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Graphic Designer Job Descriptions, Average Salary, Interview Questions

What Does a Graphic Designer Do?

Graphic designers are artists who use a wide variety of digital tools to help them develop layouts and designs for visual projects. A graphic designer may work on many pieces including art for magazines, digital advertisements, product packaging, brochures, social media posts, product lineups, and corporate messaging. 

Graphic designers need to know which colors, fonts, and sizes fit together to both be aesthetically pleasing as well as evoke a reaction. This reaction will vary depending on the field of work, but can include everything from making someone want to buy a product, causing an emotional reaction, or inspiring someone to change something in their life. Duties in the job include meeting with clients to understand their needs for a project, using different software to finish designs, revising projects if requested by clients, and creating logos and other artistic elements. Graphic designers typically need formal education where they hone their craft, including a bachelor’s degree. For those individuals who have a passion for creativity and want to lucrative career, graphic design is a great option.

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National Average Salary

Graphic designer salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.

The average U.S. salary for an Graphic Designer is:

$60,270

Graphic Designer Job Descriptions

The first step when hiring a great graphic designer is a well-crafted job description. Below are real-world examples to help give you the best chance of success on your recruiting journey.

Example 1

[Your Company Name] is in search of a graphic designer. This candidate will be responsible for creating aesthetically pleasing images that accompany written text. Duties include meeting with clients to establish needs, using design software to complete projects, and revising projects based on client feedback. Because you will be handling the visual side of our company, you will also be responsible for working with other creative team members to produce quality content. The ideal candidate will create guidelines for how logos and other branding materials should be displayed and used, and help make design choices for all content used by the company. Attention to detail is a must, as well as knowledge of color theory, unique fonts, negative space, and other design elements. This candidate must have mastery of industry standard software, and the ability to clearly communicate their ideas behind design choices. 

Typical duties and responsibilities

  • Attend kickoff meetings with the client or art director to assess project scope
  • Identify the message and objective of the piece
  • Design visual assets that capture the desired product or message
  • Select fonts, colors, photography, and other elements for layout and design
  • Present concepts and assets to the client or art director
  • Receive and implement client feedback

Education and experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in digital media, fine art, visual communications, or a similar field
  • Outstanding portfolios and hands-on work experience

Required skills and qualifications

  • Expertise in traditional and digital graphic design tools, such as Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Strong knowledge of visual design principles
  • Robust multitasking and time management skills
  • Ability to thrive under tight deadlines

Preferred qualifications

  • 3+ years of design experience
  • Knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Canva
  • Experience creating both large and small design graphics

Example 2

As a Graphic Designer, you will support Company, corporate, and project pursuits to coordinate editorial illustrations and creative artwork.

Duties and responsibilities

  • Uses Adobe Creative Suite and other platforms to conceive, design, lay out, and coordinate editorial illustrations and creative artwork in accordance with Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements and Flatiron’s branding guidelines
  • Works with pursuit team personnel, proposal teams, and other internal clients to conceptualize what they are trying to convey and the best way to visually communicate that information
  • Collaborates with internal and external partners to develop and execute innovative graphic concepts for proposals and presentations
  • Develops and streamlines theme concepts and creative design (including team logos, proposal templates, packaging, etc.)
  • Identifies areas in proposals that warrant compelling graphics in lieu of narratives
  • Participates in kickoff and document review meetings
  • Incorporates feedback from document reviews with the guidance of subject matter experts (SMEs) and proposal managers
  • Supports multiple proposals in a time-sensitive, deadline-driven environment while maintaining high levels of customer service and quality
  • Supports proposal during production to include the assembly of proposal materials, final checks, and packaging
  • Shares ideas with internal team on best practices around visual designs, usability, and supporting technologies
  • Develops master proposal template(s) for internal team
  • Maintains library of proposal graphics and elements
  • Coordinates and assists in the development of marketing materials such as brochures and capabilities briefing material
  • Performs additional assignments per management’s direction
  • Maintains knowledge of Company’s values and strategic plan

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design, English, Marketing, Communications, or a related field required
  • 3+ years related graphic design experience; preferably for a large-scale construction, engineering, or design firm
  • Knowledgeable about the proposal process and hands on experience in the development of company templates and frameworks as well as proposal content and graphics concepts
  • Extensive knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop, and Acrobat DC, as well as Microsoft Office, including Word and PowerPoint, and other graphics and desktop publishing software
  • Experience developing or supporting graphic development, and recommending and implementing best practices
  • Demonstrates an understanding and execution of typography and graphic design principles
  • Strong attention to detail, organization, and active listening skills
  • Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment
  • Team-oriented attitude: ability to listen, collaborate, and communicate among colleagues, internal customers, and team partners
  • Strong time management and task prioritization skills required to ensure timely submittal of proposals
  • Travel for meetings and proposal needs required

Example 3

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate and consult with clients, business partners, and lines of business
  • Exercise independent judgment to recommend, develop and present various concepts that drive desired outcomes
  • Pull the more design-intensive requests from the queue and deliver on-time, quality results
  • Serve as the team SME in custom graphics
  • Communicate with clients, with a consultative and customer service mindset
  • Become an expert in and advocate for the brand
  • Review jobs for quality, brand adherence, accuracy, and completeness
  • Train and assist broader PDS team on requests that require enhanced designs
  • Assist in updating and maintaining training guides, libraries, and other design resources

Required qualifications

  • 2+ years of Graphic Design experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired qualifications

  • BA/BS in Graphic Design or visual design-related field
  • 2+ years of experience in an advertising, marketing, or similar agency environment
  • 2+ years of experience in a client-service focused environment
  • Advanced-level experience in Adobe CC (InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop)
  • Intermediate Microsoft Office skills (PowerPoint, Excel, and Word)
  • Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
  • Strong time management skills and experience delivering results in a fast-paced, deadline driven environment
  • Proven ability to visualize complex concepts in a creative and engaging manner
  • Critical attention to detail and eye for aesthetics
  • Exceptional consultation and client relation skills; receptive to feedback
  • Advanced computer drawing/illustration skills
  • Brand experience
  • Familiarity with the financial services industry
  • Design portfolio showcasing examples of original designs: infographics, illustration, presentations, or similar work

Example 4

Graphics Designer will conceptualize, design and update graphics. Work with the team to produce eye catching visuals, for shows, advertisers and social media. The Graphics Designer will plan, layout, composite infographics to clearly communicate betting and sports information. This position will work with producers and the on-air graphics systems to inform our audience in a visually appealing way.

Duties

  • Conceptualize, design, and create graphics end-to-end that clearly communicate betting and sports information
  • Review and implement improvements to existing graphics and templates to ensure they are best in class and industry leading
  • Partner with various teams to create eye catching visuals for shows, advertisers, and social media
  • Review and provide feedback on Graphic Designer’s work to ensure graphics and templates are show ready and meet VSiN standards
  • Plan, layout, and composite infographics to clearly communicate betting and sports information
  • Work with producers and on-air graphics systems to inform our audience in a visually appealing way

What skills you will use

  • At least 2 years of graphic design experience
  • Advanced Photoshop skills required
  • Adobe Illustrator, After Effects or Premier skills is a plus
  • Ross Xpression experience a plus
  • Work efficiently and well under pressure
  • Communicate clearly and concisely about the status of graphics
  • An understanding of Visual composition, time management, basic sports knowledge, and a desire to improve shows through the visual aspects they create
  • Effective time management skills
  • Ability to work a flexible schedule
  • Ability to lift 45 lbs
  • Must have a demo reel or sample of work

Sample Interview Questions

  • What are the steps of your creative process as a graphic designer? 
  • How do you respond when a client criticizes your work? 
  • What key metrics do you use to track the success of your graphic design? 
  • How do you continue to follow and educate yourself on the latest design trends?
  • What is color theory, and why is it important in graphic design? 
  • How do you organize your work and manage your projects? 
  • Why did you choose to become a graphic designer? 
  • What is the significance of communication in graphic design? 
  • Where do you find your inspiration for graphic design? 
  • Is there a favorite graphic designer you follow? 
  • How did you design your portfolio? 
  • What software do you enjoy using most in your designs?
  • How might your work differ between developers, copywriters, and project managers?
  • Can you describe your design aesthetic?

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