How to hire an associate graphic designer

How to hire an associate graphic designer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step associate graphic 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 associate graphic designer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new associate graphic designer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an associate graphic designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your associate graphic designer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an associate graphic designer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An associate graphic designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, associate graphic designers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of associate graphic designers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Associate Graphic Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Associate Graphic 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
   Production Artist	A production artist is responsible for managing digital content, meeting clients' standard specifications and requests for successful project completion. Production artists must have computer proficiency, especially on utilizing various software tools and applications to create illustrations and layouts... Show more	$19-45
   Graphic Artist	A graphic artist is either an illustrator or an animator who creates art work that will be used in graphic projects such as advertisements, posters, or even book covers. Although a graphic artist has his/her own style of artwork, he/she may be often commissioned to create art specifically for a particular project... Show more	$16-40

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Graphic Design
   • Adobe Creative Suite
   • PowerPoint
   • Photography
   • Adobe Illustrator
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Sketch
   • HTML
   • Animation
   • Brochures
   • CSS
   • Digital Marketing
   • Flyers
   • Adobe Indesign

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage an in-house advertisement/mailer for a vendor.
   • Design and print business cards, flyers, banners, booklets and other printing materials.
   • Create slide show presentations using PowerPoint.
   • Design print and web advertisements, twitter page, and iPhone wallpaper.
   • Maintain office computer systems (mac and pc), and digital press equipment.
   • Work closely with web design team to create HTML coding for 120 web pages.

   More associate graphic designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the associate graphic designer job description is a good way to get more applicants. An associate graphic 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 associate graphic designer in Louisiana may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level associate graphic designer. Additionally, an associate graphic designer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average associate graphic designer salary

   $52,393yearly

   $25.19 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level associate graphic designer salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average associate graphic designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$71,144	$34
   2	Washington	$65,998	$32
   3	New Jersey	$64,397	$31
   4	Pennsylvania	$62,883	$30
   5	New York	$62,788	$30
   6	California	$62,218	$30
   7	Massachusetts	$60,697	$29
   8	Maryland	$59,131	$28
   9	Connecticut	$55,767	$27
   10	Illinois	$52,939	$25
   11	Michigan	$51,162	$25
   12	Wisconsin	$49,578	$24
   13	Nevada	$48,487	$23
   14	North Carolina	$47,681	$23
   15	Indiana	$46,582	$22
   16	Texas	$45,261	$22
   17	Georgia	$43,594	$21
   18	South Carolina	$43,484	$21
   19	Florida	$43,059	$21
   20	Arkansas	$40,842	$20

   Average associate graphic designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Yahoo	$92,403	$44.42
   2	Riot Games	$81,453	$39.16	7
   3	Ernst & Young	$79,569	$38.25	10
   4	PVH	$79,565	$38.25	13
   5	Gap Inc.	$78,132	$37.56
   6	Mattel	$73,466	$35.32
   7	Exsilio Solutions	$66,139	$31.80
   8	Under Armour	$65,639	$31.56	76
   9	Ralph Lauren	$63,872	$30.71	6
   10	Cognizant	$63,812	$30.68	7
   11	ProAssurance	$63,241	$30.40
   12	Staff Management	$63,154	$30.36	2
   13	Gallup	$63,070	$30.32
   14	Protagonist Therapeutics	$63,038	$30.31
   15	Curry College	$62,652	$30.12	3
   16	FP1 Strategies	$62,266	$29.94
   17	The Walt Disney Company	$61,963	$29.79	35
   18	Hubbell	$61,870	$29.75	4
   19	Lucky Brand	$60,641	$29.15
   20	Abercrombie & Fitch Co	$60,608	$29.14	19

4. Writing an associate graphic designer job description

   A job description for an associate graphic 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 associate graphic designer job description:

   Associate graphic designer job description example

   Mashburn is an Atlanta-based apparel and lifestyle brand launched in 2007 with a single passion: taking care of people. The company designs, manufactures, and markets a nationally-recognized assortment of menswear (Sid Mashburn) and womenswear (Ann Mashburn) alongside other high-quality, iconic brands. We want to be the world's go-to omnichannel lifestyle shop - a place that embodies service and style, accessibility and luxury, and, for us, the very best of everything. Most excitingly, our story is still unfolding, and incredible growth opportunities lie ahead...

   WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES?

   • Work with Creative Team to design, create, and execute day-to-day digital creative assets such as email campaigns, paid ads, site updates, social media, event invitations, print collateral, and more.
   • Adapt creative in a cohesive way for multiple layouts, formats and aspect ratios
   • Use basic CSS/HTML to style other elements of the digital brand experience
   • Work closely with Photography Team to leverage and adapt existing imagery
   • Review creative performance with Web/Marketing Teams and adapt learnings to future projects both big and small
   • Support our seasonal catalogs by delivering assets and providing layout feedback to our catalog agency
   • Create in-store signage and window decals as needed to support our brick-and-mortar locations
   • Create visual assets to promote other events outside of our store (On the Road, Wholesale trunk shows, etc.)
   • Partner with other internal departments to style outside-facing materials
   • Generate fresh ideas and visuals while remaining true to the core brand aesthetic

   WHAT ARE THE SKILLS?

   • A strong eye for design - imagery, typography, photography, and layouts
   • Proficiency in graphic design and demonstrated creative skill with both digital and print
   • 1-3 years of relevant experience
   • An interest in the fashion/retail industry
   • Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (especially Illustrator and Photoshop)
   • Basic knowledge of CSS/HTML
   • Knowledge of UI/UX and responsive design principles
   • Knowledge of ADA compliance and accessible UI/UX
   • Experience with Klaviyo or similar ESP
   • Experience with Shopify
   • Excellent attention to detail
   • Ability to take and implement feedback
   • Comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment with broad role definition
   • A proactive, self-starter mindset that brings new ideas and solutions to the team
   • An entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm for growing with Mashburn
   • Motivated, resourceful problem-solver with a "no task too small" attitude
   • Flexible, positive, and creative mindset with ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines
   • Reflective of our core values: Hard Work, Hopefulness, Helpfulness, Honesty, Humility, and Honor

   This is a hourly, non-exempt position.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right associate graphic 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.

   To find associate graphic designer candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit associate graphic designers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 associate graphic designer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the associate graphic designer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new associate graphic designer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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How much does it cost to hire an associate graphic designer?