Graphic Designer Interview Questions And Answers

Here’s your first chance to sell yourself a little, but don’t overdo it. Think about the qualities that make a graphic designer great, and then expound on them a little. For example, you could say something like:

“There’s no substitute for design intuition, of course, but understanding design technology as it changes is absolutely vital. For that reason, I make it a priority to stay up to date with software like Adobe CS and keep my eye out for changing market trends.”

I was always fascinated by animated images. My curiosity led me to take interest in animations and led me to opt for a degree in graphic designing. The most beautiful part is I can graphically create almost anything my mind conceives.

(Do some homework, find out what programs does the company commonly use and make sure you mention those if you have expertise in them)
I am well versed in Photoshop, adobe, illustrator, Visio, In design and other layout based software. I like diversity and bring demonstrated ability to work effectively in almost any program. Usually I select the software that will best compliment the idea after studying the given assignment.

Again, this is where research comes in handy. If you’re applying to a design job as a 3D modeler with a company that uses 3DStudio Max you want to be able to say that you use that same program, not that you only use Maya because you think 3DS is inferior. You can frame it like this:

“I think it’s important to know multiple modeling systems, because each has it’s benefits and drawbacks. I understand that your studio uses 3DStudio Max; I’m very familiar with 3DS, so I should be able to hit the ground running here.”

Finding out more about the designer’s background, based on his or her general introduction can provide us with relevant information about the design school the candidate attended, past/current work positions, design experience, problems and projects that s/he found along the way and how this translates to his/her current design career and future aspirations.

Standard skills are a must, from Adobe to Sketch, but look for the extra during an interview.

Processing, illustration, animation, video, art skills, and the like, that bring extra potential to specific clients and projects.

Look for elaborate and interesting stories, search for passion for design and design-thinking. References to history, design history, art, culture, music and architecture are useful when describing choices, intentions and solutions.

Tell us what you do best and list the areas where you want to be even better. Please do show off (but don’t overdo it).

Concentrate on all the positive qualities that you would bring to a project, client or a brand. We know that you work hard, and might be a team player, but we want to know what you can create that would be excellent.

Read through the company’s website and any other marketing materials you may have access to. Good, safe answers are:

☛ “I love the work your company does and I want to be part of it.
☛ “I’m looking for a place where I can apply and further develop my skills”
☛ “I believe I can be a valuable asset to your company”

Be prepared to tell us what it is and why.

This is your chance to show off—but don’t overdo it. Of course you want to showcase your best accomplishments as a designer, as well as the positive qualities that you can bring to the workplace. But that’s where many people lose their focus—they forget about what’s important to the company they’re interviewing with. Frame your strengths in a way that they are relevant to your potential employer. Whenever possible, try to tailor your responses so that they match closely with what the company is looking for. For example, instead of just saying that you know InDesign, you might mention that you have plenty of experience designing multi-page materials if you’re interviewing with a company that puts out a lot of brochures.

Avoid using clichés, like saying you’re a “hard worker” or a “team player.” These are empty words unless you have examples to back up your claims—which you should. You want to sound impressive to potential employers, but you also have to present yourself in a way that makes you stand out over all the other candidates, who are likely just as “hard-working” and “team-playing” as you are.

YES, you get EPS (vector), jpeg, png, and a word file that works like clipart. Our logo design can be used to complete stationery and brand marketing – including business card, letterhead, envelopes, brochure design, websites, graphics for web sites, direct mail design, email marketing, mailing labels, presentation folders, and any other designs your business may require.

Give a brief summary of your professional persona. Include who you are, any education or experience you might have, and maybe a few snippets of information on your career thus far. You don’t want to go into too much detail, just think of this as an introduction to who you are. You want to be friendly and open, with a focus on your accomplishments as a designer.

You don't want to go into too much detail, just think of this as an introduction to who you are.

It’s a good idea to hand over a business card at this point. Many people wait until the end of the job interview for this (if they have a business card at all), but it makes a better first impression if you offer your card during introductions. It not only shows you have a professional attitude, it actually gives your interviewer a first look at how you design (assuming, of course, that you design your own business cards.)

Prices depend on many variants, but you can be sure you are getting a great value for your design project. Design jobs are charged by the hour. Typical graphic design projects are $75/hr. or a flat $100 for a small to med setup job. We also bill in 15min increments for web work. If you have small changes to a pre-existing file that takes 5 min for a quick update, we will charge the min amount of $35. Web site work starts at $75 per hour. You won’t find that with some of our competitors. We encourage prospective clients to compare The Brand Affect with agencies producing the same level of work.

We’ve all made blunders along the way. Employers are sympathetic to this fact, but they also want to work with designers who have learned from their mistakes and improved their craft because of it. Be prepared with examples from your career that demonstrate your ability to bounce back from a mistake—without making you look like a total doofus.

Be prepared with examples from your career that demonstrate your ability to bounce back from a mistake—without making you look like a total doofus.

Employers also want to see that you’ve learned from your mistakes—not just that you’ve learned to avoid making the same mistake again, but that you were able to adjust the way you work or think. They want to know how this mistake has made you a better graphic designer, not merely that you were able to save face after the fact.

Perhaps making a mistake in a graphic design program inspired you to research and learn more about it, to not only prevent future mistakes but discover new ways to improve your craft. Employers see you as an investment, so you have to show them that you’ll only get better with time, and that the longer they stick with you, the more value you’ll demonstrate.

You know that lame thing where you try to make your “weaknesses” sound like a positive thing?

“Oh, I work too hard. I’m too much of a perfectionist. I’m too nice!”

Interviewers can see right through that act. When they ask about your weaknesses, they’re not trying to find out what’s bad about you, they’re trying to find out how you deal with your own shortcomings, and what steps you’ve taken to improve yourself as a designer. When you try to cover up your weaknesses, it demonstrates to the interviewer that, well, you try to hide your weaknesses instead of fixing them.

When you try to cover up your weaknesses, it demonstrates to the interviewer that, well, you try to hide your weaknesses instead of fixing them.

Give a few relevant examples of your greatest weaknesses, but also provide examples of ways in which you’ve tried to work on them. Once again, you should back up your claims. Suppose your biggest weakness is that you have difficulty managing your time. Instead of just saying it’s something you need to work on, mention how you got a new app for your phone that’s helping you better manage your time, or that you’ve started writing out a schedule before working each day.

Suggest a few projects, or ask a designer to select a project and then dissect it. The candidate should be able to pick it apart.

Listen for answers that explain context, goals, references, influences and pure aesthetics, as well as identifying problems, solutions, and outcome of the chosen direction. If the candidate can elaborate with quick solutions to a set of specific problems, that’s even better.

Now, at first, you might think that this question is the same as the “most successful” one – but it’s actually a bit different. Why? Because with this question, the employer is asking for your opinion as an individual – they’re asking for you to judge a piece of work based on your own feelings, rather than things like stats and success rates. Why? Because this gives them an insight into who you are as an individual and helps them to assess how well you’d fit in with their current workforce.

Your branding and marketing materials are often the first point of contact with potential customers. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, and therefore your communication materials need to convey the right image. A design agency will produce marketing materials that will help to impress upon potential customers the professionalism of your company and the service you offer. By producing your own marketing materials you run the risk of appearing amateurish, meaning the loss of potential customers.

When interviewers ask this question, they’re trying to find out if you’re able to use their in-house software, or how quickly you’d be able to learn if you’re unfamiliar with it. Obviously, your best-case scenario is to know ahead of time what kind of software they use. If you already know how to use their preferred software, this will be a pretty straightforward answer.

If you don’t know their software or you have no idea what they use, this can be a tricky question to answer. Tell them what you do know, and try to include any program you think they might use. If you use something that’s similar to another program, that can also be a big help and the interviewer might not always be able to make that connection, so be sure to do it for them. For example, if you use one of the many Photoshop alternatives out there, you probably understand the basics of Photoshop too.

Express a willingness to learn new programs—this is a good idea even if you’re familiar with their in-house software. You never know when the company might upgrade to new software, so designers who can make the switch without taking a long time to adjust are always favorable candidates. If you’ve ever had to learn new software for a job in the past, be sure to mention this in your interview.

Employers want to work with designers who are already good at what they do, but they also want designers who will continue to improve with time instead of stagnating. You didn’t get to where you are by doing nothing, so talk about your experiences getting here.

You didn't get to where you are by doing nothing, so talk about your experiences getting here.

You’ll want to provide your educational background, but also talk about some of the classes you took and why that made you a better graphic designer. Have you learned new software over the past few years? Have you tried your hand at designing a different type of media than you’re used to? Do you spend time reading design books, blogs and forums? These are all great things to mention.

You might even want to pepper in some future ideas in your responses. If you have plans to take a class in the future or if there’s a design book you’ve had your eye on, use this to demonstrate to the employer that you’re still taking steps to improve yourself.

Everybody has their own opinion on what makes a good designer, and your opinion on the subject can give potential employers some insight on how you operate. That’s because the qualities you describe are going to be ones that you either already have or aspire to become better at.

It’s best to go for a wide range of different qualities that show that you understand what it takes to be a successful designer. If you say something like “a good designer is creative, imaginative and has a unique sense of style,” you’re going to come off as a bit single-minded. Saying something like “a good designer is creative, punctual and open to feedback” will make you seem like you understand everything that goes into the job.

But don’t forget that the person interviewing you is likely going to hear a lot of the same thing from every designer they talk to. Come prepared with a few unique attributes to set yourself apart from the rest of those being considered for the job. Focus on unique attributes that relate back to your own personal experiences as a designer, and also tie into the job you’re applying for. Surprise the interviewer with an answer that is well thought-out and one they haven’t heard a dozen times before.

Time is money, and the more time you take on a project, the more money it will cost your employers in the long run. However, this can be a problematic question to answer, because you also need to look out for your own interests. Many designers make the mistake of underselling how long it actually takes them to finish a project, which can create a whole heap of problems down the road.

After all, if you say it takes you one hour to do a project that actually takes three, your employer is going to hold you to that statement and you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with deadlines you just can’t meet. It’s almost better in this instance to overestimate how much time you take, just to give yourself a buffer in case you’re hit with a particularly difficult assignment. However, that can also be a dangerous game to play, because it may make you look less attractive than other candidates who can work faster than you.

...if you say it takes you one hour to do a project that actually takes three, your employer is going to hold you to that statement and you'll find yourself overwhelmed with deadlines you just can't meet.

What’s important here is to give the interviewer a sense of how you manage your time. If it takes you longer than others to get a job done, then you need to be able to show why that extra time makes for a better final product. Break down your workflow into blocks of time so they know exactly how you work and what you use your time for.

With all the pressure and anxiety of being under the microscope during a job interview, people often tend to forget that you’re just as much interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. You should always come prepared with questions to ask at the end of the interview. Not only does this make you seem engaged and show your interest in the position, but it also gives you a chance to make sure this job is the right fit for you.

...people often tend to forget that you're just as much interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.

Try to avoid bringing up questions about pay rates or vacation days unless you’re in a position where you absolutely have to. Most employers don’t like to discuss pay until a follow-up interview, so try to wait out these questions if you can.

Questions about the company, the people you’d be working with, and what the job itself entails are all good places to start. However, you’ll want to find questions that make you seem engaged, not just going through the motions. Instead of just asking what their company is all about, inquire about the future of the company: where it’s heading, what projects are coming up, and what the future means for the position you’re applying for.

I offer exactly what you seek and am capable of addressing your graphic designing requirements. I have studied your previous graphic material and I have some brilliant ideas to rejuvenate your graphic marketing communication through implementation of contemporary and modern visual marketing techniques.