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If you’re in your 20s and thinking about starting a design career in 2026, this video lays out the exact roadmap we wish we had when we were starting from zero.
This is not recycled internet advice.
Between the two of us, we’ve gone from having no design background to building real portfolios, getting hired, mentoring thousands of designers, speaking at conferences, and sitting on the hiring side deciding who gets shortlisted and who gets filtered out.
In this video, we break down a 7-step, modern design roadmap that actually works in 2026 – covering mindset, design paths, tools, portfolios, hiring signals, and how AI is changing what it takes to win as a designer.
Timestamps
00:00 – Starting from zero
00:42 – The 7-step roadmap
01:32 – Design mindset shift
02:17 – Design career paths
03:02 – Tools that matter
03:40 – Visual vs UX design
04:46 – Creating real work
05:44 – What recruiters want
06:17 – Building in public
06:44 – AI in design
07:38 – The long-term edge