How to Write a Graphic Designer Job Description [+ Free Template]
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Charlette has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance and 2 years of partnering with HR leaders on freelance projects. She uses this extensive experience to answer your questions about payroll.
This article is part of a larger series on Hiring.
A graphic designer job description is an internal HR document that describes the position’s requirements and responsibilities. When done correctly, you can quickly turn it into a job ad. To ensure you communicate clearly with potential employees, follow the five steps we list below, which include covering the role’s details, requirements, and compensation; promoting your company culture; and giving instructions on how candidates can apply. Accurate information will be crucial to making the right hire when that time comes.
To help you get started, we’ve created a graphic designer job description template you can download and modify to fit your needs.
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Step 1: List Position Details
This is the first part of your graphic designer job description and will include information specific to this role. You can list the following information at the top of the document, either in a box or as a list:
- Title: This is the full job title for this position, e.g., production artist, multimedia designer, layout artist, UX designer, and web developer
- Department: Mention the department this position will be in, e.g., Marketing, Advertising, or Communications
- Classification: Note whether the job is full time, part time, or seasonal and whether it is exempt or nonexempt
- Compensation: Indicate the annual salary or hourly wage range
- Reports To: List the job title this position reports to (don’t list the actual name of the person as that can change)
- Direct Reports: This is crucial to know whether you need to provide this position with managerial and compliance training—a simple “Yes” or “No” will suffice
Check out our step-by-step guide on how to hire a graphic designer to learn more about the hiring process beyond creating a job description.
Step 2: Indicate Job Requirements & Responsibilities
Your graphic designer job requirements should be concise but detailed enough to convey job specifics and what skills and experience a person may need to be successful in this position. That means you have to know what your company needs. Do you need a generalized graphic designer who can do product design and branding? Or do you need someone specialized to do highly technical website design?
Your demands may also change from the time you write the job description to the time you place a job ad, so be flexible and ready to make some changes. At a minimum, you’ll want to include the following graphic designer job requirements:
- At least X number of years of experience as a graphic designer
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in graphic design
- A strong portfolio of relevant work experience
- Effective communication and time management skills
- Understanding of basic marketing concepts, website design standards, and branding best practices
- Proficiency with graphics editors, such as Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator
- A keen eye for aesthetics and details
List the responsibilities of this role. While these may change over time, you’ll want to provide a general overview of what this position should do day-to-day.
- Must quickly and thoroughly understand company branding, audience, and messaging techniques
- Study design briefs and plan and illustrate concepts for publication
- Schedule projects and work within budget
- Prepare drafts of designs, present ideas, and make changes as necessary
- Develop illustrations, logos, and other visual designs
- Work with copywriting team to produce final design
- Ensure final graphic design is visually appealing and on brand
Hiring for other open positions? Read our guide on the different types of employees for help making key decisions on how to structure the roles.
Step 3: Mention Company Culture
In this brief section, you showcase the details of your company and what makes it stand out from your competition. This information may be interwoven within the entirety of the job description or provided as a separate section. At the end, you may choose to list a few bullet points of key items that make your culture unique.
When transitioning your job description to a job posting, many companies miss out on potential candidates because they only discuss the job and not the culture. In today’s work environment, workers want to join a company where they fit in, have a shared goal, and work with people who are enjoyable. If you leave out any mention of your company culture, potential applicants will assume you have a poor work environment and not apply.
Mention the tools and software you use, career advancement opportunities, self-care initiatives, and the work-life balance your company strives to achieve for all workers. These are the things potential employees want to know.
Step 4: Identify Compensation & Benefits
Your graphic designer job description may include information about compensation. Even if you don’t include it in your job posting, you should have a budget in mind and include a target point or a range at the top of your job description. Note that the average pay rate for a graphic designer is about $19 per hour, per Indeed.
Compliance Tip: If your company is hiring a graphic designer in certain states, you may need to put your target salary range in the public or internal job posting. Check your state laws.
You can make a separate section for your benefits, but you can also simply list them as bullet points to save space. Include healthcare benefits, retirement options, time off, and other unique ones your company offers.
Step 5: Include Instructions on How to Apply
When writing your graphic designer job description, adding information on how to apply will save you time when you convert it to a job ad. Some companies prefer to receive direct emails from applicants, while others use an internal website or Google Form.
You can also choose to use a third-party job board. This can help reduce the time you spend reviewing unqualified applicants, as it will require them to answer certain questions—and if their answers aren’t aligned with what you’re looking for, you won’t see those candidates. Whatever your company practices, include that information, so it’s ready to go when you post the job.
Need help with hiring? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to hire an employee.
Bottom Line
A graphic designer job description serves to clarify the job duties, experience, and education required, while selling your company culture and benefits to prospective hires. You can easily and quickly turn this job description into a job ad to help you hire the right graphic designer for your company.
