How Do You Evaluate a Design Studio's Portfolio?

The short answer

Open the live sites, not the case study images. Check that the work is recent, that it is for companies like yours, and that the studio can say what it did and what changed. A portfolio is evidence only when you can verify it.

Portfolio checks at a glance

• Live work: Click through to the real site or product
• Relevance: Companies at your stage and in your market
• Role: What the studio did, and what the client team did
• Recency: Work from the last two years

What to look for

• Clarity. Can you tell what each client does within seconds?
• Range. Do the projects look different from each other?
• Depth. Inner pages, not only a hero.
• Build quality. Load the site on your phone.
• Results. Funding news, launches or client quotes you can find elsewhere.

Questions to ask about any project

• Who on your team worked on this?
• How long did it take?
• What would you do differently?
• Can we speak to the client?

Every Studio Huncho case study names the client and the scope, from Sprinto to Pine Labs. Browse our work.

Related reading: What Should You Ask a Design Studio Before Signing?, How Do You Brief a Design Studio?, Best UI/UX Design Agencies for Startups (2026)

FAQ

Do awards matter?

Less than live work for companies like yours.

What if the best work is under NDA?

Ask for a private walkthrough on a call.

How many projects should we review?

Three or four in depth is better than twenty at a glance.

Want a walkthrough of relevant work? Ask us and we will show projects close to yours.