Interview Questions From You

Research using at least 5 resources, questions you might plan to ask during an interview.

List 10 that you would find most useful in deciding on whether or not to accept a position.

This should be a prep guide for you as you prepare for an interview, so please think about the best way to ask each question.

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Graphic Design interview questions to ask an employer

Best Questions to Ask in a Design Interview

Job Interview: Top 9 Tips + Examples | Indeed Career Tips

Questions Should You Ask in a Graphic Designer Interview

Adobe.com Interview questions to ask an employer

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AI-led job interviews are increasing. Here are 10 tips for applicants

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Questions to ask:

1. Why is this position available? New role, expansion, or replacement?
2. What tools, software, and resources does the company provide to support its design team?
3. Can you describe the company's design process?
4. What types of design projects does your team typically work on?
5. How are job performance and contributions measured or evaluated for designers?
6. Could you share any current or upcoming design initiatives the team is working on?
7. How does the company handle feedback and revisions during the design process?
8. What challenges is the design team currently facing, and how could this role help address them?
9. Could you elaborate on the company's long-term vision for design?
10. What does success look like for this role in the first 90 days and the first year?

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My key research take-aways from: Lessons in Design

1. Knowing what questions to ask in a design interview is critical for spotting red flags and ultimately knowing if you're going to enjoy working there or be stuck in a job you hate.
2. You should do your research about the company well before the interview takes place so you know what to ask.
3. Remember, your main task in a job interview is to find out if you want to work there or not.
4. The employer's main task, on the other hand, is to find out if you would benefit the company by working there.
5. The questions should go both ways and at the end of the interview you should have a clear picture of what the company is about and if you want to actually work there.

Interview Questions for You

Research using at least 5 resources, questions you might expect to be asked during an interview.

List 20 that you found most useful, interesting, or unexpected.

This should be a prep guide for you as you prepare for an interview, so please think about the best way to answer each question.

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Graphic Designer Interview Questions and Answers for 2025

In this video, we'll go over:

1. Common graphic design interview questions

2. Tips on how to answer technical and creative questions

3. Key skills interviewers are looking for in a designer

4. How to discuss your portfolio and previous projects effectively

5. Strategies to make a strong impression and land the job

Graphic Designer Interview Questions (2025 Guide)

Interview Questions For Graphic Designers In 2025

Indeed.com - Graphic Design Interview Questions

Graphic Designer Interview Questions 2025

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AI-led job interviews are increasing. Here are 10 tips for applicants

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Questions:

1. Tell us about yourself.
2. Why did you choose graphic design as a profession?
3. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
4. Why are you interested in working for our company?
5. What makes someone a good designer?
6. How do you handle tight deadlines?
7. Can you walk me through your design process?
8. Can you tell us about your favorite project in your portfolio and why?
9. What software are you most comfortable with?
10. How do you stay current with graphic design trends?
11. What metrics or user behaviors inform your design decisions?
12. How do you manage multiple projects while keeping quality high?
13. How do you deal with negative feedback from clients?
14. How do you stay focused and productive?
15. How do you overcome creative blocks in your design work?
16. Which design programs/tools have you used and how proficient are you?
17. Do you have experience designing across mediums (print, web, mobile)?
18. How do you ensure design responsiveness across devices?
19. If asked to revamp our brand, what changes would you suggest and why?
20. If you were redesigning our logo, what would be your approach?

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My answer to Questions #19 & #20: CALSTART New Icon & Logo/Wordmark

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Portfolio Creativity Blog Post 4

This week, I did a creative exercise found in the book:

"CAFFEINE FOR THE CREATIVE MIND" by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield.

The exercise can be found on page 106.

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Instructions: Nice Hood Ornament!

There are throngs of people out there whose only job is to improve our cars. From GPS satellite navigation systems to windshield wipers that sense rain. Automobile improvements are coming faster and stronger than ever before.

Today, you join these honorable pioneers.

Your task is to create 3 improvements to the modern car. They can be mechanical, cosmetic, futuristic, sensible, small, large, whatever.

They don't even have to be obtainable or even possible, their only restriction is that they have to make the modern car better in some way.

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1. Self-Healing Exterior Paint: A special resin paint that can "heal" itself from minor scratches and dings.
2. Smart Windshield Display: A windshield that overlays real-time information, such as navigation directions, speed, and traffic warnings, eliminating the need to look down at the dashboard or your phone.
3. 360° Solar Skin Panels: A heating and cooling system that runs entirely on solar power, allowing the car's interior to stay comfortable even when the engine is off.

This exercise is designed to use your imagination of something familiar, the modern car, and brainstorm ideas of how it could be improved.

I learned that even though #1 and #3 are not currently obtainable or possible, new ideas are valuable because there was once a time when a "horseless carriage" and “travel by airplanes” were once deemed impossible.

Sell Yourself

Read/watch a minimum of 5 resources about writing an effective resume.

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(1) - Provide links to the resources you used.

What Should a Resume Look Like in 2025 - Resume Now

CREATE A STRONG RESUME - Harvard-edu

The Best Resume Format - Resume Genius

Current Resume Trends for 2025 - Resume Builder

Top Resume Tips 2025 - Coursera

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(2) - List 10 things you learned about writing effective resumes.

1. Ensure Accessibility for ATS - Employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen applicants.
2. Proofread Thoroughly - Ensure your resume is free of spelling, grammar, or formatting mistakes.
3. Keep the Design Clean and Minimalistic - Use simple, organized layouts with readable fonts.
4. Prioritize Chronological Formatting - The reverse‑chronological format remains the most widely used and ATS-friendly layout.
5. Tailor Content to Each Position - Customize your resume to highlight relevant skills and experience.
6. Use Keywords Strategically - Incorporate job‑specific keywords and industry terms naturally.
7. Carefully Select Templates - Choose templates that balance professionalism with your industry's norms.
8. Start with a Strong Summary or Objective - Open with a concise professional summary.
9. Add Context for Past Employers - Include short descriptions of past employers.
10. Highlight Your Digital Portfolio - Include links to your digital portfolio.

Introduce Yourself

Find and read 3-5 resources on writing a quality cover letter.

(1) - Add links to the 5 resources you read/watched.

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Linked In - How to tailor your cover letter

Resume Genius - How to write a cover letter

Novo Resume - Cover Letter

Job Scan - Cover Letter

The Interview Guys - Cover Letter

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(2) - List 10 things you learned about writing effective cover letters.

1. Tailor Each Cover Letter to the Job
2. Address the Hiring Manager Properly
3. Keep It Concise: Limit to 250--450 words, typically 3--4 paragraphs.
4. Use a Solid Structure: (3-Paragraph Formula) Opening, achievements, closing CTA
5. Introduce Yourself Clearly: In your opening paragraph, state your interest, summarize your background, and highlight a key achievement.
6. Avoid Rehashing Your Resume: provide specific context as to why you fit their needs.
7. Format for Readability: Choose professional sans-serif fonts (Arial, Calibri), 11--12pt, with proper margins (0.5--1 inch).
8. Use Bullet Points When Helpful: Bullets can help highlight notable achievements clearly and efficiently.
9. Close with a Call to Action: End with a confident close: reiterate interest and invite the next step (e.g., an interview).
10. Cover Letters Still Matter: 94% of hiring managers still read cover letters and use them in hiring decisions.

Portfolio Creativity Blog Post 3

This week, I did a creative exercise found in the book:

"CAFFEINE FOR THE CREATIVE MIND" by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield.

The exercise can be found on page 103.

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Instructions: Replace the Receptionist

Excuse me, your 3:00 is here.

47 floors of office workers, hundreds and hundreds of people. You enter the building and you're immediately greeted by the liaison between you down here and them up there... The receptionist.

The receptionist's job is to communicate to someone up there that you down here require their attention. The usual choice of communication is the telephone or intercom.

Today, you're in charge of coming up with a better system to let them up there know you're down here.

Either by writing out the idea or sketching it on paper, develop a better solution to alert someone within the company that they have a visitor or that that there is some attention needed at the front desk.

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My idea is to design a self-service kiosk to be placed in the front of an office building. The kiosk includes a touchscreen where visitors can enter three pieces of information:

• Company
• Floor #
• Name

Once the information is input, the recipient receives a notification on the intercom and can choose to allow the visitor to proceed or not by sending a notification to security, posted just beyond the kiosk.

This problem-solving exercise is designed to get you the brainstorm ideas that work as well or better than a receptionist in a professional environment.

Receptionists manage flow, answer questions, and provide direction, but a kiosk can handle many of those functions if designed correctly.

This kiosk, or multiple kiosks at the ground floor lobby could reduce the need for receptionists on every floor.

I learned that it is not always about inventing something brand new, sometimes creativity means thinking about what already exists and repurposing it to increase efficiency.

Portfolio - Project 4

Instructions:

1 - Based upon the jobs you looked at and the requested skills of each, identify a piece you have previously created that you could improve to show you possess the skills being requested, or create a new project to show that you have the skills the employer is looking for.

2 - Create a blog post about this project: who is the audience, what is the message, and what are you hoping to accomplish with the piece, what design decisions did you make, and why did you make each one?

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Each of the jobs I researched required experience with Adobe Creative Cloud and Photoshop.

I wanted to create a new project to show that I have the skills employers are looking for.

I decided to do Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a book Lesson 14 -- Visit Paris Travel Poster.

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Visit Paris Travel Poster

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The intended audience is travelers.

The goal and the message is to have travelers take action and Visit Paris.

The lesson files began with images that needed color correction through clipping masks, levels and curves.

The lesson also explained RGB, grayscale, and CMYK color spaces.

After all color corrections were made, I exported the poster for the web, for printers as a CMYK image, and as a pdf.

I will use this knowledge in future Photoshop projects.