What does a design editor do?
Design editor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real design editor resumes:
- Manage international man-made fiber market research/publishing company and supervise editorial content and sales of industry statistical journal.
- Develop the web page by using HTML, CSS.
- Produce viral video campaigns to boost SEO.
- Design and create all graphics and animation.
- Sketch and submit cartoon or animation for approval.
- Serve as lead communicator for all CMS system updates/releases.
- Consult with client on aspects of new content with emphasis on SEO.
- Design magazine pages; collaborate with editor-in-chief to make final layout decisions; meet strict deadlines
- Coordinate writing and photography staff to meet publication requirements.
- Communicate with copy desk and photography department to discuss presentation concepts and coordinate creative activities.
- Review submitted manuscripts, brainstorm & implement promotional strategies, track community involvement, and plan literary events with the editor-in-chief.
- Process CME activities and monitor activity deadlines.
Design editor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Design Editors are proficient in Layout Design, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Indesign. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Detail oriented, and Good judgment.
We break down the percentage of Design Editors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Layout Design, 14%
Design management included the overseeing of photo editing, layout design, publication design, and typographic manipulation.
- Adobe Photoshop, 10%
Designed various advertisements and column headers with Adobe Photoshop.
- Adobe Indesign, 9%
Used Adobe InDesign to design and edit a magazine layout for one of Clemson's science news magazines.
- Editorial Content, 8%
Managed editorial content - two associate editors and three contributing editors - and advertising sales.
- Video Production, 6%
Created 'how to' lessons on video production.
- Photography, 6%
Trained novice journalists and photographers in writing and photography.
Common skills that a design editor uses to do their job include "layout design," "adobe photoshop," and "adobe indesign." You can find details on the most important design editor responsibilities below.
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a design editor to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "editors must be imaginative, curious, and knowledgeable in a broad range of topics." Additionally, a design editor resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "communicated with copy desk and photography department to discuss presentation concepts and coordinate creative activities. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling design editor duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "editors must be meticulous to ensure that material is error free and matches the style of a publication." According to a design editor resume, here's how design editors can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "focused on monthly editions of national network/cable listings - detail on accuracy in copywriting and research"
Good judgment. This is an important skill for design editors to perform their duties. For an example of how design editor responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "editors decide whether certain stories are ethical and whether there is enough evidence to publish them." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a design editor: "maintained focus on online editorial experience, and what makes content on the web sticky, conversation-starting and good for seo. ".
Interpersonal skills. For certain design editor responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a design editor rely on this skill, as "in working with writers, editors must have tact and the ability to guide and encourage them in their work." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what design editors do: "coordinated interpersonal relations between editorial staff, artists, writers and judges. "
Writing skills. A commonly-found skill in design editor job descriptions, "writing skills" is essential to what design editors do. Design editor responsibilities rely on this skill because "editors ensure that all written content has correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax." You can also see how design editor duties rely on writing skills in this resume example: "provided copywriting and financial advice for a successful crowdfunding campaign earning over $37k. "
The three companies that hire the most design editors are:
- Tribune Publishing3 design editors jobs
- Nordstrom2 design editors jobs
- The New York Times Company2 design editors jobs
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Compare different design editors
Design editor vs. Editing internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial department of an organization with publishing various media and digital content. Editorial interns shadow tenured editorial staff on researching stories, validating information, writing captivating articles, interviewing target audiences, and screening submitted manuscripts. They also assist in planning promotional strategies and marketing campaigns, such as monitoring press releases, posting on social media platforms, and developing marketing materials. An editorial intern must have excellent organizational skills, most importantly, a fast-learner to understand complex tasks and perform assigned duties under minimal supervision.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a design editor are more likely to require skills like "layout design," "editorial content," "seo," and "accompany articles." On the other hand, a job as an editing internship requires skills like "video footage," "youtube," "adobe premiere pro," and "instagram." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Editing interns tend to reach similar levels of education than design editors. In fact, editing interns are 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Design editor vs. Editorial internship
An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions. An editorial intern must be detail-oriented and take constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn. It is also crucial to have outstanding communication and proofreading skills and keep all the materials confidential until release.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, design editor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "layout design," "video production," "photography," and "graphic design." Meanwhile, an editorial internship has duties that require skills in areas such as "fact-check," "editorial intern," "web content," and "instagram." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Editorial interns earn a lower average salary than design editors. But editorial interns earn the highest pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $33,508. Additionally, design editors earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $51,905 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Editorial interns tend to reach similar levels of education than design editors. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for design editors in the next 3-5 years?
Bradley Shreve
Editor, Tribal College Journal
Design editor vs. Editor, freelance
An Editor, Freelance is responsible for reading content and correcting for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They work with writers to help their ideas and stories succeed.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a design editor is likely to be skilled in "layout design," "adobe indesign," "editorial content," and "video production," while a typical editor, freelance is skilled in "music videos," "web content," "track changes," and "promotional videos."
When it comes to education, editors, freelance tend to earn higher degree levels compared to design editors. In fact, they're 6.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Design editor vs. Editor in chief
Types of design editor
Updated January 8, 2025
