story behind your work.