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Writer's pictureTianyu Koenig

Please, please stop using cringy portfolio taglines

Updated: Oct 8

A job seeker is like a company or an organization; you should have a clear positioning in your target market, and that position needs to be articulated well and have a clear message. When it comes to a portfolio, that messaging is your tagline – “Hi, I’m XYZ, a Product and UX designer whose mission is to fulfill people’s lives with the power of empathy and logic using my data-informed design to elevate user experience and business outcomes.” Excuse me, are you trying to be the next superhero in the Marvel universe?




Above is a perfect example of the number one tagline type that makes a hiring manager cringe really hard - A random combination of big, lofty, vague, generic words that don’t mean anything when put together. 


It feels like you are trying too hard to cram in all the keywords without actually knowing what kind of designer you are. 


Everyone can say they are “passionate about design-thinking and solving human-centered problems,” their “goal is to bring empathy into creating technology solutions”, and “strong in driving user engagement and business impact.” 


Let me be honest with you, these lofty statements don’t resonate with hiring managers AT ALL. Instead, what they want to see is facts. Simple facts like what you are studying at where, where you have worked, what kinds of products you have worked on, etc. It’s straightforward and honest. Remember, authenticity is key. They will make their own judgment of your design skills based on your portfolio projects and resume.  


Some examples:


“Hello there 👋🏻 I'm an Interaction Designer at Google/amateur photographer and illustrator/doggo lover. My previous experience includes designing for Walmart eCommerce, JP Morgan Chase, and Microsoft.”


“Hi, I'm Abdus Salam,Sr. Product Designer at Meta FinTech, supporting payments, financial services and products across the family of apps. Previously, launched Ad Strategies on Facebook, shipped iOS & Android apps for TV Guide, and led Design Systems efforts at CBS.”


The other type of cringy tagline, or may I say, “tag-paragraph”, is wordy and convoluted. Adeo Rossie, the CEO of Founder Institute, has this famous saying: “If you can't describe your business in one sentence, then you don't understand it well enough”. It’s the same with your tagline. You end up with no branding when you try to include everything in your branding. A short and punchy key message helps your audience quickly understand you and forms a stronger impression. 


Here are some examples of distinct and powerful taglines: 


“Chofi Chang is a product designer specializing in creating impactful brand identities to enhance seamless user experiences.”


“Hi, I'm Daniel — a designer fascinated by the social impact space.”


“I’m Buzz, a Product Designer & Coach. I love making the web more fun and connected”


“Hello, I'm Siriveena, a product designer. I create data-driven solutions that elevate human experiences.”


And lastly, for many of us non-native speakers, sometimes we use English in our own way without realizing it. It might not have any grammar mistakes, but it just reads weird! Try not to use exaggerated phrases like “unleash the power,” or “connect digital and physical realms”, or “solutions that touch their hearts”. If unsure, ask ChatGPT or your native speaker friends!


Sometimes the most simple thing is the hardest thing.


If you are feeling stuck with your personal branding and tagline, let’s have a chat!



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