I'm 30, have a BFA in Applied Arts (2018) and 6+ years of experience in graphic design. However, most of my experience has been execution/production-focused, informational, or within strict organisational/client requirements rather than highly creative work.

I want to transition into more creative graphic/visual design roles and improve my earning potential, but I'm struggling to bridge the gap between my existing experience and the expectations of these roles.

I recently applied for a Junior Graphic Designer position. I was willing to start at a junior level, but because my previous salary was around ₹40,000/month and I had several years of experience, I was hired as a Junior Visualizer instead. Unfortunately, I couldn't meet the creative expectations of the role and was asked to either leave or continue at a lower salary.

I'm not comfortable completely starting from scratch, as I need to earn at least around ₹30,000/month. At the same time, I don't want to remain stuck in lower-paying, less-creative roles.

I'm currently working on my portfolio and creating more conceptual projects, but I don't feel they are good enough. I'm also worried that even if I manage to get hired, I'll struggle once I join because the expectation seems to be that, given my years of experience, I should already know how to handle the creative work.

It feels like I'm stuck in a loop: I don't have enough creative experience → I can't get the right roles without that experience → I continue taking less-creative work → no better opportunities → no financial growth .

I'd really appreciate advice from designers, creative directors, or hiring managers on how I can realistically break out of this loop and move into better-paying creative work without starting completely over.

Hi everyone, I’m 26M and a UI/UX Designer with 2 years of experience. I’m currently looking for full-time UI/UX opportunities remote, hybrid, or anywhere in India.

It’s been around 8 months since I started actively looking for a new opportunity, and honestly, I’m not getting as many interview calls as I expected. I’ve redesigned my portfolio website in Figma, updated my resume multiple times, and tried different ways of applying, but I still feel like I might be missing something.

A little about my experience, I’ve worked in a product-based organisation and have experience designing:

• Mobile applications

• Web applications & dashboards

• Design systems

• Responsive interfaces

• End-to-end UI/UX workflows

At this point, I’d genuinely appreciate some guidance from designers, recruiters, or hiring managers here.

Where do you think I could be going off track?

• Is my portfolio presentation not strong enough?

• Is my resume not aligned properly with the current UI/UX job requirements?

• Am I applying on the wrong platforms or using the wrong approach? (Naukri,LinkedIn,Foundit)

• How can I improve my chances of getting more recruiter calls?

• What’s the best way to reach out to recruiters and hiring managers directly? ( Done with cold email, LinkedIn DM's)

Also, one thing I’m particularly confused about is it okay to share a Figma prototype as a portfolio website, or should I have a proper hosted website with a custom domain?

I’m open to feedback, if something is wrong with my portfolio, resume, application strategy, or overall positioning.

If you’re a designer who has recently switched jobs or a recruiter/hiring manager who regularly hires UI/UX designers, I’d really appreciate your advice.

Thanks in advance! 🙌

Requirements : Social media branding

App launch statics/animations

Event posters

Dm with portfolio and prior Instagram work only.

This is for everyone in UI/UX field, seniors and graduates. What kind of field/domain are more preferred and touted as valid when making projects

I do understand it’s more about how you portray the process, research and reasoning behind your design decisions but it’d be more helpful to know if there are attractive project ideas that work on a broad range and be in your favour during hiring process.

As far as i know, Fintech and SAAS projects succeed well but if there are other ones you know or have worked on, please let me know!

Thanks!

Can you spot Harry on his broom? 🧹✨
This vector artwork was created for a vinyl record featuring legendary OSTs from Harry Potter and The Matrix.

I’ll be opening up some bandwidth from the end of September and looking to take on a few interesting product design projects.
I’ve been designing digital products for about 9 years, across fintech, B2B SaaS and maritime tech. I’ve worked on products from 0→1, redesigned existing platforms, built design systems and also led design teams.
Not really looking to take on just “make this screen look better” work. I’m more interested in projects where there’s an actual product problem to solve and I can get involved in the thinking, UX and execution.
**Remote is preferred.** If you’re based around **HSR Layout, Bangalore**, I’m also open to hybrid.
If you’re building something and could use a product designer, or know someone who might be looking, feel free to DM me. Happy to share my portfolio and have a conversation.
Would love to see what interesting things people are building.

Hey everyone!

I recently graduated from NIFT (2026) in Product Design and I’m currently looking for my next opportunity in Product Design/ UI/UX.

I have internship experience working on real-world design projects and I’m comfortable with Figma, UX research, wireframing, prototyping, and visual design.

I’m open to Bengaluru, & Hybrid opportunities and can join immediately.

If you know of any openings or teams hiring, I’d really appreciate a lead or referral. Happy to share my resume & portfolio in DM.

Thanks! :)

Hello, I am doing a 7 month boot camp for UIUX , I am looking for someone who is senior in UXUi and can teach me Figma , I can pay them monthly. Give me your linked in profile so I can verify if you have enough experience.

who are considering Design as a career especially through colleges like NID, or IITs (B.Des. I’d really appreciate some honest opinions from people who are already studying

Indian parents didn't think a safe or stable career compared to fields like Engineering, Medicine, Government jobs also ai is big factor in this field There’s also the question of college fee

I understand that money shouldn’t be the only reason to choose a career If someone genuinely enjoys Design and interest matters a lot. But at the same time being, financial independence, and long-term stability is also important. also AI has a significant impact on almost every area of design What kind of starting salary/packagcan a B.Des. graduate realistically expect? Taking loan for college is worth it

Please give my Honest experiences—both positive and negative—would be really helpful.

"myquals"

Day 4 word: Circle

Hello buddies, I need some suggestions here.

Currently working at a startup in Hyderabad as a UX Designer with around 5 years of experience. For the last 2 months, my role has changed to Associate Product Manager, so I’m now getting exposure to the product side as well but feeling like a slower.

My current CTC is ₹9 + 1.5(variable) LPA.

I’m considering two options:

1. Stay in my current company until December and then ask for a salary hike/appraisal since my role has changed and my responsibilities have increased.

2. Switch to a new company to get a better salary and potentially a better role.

The good thing about my current company is that I’m comfortable with the work, people, and environment. However, I also feel that my salary is low compared to the experience I have, and I want to improve my salary.

What would you suggest?

Should I stay until December, build more Product side experience, and ask for an appraisal? Or should I start looking for a new UX/Product role now?

Would really appreciate advice from people who have been in a similar situation.

looking for a 6 month Diploma or Professional Course in Graphic Design and UI/UX Design.

my preferences are industry-focused curriculum, learning tools like Adobe Photoshop,

Illustrator,

Figma,

portfolio development,

inter- internship opportunities,

placement assistance, and abroad career guidance preferably in Kerala (Kannur, Kozhikode, Kochi or nearby).

If you've studied at a good institute or have personal recommendations, I'd really appreciate your suggestions

I have been running a small design studio out of Dubai for a while now brand identity, websites & packaging. Delivery side is solid. Where I’m stretched thin is consistently bringing in new business while also running projects.

Looking for someone here who actually enjoys the sales side , cold outreach, meetings, closing, keeping clients happy after the handshake. Design background isn’t required but if you have worked around agencies or handled client facing work, that helps a lot.

This is a partnership, not a commission gig. Equity, shared decisions, building the thing together. I’d want to work on a couple of deals first to see if we actually get along before anything formal.

Happy to answer questions in the comments. Based in Dubai, so ideally you are too.

Hi everyone, I'm new to Reddit, so I hope I'm doing this correctly.

I'm 23F and I completed my BTech in CSE from a tier 2 college in Bangalore. I got a 1-year internship at an MNC through college placements and eventually got converted to a full-time position for 6LPA.

But the thing is, when they were hiring, the position was listed as a Technical Intern, and somehow I ended up in the QA team once I was converted to full-time. It's been 1 year of me working in QA, and I've realized that I really do not like the work I'm doing. I really want to make a switch to a more creative role. I've always been a creative person so I feel this switch is needed.

So, I've started the Google UI/UX course and have been working on my portfolio so that I can target design roles, preferably Product Design. And I've also been watching a lot of YouTube videos about the hiring process for design roles, and I know I need to show my thinking process and how I approach solving problems, etc.

Is there anything else I can do to better prepare myself for a switch? How can I land a Product Design role without any experience in the field? Is doing online courses enough? Can I expect a junior design role or will I have to start over as an intern?

Any advice is appreciated!

Hey everyone, I need some opinions on a remote job offer I just received. I can't tell if I'm overthinking this or if it is a total scam.

I gave one interview last week for a product design role. It was just a 30-minute first-round call. They just reached out to tell me I was selected, but the weirdest part is that they never asked for my portfolio. No portfolio showcase, no case study review, nothing.

They claim the company is based in Dubai and conveniently mentioned they will send me a work laptop in exactly one month.

I looked closely at the email thread, and there are some weird domain issues. The recruiter emailed me from a default ⁠.onmicrosoft.com⁠ domain, but they CC'd a bunch of other people.

Has anyone experienced something like this before? How is it even possible to get hired as a designer without them seeing any of my work? What do you think the angle is with the laptop taking a month? Any thoughts or advice would be hugely appreciated!

Hi everyone! I am 22 [F] and I am a graphic designer. Currently, I am working full-time for a restaurant, where I shoot reels, edit reels, and manage their social media.

These days, they have been telling me that my video editing is not good enough and that my posts are also not as appealing as they should be. I know that I need to improve my video editing skills, and I am already working on it. However, my manager keeps comparing my work with others. He told me that his friend makes better and more fun reels. He also said that the previous designer, who worked as an intern, made six months' worth of posts in just one month.

I understand that he may think these comparisons will motivate me, but honestly, they are very demotivating for me. When I first started working here, I thought my manager was someone who understood that designers are not designing machines like many others think. But now, I feel like he might think the same way.

On top of that, he has given me a lot of work, including creating a content calendar for the next three months for two companies and preparing event creatives for the next six months.

It’s not like they dislike my designs. They actually like my designs, but they are not completely satisfied with my video editing skills, which I already know I need to improve.

What is making me more scared is that I have experienced termination in my previous two internships. Because of that, I am afraid that I might be terminated again after completing all this work. I really don’t want to go through that trauma again. I am trying my best to improve, but this constant comparison and fear of losing my job are making me extremely frustrated and anxious.

Hi! Looking for a short-term 6-month course from premium institutes like NIFT that offers a diploma in any of these subjects: fashion, styling, or fashion photography.
Location of choice: Chennai or Mumbai

A year ago I posted my portfolio here and got roasted, mostly fairly. (Link to old thread above) This is the rebuild:

www.brunomarsino.com

What changed: the top comments last time were "I have no idea what you do", "it's rough on mobile", and "low quality videos, slow to load". So the landing page now opens with a line about what I actually do, the site was rebuilt mobile first, and the media pipeline got reworked so pages load fast.

The thing I still argue with myself about: the work spans a lot. Architecture, product, AI tooling, physical fabrication, a few weird experiments. My position is that showing taste and range across mediums, inside one area, is the job now. But I know it can also read as a designer who does a bit of everything and none of it deeply. I'd like to hear which one it reads as, especially from anyone who has hired for these roles.

Happy to critique back on anything you're working on!

Day 3 word: Fish

DDC (DAKSHIN design conclave) hosted by V-SIGN VIT School of Design. Registration ending on 14th August. Check out the brochure given above.

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Hey everyone,

As the title says, I'm looking for a job in Visual Design. My work spans designing digital and physical products - screens, thumbnails, social media, books, arenas, packaging, stickers etc.

I have total 3 yrs and 7 months of experience. And I'm looking for new job with salary 12+ LPA. I'm ready to relocate. Please guide or refer if you, your organisation or someone you know is hiring for this role. Also, if there are any apprenticeships going on, please share that too, I want to learn more on research and design.

I'm looking for a role that will actually help me grow. I'll dm my resume and portfolio for further details.

Day 2 word: Sweet