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What designers in India should know before going online

Design has no licensing body in India, so hiring rests on portfolio reviews and references. Product companies usually ask for a portfolio link along with the application on LinkedIn or Naukri, then run a portfolio presentation round; agencies and brand studios often hire through referrals and Instagram. Many Indian clients expect work in more than one script, so showing Devanagari, Tamil or other regional-script layouts can set you apart. If you have worked with agencies, check your contract before publishing client work, since many agreements restrict sharing until launch or longer. For freelance work, state whether your quotes include GST once you are registered, because business clients will ask. Design work also travels well online, so many designers in smaller cities serve metro and overseas clients.

Common website mistakes designers make

• Showing only polished final screens. Add the messy middle, such as sketches, rejected options and the reason each was dropped, because reviewers hire for judgement.
• Putting twenty projects in an equal-sized grid. Lead with two or three case studies relevant to the roles you want and move the rest into a smaller archive.
• Uploading huge uncompressed images that crawl on mobile data. Export at web sizes, check the page on a mid-range phone, and keep text in captions rather than inside images.
• Publishing client work under NDA or before launch. Ask permission, blur sensitive data, or describe the project in general terms and offer a private walk-through in interviews.
• Writing the same generic “I love clean, user-centred design” intro as everyone else. Replace it with the specific kinds of problems and clients you work best with.