Graphic designer interview questions

A portfolio shows the finished work. A first-round interview should show how the work got made: how they read a brief, how they handle feedback and deadlines, and how they keep a brand consistent across many pieces.

10 questions for a graphic designer first round

Pick three to five that fit your role, rather than all ten: a short first round gets more finished interviews. All ten together take about 23 minutes to record. The time limits suit a one-way video interview, where each answer is recorded once.

  1. 1

    Pick one piece from your portfolio and talk us through it, from the brief to the final version.

    Listen for: That they understood the goal behind the brief and can explain why the final design meets it, not just how it looks.

    3 min to answer
  2. 2

    Tell us about a brief that was vague or kept changing. What did you do?

    Listen for: Questions asked early, assumptions written down and checked, and a calm way of handling changes.

    3 min to answer
  3. 3

    How do you keep work consistent with a brand’s guidelines while still making it interesting?

    Listen for: Respect for the guidelines, a sense of where there is room to play, and an example of doing both.

    2 min to answer
  4. 4

    Describe a time a client or manager didn’t like your first concept.

    Listen for: That they separated the feedback from their ego, found out what wasn’t working and found a better answer.

    3 min to answer
  5. 5

    How do you manage several projects with deadlines in the same week?

    Listen for: A real system for planning and an example of telling someone early when a deadline was at risk.

    2 min to answer
  6. 6

    What’s your process for preparing files for print or for the web?

    Listen for: Practical knowledge of formats, sizes and checks, and care about the details that cause problems later.

    2 min to answer
  7. 7

    Tell us about a design you made for a specific audience. How did the audience change your choices?

    Listen for: Choices of type, colour, image and tone explained by the audience, not personal taste.

    2 min to answer
  8. 8

    Which tools do you use most, and what do you use each one for?

    Listen for: Fluency in the tools you use, and a sensible way of choosing the right one for the job.

    2 min to answer
  9. 9

    Whose work inspires you at the moment, and what do you take from it?

    Listen for: Genuine interest in the field and the ability to say what makes a piece of design work.

    2 min to answer
  10. 10

    Why does this role appeal to you?

    Listen for: Interest in the kind of work you do and the brand they would be working on.

    2 min to answer
Scoring

Signs of a strong candidate

  • Explains the purpose of a design, not only its look
  • Asks good questions before starting
  • Takes feedback without defensiveness
  • Cares about finishing details and file preparation

Agree what a 3 and a 5 look like for each question before anyone watches, and save your own rating before reading your colleagues’.

Use them

Run these as a video interview

  1. Save your chosen questions as a question set in AsyncView, with the minutes for each.
  2. Create an interview for the role, import the set and pick a deadline.
  3. Paste your candidates’ names and emails. Each gets a private link.
  4. Watch, rate and compare answers with your team, then shortlist.
How question sets work
More roles

Questions for similar roles

All roles
Keep reading
All guides

Send these questions to your graphic designer candidates today.

Candidates record their answers in their own time; your team reviews together. The Free plan includes 5 interviews and needs no card.

Start for free (opens in a new tab)See how it works