{"id":15943,"date":"2025-09-02T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aquent.com\/?p=15943"},"modified":"2025-09-02T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T23:00:00","slug":"how-designers-can-build-a-visually-engaging-case-study","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aquent.com\/en-au\/blog\/how-designers-can-build-a-visually-engaging-case-study","title":{"rendered":"How designers can build a visually engaging case study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a recruiter<\/a>, I review design-related case studies every single day. One thing I notice repeatedly is a case study<\/a> that consists of scrolling pages of text.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n

And while the content might be great, exceptional even, you have to remember that we are all (mostly) visual people. Even if you have a lot to say, you need to find a way to break your case study up with visuals so it is easy for the reader to consume.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n

I see many case studies with no visuals<\/a>. No artefacts. No real sense of the designer’s process because maybe the work never went live, the project was paused, or your role focused on UX or research rather than final screens.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n

However, here is the thing: that doesn't mean your contribution is not valuable. It means you need to tell the story in a way that is easy to consume and makes people want to read it.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n

So, I took this question to my LinkedIn<\/a> network to ask how to solve this problem, and wow, what a response! Thank you to everyone who chimed in.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n

The Golden Nugget: A Conversation That Stood Out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One conversation in particular really made me stop and think that this could be the answer to the problem!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n \n\n

Wallace Beeson<\/strong><\/a> (Senior UX Designer) shared:<\/strong> “Sometimes I have taken to creating portfolio-specific artefacts during a project, just so I will have something to showcase what cannot be seen in pretty pictures. UX is like backend development, and VD is like frontend. One is harder to show off, especially for an unfinished or unpublished project. The best advice? Make your portfolio part of your project as it happens and do not wait until it is over.<\/em>“<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n

Joe Ortenzi<\/strong><\/a> (Principal Design Consultant) added:<\/strong> “Excellent strategy, Wallace. But I also recommend writing the full case study as soon as you can, at the end of a project. You may forget interesting points or miss collecting resources that would illustrate your story if you wait too long. Writing while it is fresh means you will capture the real value.<\/em>“<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n

And honestly, I think this is the golden nugget.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Here is why: <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n\n\n