What do you do, Pearl D’Souza? 

 

by Jordan Kushins

Portrait of Mumbai, India–based creative Pearl D’Souza, illustrated by Gracia Lam.

Portfolio tips from Pearl:

● Get inspired by others. Look at the portfolios of illustrators you admire and look up to, and ask yourself questions about what appeals to you. You like their website — but why? Is it the interactions? The layout? The menu?

● Use your words. Write down your thoughts. Make lists. Once you start building your site, so many things will start to change; it’s helpful to have this reference to go back to. 

“What do you do?” is a series that explores how creative professionals define themselves, and how they express that identity to others through their online portfolio. From unique personal insights to actionable tips and tricks, each profile will share best practices to build a digital presence that feels engaging, effective, and authentic. 

 

Hi Pearl! What do you do?

When people ask me this, I usually start with a very long “Hmmmm.” It’s difficult to explain graphic design and what that means to people in India, so I usually say I’m an illustrator and visual artist — and then I have to explain what an illustrator does. Basically, I draw for a living. There was a time when I felt that sounded very simplistic, but now I think it’s pretty cool, because it’s something I’ve been doing for so many years on my own. It was once a hobby, and now I get paid for it. 

 

As an illustrator, it’s important for me to have a duality in my practice — a balance between freelance and client work (which is made in response to a brief provided to me), and my own personal work that I’m doing for myself.

A glimpse of Pearl’s portfolio. 

How did your portfolio come together?

I’m a pen-to-paper kind of person. When I was in college, I did a course on how to maintain a journal, and it just stuck. I’ve drawn in my journal pretty much every day ever since, and it’s become a huge part of my practice. I’ve always found it difficult to open up to people, and my journals have become that place where I can share. Because even though I’m essentially talking to myself, these thoughts and feelings are no longer just circulating within me. I’m now also finding it easier to share with strangers, on my site and on Instagram. And that’s cathartic in its own way, to see other people connect with and relate to my work. 

I love the analog aesthetic. At first, I wanted my portfolio to look like a handwritten journal, with scans of pages and handwritten text, but it didn’t translate well to my client work. Ultimately, I know that people don’t have great attention spans, so I wanted my site to be clear and not too demanding. The projects I’ve selected show that I can do serious commissioned work, but also lighter, more fun personal things around topics I’m interested in, like mental health, gender, social good, and the environment. 

“I draw for a living. There was a time when I felt that sounded very simplistic, but now I think it’s pretty cool.”

Let’s take a closer look at three of your key design choices on the landing page.

1. A two-tone color palette

You can’t ever be sure if people will go beyond the landing page, so I wanted something memorable, and the simplest way I thought to do that was with color. There are a lot of Indian hand-loomed and textile works that feature a white block print on a beautiful, rich, indigo — and that’s what I was going for here. This is definitely more of an electric blue, but it’s one I really like and use a lot in my work.

2. A fun fungi-themed header

I’m obsessed with mushrooms. I was lucky to have a huge garden space back home, and during the monsoon season, which is about three to four months in India, we’d get so many mushrooms. I don’t know what kind they are, but I find them incredibly fascinating; they are just the coolest things on the planet. I wanted my header to make this snap connection to me, and what I’m passionate about.

3. An illustrated self-portrait 

This came out of a journal entry that I had done on a particularly rough day, where I was feeling really overwhelmed and anxious. It began as a pencil sketch of what I had been thinking of — stuff that was trapped in this space in my head. When I looked back on it, I thought: “Wait, this is a really nice visual.” I always have a hundred things going on, and I feel like it represents me in that way. 

Portfolio tips from Pearl:

● Get inspired by others. Look at the portfolios of illustrators you admire and look up to, and ask yourself questions about what appeals to you. You like their website — but why? Is it the interactions? The layout? The menu?

● Use your words. Write down your thoughts. Make lists. Once you start building your site, so many things will start to change; it’s helpful to have this reference to go back to.