How To Write A Graphic Designer Job Description (With Examples)

The first step in finding a creative and highly experienced graphic designer is writing a clear, well-thought-out job description. If you’re an art director, hiring manager, or employer, graphic designer, job descriptions are invaluable tools as, when written efficiently, they attract a qualified pool of applicants with the skills and passion to take your business to the next level.

In the field of graphic design, success is typically only reachable through a combination of high-quality visual content, artistic ability and creativity, and top-notch analytical and communication skills.

As such, finding the most qualified, artistic, and technically skilled graphic designer is essential to an appropriately functioning and profitable digital art or creative design business.

As more and more professionals are entering the field of graphic design — and more than 20,500 job openings expected this year alone — there’s no shortage of professional graphic designers in the United States, but finding the most engaging, inspirational, and creative designer for your needs usually takes some careful thinking.

By considering a graphic designer’s duties and responsibilities, and well as the skills and qualifications needed to succeed in the role, and analyzing the job’s objective and salary, you’ll be well on your way to crafting an excellent graphic designer job description and hiring an applicant with the skills and experience necessary to further your business’ creative goals.

What Does a Graphic Designer Do

Graphic designers work in a variety of industries. They are responsible for creating art and other visual concepts to engage and inspire customers, communicate ideas and information, and market and sell products.

As global markets continue to grow, the need for graphic designers is ever-increasing since high-quality graphics and designs are a major selling point for clients and customers alike. As a result of this demand, graphic designers are employed in a wide range of professional fields, including advertising, promotions, manufacturing, retail, publishing, and more.

Graphic designers typically work with the latest computer technologies and software to combine art and technology to create things like advertisements, brochures, magazines, reports, website layouts and designs, company logos, diagrams, posters, and packaging.

Established graphic designers typically use a combination of text and images in their designs to achieve a delicate balance of decorative effect and project achievement, including the delivery of the intended message or information.

In addition to creating graphic art and visuals, graphic designers are also tasked with working closely with writers and industry professionals in public relations, advertising, and marketing.

Overall, graphic designers are expected to use an artistic eye to create catchy and engaging visuals to inform the public, complete projects for clients, or generate profits.

Duties and Responsibilities of Successful Graphic Designers

As a whole, graphic designers work on various projects and use digital illustration, computer design, creative layout, and photo-editing software to create digital images and artistic designs.

When writing an effective job description, it’s important to fully understand the duties and responsibilities expected of a graphic designer to accurately list them in the job posting and attract the best, most qualified pool of applicants.

To help you craft the perfect graphic designer job description, we’ve rounded up some of the principal duties and responsibilities expected of graphic designers in the United States. Here are the top five duties and responsibilities of successful graphic designers:

1. Create visual concepts to deliver a specific message. A graphic designer’s primary job responsibility is to create captivating, informative, and targeted graphic content for clients and companies. Graphic designers are expected to use a combination of creativity, artistic skill, and technical ability to deliver specific messages through their digital designs.

2. Manage the layout, design, and production of graphic design projects. In addition to creating engaging visuals, graphic designers are typically tasked with managing all aspects of a digital campaign, including the layout, design, and production of each project.

   As the primary manager of graphic design projects, graphic designers are expected to fully understand the goals of each campaign and use a combination of artistic and technical skills to create compelling images following a specific marketing strategy.

3. Collaborate with art directors, clients, and other industry professionals. Since graphic designers are tasked with creating inspirational and informative art and visual content, they are often required to collaborate with various industry professionals.

   While using a combination of art and technology, graphic designers — also often referred to as graphic artists or communication designers — are usually required to coordinate with art directors, clients, writers, and advertising, promotions, public relations, and marketing professionals to deliver the best possible digital product.

4. Work with state-of-the-art computer software and programs. To effectively complete their job, successful graphic designers must be highly skilled in the functionality and use of several computer programs and advanced digital software.

   The majority of professional graphic designers in the United States must have expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, HTML, CSS, and Mac and PC platforms. Graphic designers at the top of their field should have the skills and experience necessary to use modern technology to create digital artwork.

5. Achieve deep client engagement and brand identity. By creating websites, posters, packaging, logos, advertising, and other marketing materials, a graphic designer’s main goal is to increase revenue, reach expanding audiences and fulfill the project and client goals.

   Graphic designers are typically at their most successful, and therefore most profitable for businesses and design companies, when they can achieve deep client engagement and establishing inspiring brand identity through their digital creations.

Skills and Qualifications of Successful Graphic Designers

When writing a graphic designer job description and interviewing qualified applicants, it’s essential to highlight any relevant skills and qualifications — like strong artistic, analytical, and communication skills — needed to succeed in the role.

Typically, job applicants should have an academic background in graphic design and deep knowledge of the principles of design, commercial graphics production, studio art, and website and computerized design. Moreover, job seekers must also have a very refined skill set to succeed as graphic designers.

To help you craft the perfect job description, we’ve rounded up some of the top skills and qualifications of graphic designers in the United States. Here are the top five skills of successful graphic designers:

1. Adobe Creative Suite. Comprehensive knowledge and expert ability to design illustration and graphics using Adobe Creative Suite are some of the most highly demanded skills in graphic design.

   Graphic designers are most successful when using this program to design logos, lead marketing campaigns, and create artwork and promotion materials.

2. Graphic design. Demonstrated and verifiable skills in graphic design, or the art of communicating through visual content, is an essential skill for all successful graphic designers. A great way of assessing graphic design skills is by requiring applicants to submit a portfolio of graphic design materials they developed personally.

3. Company website maintenance and design. In graphic design, prior experience and skills in website maintenance and design are often required, as a large aspect of graphic design deals with maintaining and designing websites and incorporating advertisements, graphics, and other digital designs into company sites.

4. Photoshop. Photoshop skills are essential in the field of graphic design. Applicants with top-notch photoshop skills can edit and manipulate photos for artistic purposes and design clean and engaging graphics, which can directly affect company revenue streams.

5. Typography. Since graphic design incorporates art, images, text, and color to create engaging, inspiring, informative, and persuasive digital content, typography, or the art of arranging letters and words, is an essential skill for all successful graphic designers.

   Professionals with expert typography skills are generally better equipped to develop brand identity, portray creativity and personality, and create effective marketing material.

Salary Expectations Of Successful Graphic Designers

Salary is an important aspect of any job description. Understanding what graphic designers in the United States earn, on average, each year and offering a competitive salary are great ways of appealing to potential employees and providing accurate salary estimates on a job description or job posting.

Across the country, graphic designers earn an average salary of $45,772 per year or about $22.01 per hour. Graphic designers on the lower end of the spectrum, or the bottom 10 percent, like those working in entry-level positions, make roughly $33,000 annually. In contrast, professionals in the top 10 percent earn up to $63,000 per year on average.

Although exact salaries do not need to be included in a job description, doing so can be a great way of appealing to potential applicants. Whether you include a salary range in the job description or not, it’s still important to understand the salary expectations of progressional graphic designers to ensure a smooth interviewing and hiring process.

Graphic Designer Education Requirements

When writing a perfect graphic designer job description, it’s important to clearly state the education requirements necessary to be considered for the role. In graphic design, education can be extremely important, as computer programs and design techniques are typically taught in academic settings.

Clearly outlining the education requirements for the graphic design role will ensure you appeal to the most qualified candidates for the job.

Typically, graphic designers must have at least a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field like fine arts or design and visual communication from a reputable college or university. Some of the country’s top postsecondary graphic design schools include Savannah College of Art and Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Alternatively, some design companies also accept certified web professional designer certifications as an acceptable form of relevant education. However, more than half of all successful professional graphic designers hold a bachelor’s degree.

Graphic Designer Experience Requirements

Many graphic designer job openings require applicants to have previous professional experience in addition to their formal academic degrees or certifications. Listing experience requirements is a great way to enhance your graphic designer job description and receive employment applicants from the most qualified and successful graphic design professionals.

For mid-and senior-level graphic design positions, you typically want to require that applicants have prior professional digital design, art, or relevant computer technology experience, which should be explicitly stated on the job description.

Some of the top careers professionals hold before becoming a graphic designer include graphic artist positions, freelance designer roles, production artist jobs, photographer positions, and web design roles.

While many entry-level graphic design positions often only require appropriate education and or certifications, listing internship experience as a requirement in your job description can help you find the best candidate for your professional graphic design needs.

Furthermore, requiring previous professional experience in a position that required artistic or creative abilities and critical thinking skills, in addition to other basic graphic design qualifications, can also be a great way of finding accomplished and professional applicants.

Example Graphic Designer Job Description

If you’re an art director or hiring manager looking to hire a skilled and qualified graphic designer, writing an effective job description is the first step in finding the perfect graphic artist for your professional digital design needs.

To help make the onboarding process that much easier, we’ve crafted a clear and concise graphic designer job description that can be used as a template and guide.

Here’s a great example of a graphic designer job description.

Author

Elsie Boskamp

Elsie is an experienced writer, reporter, and content creator. As a leader in her field, Elsie is best known for her work as a Reporter for The Southampton Press, but she can also be credited with contributions to Long Island Pulse Magazine and Hamptons Online. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Stony Brook University and currently resides in Franklin, Tennessee.