How to hire an assistant designer

How to hire an assistant designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant designer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an assistant designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an assistant designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The assistant designer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an assistant designer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an assistant designer that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of assistant designers.

   Type of Assistant Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Designer	Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.	$17-35
   Graphic Designer Internship	In a graphic design internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to accomplish tasks while under the supervision of more experienced colleagues. An aspiring graphic designer may use this opportunity to observe and participate in designing for various industries, handle different clients, participate in creative meetings, and learn strategies from experts... Show more	$12-22
   Graphic Designer/Production	A Graphics Designer in production is the person in charge of designing and interpreting ideas pointed out by the client or the company. The graphics designer must use market standard applications and techniques to produce attention-grabbing designs intended to market a product, service, or company... Show more	$16-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • Tech Packs
   • Adobe Illustrator
   • Line Sheets
   • Trend Research
   • Garment Construction
   • PLM
   • Auto CAD
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Product Development
   • Technical Design
   • Presentation Boards
   • Design Development
   • Concept Boards

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop marketing and brand awareness initiatives through social media outlets; create and manage company Facebook and Houzz profiles.
   • Direct yarn development team.- propose PLM transitional initiatives.- Collaboratively work to evaluate and elevate in-house design process efficiency.
   • Work in mac format adobe suite programs and pc format u4ia.
   • Generate and update style numbers and BOM's in WebPDM system BlueCherry.
   • Research fashion, textile, make up, accessory, and footwear trends.
   • Acquire in depth training in the PLM and used this system on a daily basis.

   More assistant designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the assistant designer job description is a good way to get more applicants. An assistant designer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an assistant designer in Oklahoma may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level assistant designer. Additionally, an assistant designer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average assistant designer salary

   $52,475yearly

   $25.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant designer salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average assistant designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$74,292	$36
   2	California	$71,296	$34
   3	New York	$58,404	$28
   4	New Jersey	$56,392	$27
   5	Texas	$55,202	$27
   6	Connecticut	$54,087	$26
   7	Maryland	$51,982	$25
   8	Colorado	$50,936	$24
   9	Illinois	$49,833	$24
   10	Pennsylvania	$49,315	$24
   11	Florida	$47,650	$23
   12	Missouri	$47,331	$23
   13	North Carolina	$47,146	$23
   14	Wisconsin	$44,584	$21
   15	Georgia	$44,081	$21
   16	Ohio	$43,574	$21
   17	Alabama	$42,169	$20

   Average assistant designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PVH	$69,836	$33.58	14
   2	City of Anaheim	$66,506	$31.97
   3	VF	$66,483	$31.96	22
   4	Gap Inc.	$65,749	$31.61
   5	Mortenson	$64,913	$31.21	7
   6	American Eagle Outfitters	$64,106	$30.82	7
   7	Lands' End	$63,614	$30.58	8
   8	Hanesbrands	$63,256	$30.41
   9	Jacobs Engineering Group	$63,211	$30.39
   10	Ralph Lauren	$63,032	$30.30	7
   11	Levi Strauss & Co.	$62,533	$30.06	6
   12	Calvin Klein	$61,983	$29.80
   13	Talbots	$61,491	$29.56
   14	Under Armour	$60,342	$29.01	77
   15	HHCP Architects	$59,452	$28.58
   16	Michael Kors	$59,350	$28.53
   17	Macy's	$59,193	$28.46	23
   18	Hanes Companies, Inc.	$58,937	$28.34
   19	Williams Sonoma	$58,485	$28.12	53
   20	Burns & McDonnell	$58,430	$28.09	46

4. Writing an assistant designer job description

   A job description for an assistant designer role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an assistant designer job description:

   Assistant designer job description example

   Job DescriptionRanda Apparel & Accessories is one of the world’s leading fashion clothing and accessories companies, spanning 11 countries, with a portfolio of 30 brands including Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Dickies and over 100 years of industry leadership. From the #1 dress pant brand in North America to the #1 belt and wallet, RAA produces exceptional products and services worldwide, delighting customers and making partners successful.
   
   Come join a creative team of designers with a passion for the details, designing belts and small leather goods. Accessory Designers collaborate with sales and merchandising, as well as licensed brand partners to create innovative and trend right collections of belts and wallets. Their main duties include trend and market research, and designing aesthetically pleasing and functional product, within the purview of the design director.
   Functions: Maintains an awareness of current design trends, influences and stays up to date on competitor research. Designs and creates trend boards and collateral materials for both internal, licensors, and customer presentations. Develops new materials, constructions and hardware for the brand of responsibility. Collaborates with licensors, merchandising and design team by communicating, presenting, and explaining ideas internally. Designs collections that meet brand direction as well as company initiatives and market needs. Guides the development process from research to technical development to market presentation. Creates detailed technical drawings and specs for factory partners. Conducts follow up of product design process to include preparation of tech packs, sample requests, Product Life Cycle Management (PLM) processes, communications with overseas factories, etc. Achieves set goals with attention to detail, tracking progress & anticipating potential issues., and manages design calendar deadlines
   Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned. Perform other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the activities enumerated above. Minimum Qualifications: Education/License Requirements:
   Required: Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion, Industrial Design or equivalent degree/experience
   
   General Experience Requirements:
   Required: 3-5 years of experience in relevant field (i.e. design or product development)
   
   Skills, Knowledge, Abilities (e.g. software proficiency, language, project management):
   Minimum 3 years working with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, etc.)
   Working knowledge of Outlook and Microsoft Office Suite
   Working knowledge web-based Product Lifecycle systems (PLM systems) a plus
   3-D Software/printing experience a plus
   Knowledge of raw materials, sourcing and designing within target costs
   Working Conditions/Physical Demands (e.g. lifting 50 lbs., travel requirements):
   Ability to travel domestically and internationally (25% - 30%), previous experience traveling overseas is a plus. Must able to receive, lift, open and unpack boxes containing product samples
   
   Core Behavioral Attributes (e.g. Interpersonal and communication skills):
   Solid communication and presentation skills
   Creative, innovative and able to contribute unique ideas and concepts
   Communicate well with all departments, including Merchandising, Sales, Packaging and Sourcing
   Adaptability to work in a fast-paced and changing environment
   Capable of taking direction and receiving constructive criticism from internal reviews
   Contribute positively to the team dynamic; desire to work collaboratively. Bonus Qualifications Knowledge of YuniquePLM – Gerber Technology 3-D software/ printing experience Experience working with Leather and PU What we Offer: Competitive base salary. Three weeks of paid time off within the first year of employment. Company provided life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and paid parental leave. Health, vision, and dental insurance options with low employee contributions. Commuter benefit plan. Optional supplemental life insurance, pet insurance, and accident & critical illness insurance offered at a group discount rate. 401(k). Unlimited access to our award-winning online fitness, and wellness program. A great place to work, fast-paced, with terrific career growth. #LI-LS1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right assistant designer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant designer job on Zippia to find and recruit assistant designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting assistant designers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new assistant designer

   Once you've decided on a perfect assistant designer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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