Remember when you could just show up with a portfolio?
Three years ago, I landed a decent branding gig in Denver just by walking into a small agency with a binder of my print work. Last month, a similar place asked for a case study video, three client references, and a breakdown of my 'process' before even looking at my stuff. Last week, I spent a whole day just filling out a security questionnaire for a website project, stuff about data handling I never had to think about before. It feels like the bar to even get a conversation started keeps moving. The work itself isn't that different, but the hoop-jumping to prove you can do it is getting wild. Anyone else feeling like the upfront 'prove yourself' tax is getting heavier every year?