Can Freelancers Show Client Work in Their Portfolio?

Your portfolio is how you win the next client, so it's natural to assume you can show what you've made. But once the client owns the work, or you've signed a confidentiality agreement, showing it publicly may not be your call anymore. The answer depends on your contract, not on who did the work.

This is general information, not legal advice. When in doubt, ask the client; most say yes when asked politely.

• Your contract includes a portfolio clause allowing you to display the work.
• The work is already public (a live website, a published campaign) and your contract doesn't restrict mentioning it.
• The client has given permission in writing, e.g. by email.

• You signed an NDA or a contract with broad confidentiality: that may cover the work itself, the client's name, or both. See NDAs for freelancers.
• The work is not yet public: never show a product, campaign or rebrand before launch.
• The work contains confidential data: dashboards, internal documents, customer information.
• You worked as a subcontractor for an agency: the end client may not even know you exist, and the agency may not want you to reveal the relationship.

Example wording: "Contractor may display the final deliverables and describe the project in Contractor's portfolio, website and social media after the deliverables are publicly released, excluding any Confidential Information. Client may opt out by notifying Contractor in writing."

That wording keeps you from showing unreleased work, respects confidential information, and gives the client an easy opt-out, which makes it easy to accept. See the portfolio rights clause and the attribution clause if you also want a credit line.

You still have options:

• Write an anonymised case study: industry, problem, approach, outcome, without names or visuals.
• Show process work you own, such as sketches or rejected directions, if your contract allows.
• Ask for a testimonial instead. The testimonial request tool helps.

If your contract doesn't cover it, a short, specific email is usually enough:

"Hi [NAME], now that [PROJECT] is live, I'd love to include it in my portfolio: a few screenshots of the public site and a short description of the project, without any internal or confidential material. Would that be OK? Happy to send you the text before it goes up, and to take it down if things change."

Specific requests (what you'll show, where, what you'll leave out) get more yeses than a vague "can I use this in my portfolio?". Keep the reply with the project files.

A UX designer worked on an internal tool for a logistics company under an NDA. They can't show screens or name the client, so the portfolio entry reads:

"Internal dispatch tool for a regional logistics company. The operations team was tracking deliveries across three spreadsheets and a whiteboard. I ran interviews with dispatchers, mapped the workflow, and designed a single dashboard, tested with the team over two rounds. The tool is now used daily by the dispatch team."

It shows the problem, the method and the outcome, without anything that identifies the client or reveals confidential material. Check your NDA first: some restrict even anonymised descriptions.

• Posting work before launch, even in a "sneak peek" on social media.
• Assuming public means allowed. A live site doesn't override a confidentiality clause you signed.
• Showing a subcontracted project as your own client relationship when the agency expects discretion.
• Leaving real data visible in screenshots: names, emails, revenue figures, internal URLs.
• Relying on a verbal OK. Get permission in writing, even if it's a one-line email.

Can a client withdraw permission later? With the opt-out wording above, yes. Taking a piece down on request is a small cost for keeping the relationship.

Can I show work in a private pitch but not publicly? That's a common middle ground. Say so in the contract or ask for it specifically.

Once you have permission, a short structure keeps entries consistent: the client's situation, what you did, what you delivered, and a result or quote if you have one. Credit collaborators, such as the agency you worked through or the developer who built your design, where appropriate.

Draft it now with Clinch: describe the job in a sentence, get a clean draft, send one link. Your client signs from their phone without an account, and the deposit is paid in the same step.