Do design interns get paid?

Yes, design interns can get paid, although many internships are also unpaid or offer only class credit as compensation. Ultimately, it depends on the industry and company. The average salary for the average design intern is $38,000 yearly. On the lower end of the salary range, they may only earn around $28,000 and, on the higher end, they may make about $51,000.

How do I get a UX internship with no experience?

To get a UX internship with no experience, you need to at least be enrolled in a degree-earning design program or related field. Ideal candidates are design students or recent graduates with a portfolio that demonstrates knowledge of UX design, Microsoft Suite, and prototyping tools such as Adobe Creative Suite.

How do graphic designers get college internships?

Graphic designers get college internships by being current college students or being recent college graduates and applying for school-sponsored internship programs that hire graphic designers.

What does a design intern do?

A design intern gains real-world experience working in design. This can include graphic design, UX design, interior design, or other related design fields. Depending on the design field chosen, many of the specific tasks of the internship will vary greatly. Design interns typically shadow professionals in the design field of their choice while being responsible for small tasks and projects, like various aspects of social media management.

What is a design internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.,

Jessa Wilcoxen

A design intern is someone who works alongside experienced designers to gain hands-on experience in the design industry. They assist with various tasks such as creating design concepts, producing visual content, and communicating with clients. A design internship helps to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice, by providing an opportunity to develop skills and build a portfolio of work. Ultimately, a design internship aims to prepare individuals for a career in the design industry.

What general advice would you give to a design internship?

Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.

Department Chair Visual and Performing Arts, Professor of Music and Humanities, College of Central Florida

I was once told, if you do what you love, you will never "work" a day in your life. I have found this true in my own career and hope our VPA graduates will find it true in theirs as well. The arts offer such a unique means of engaging and we, as arts educators, have an ability to "reach" those we have contact with, in a unique way.

ScoreDesign InternshipUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,791

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.2

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.37%

Asian 10.42%

Black or African American 3.42%

Hispanic or Latino 10.63%

Unknown 4.99%

White 70.17%

Gender

female 58.30%

male 41.70%

Age - 37

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 37

Stress level

4.2

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.9

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a design internship?

Pros

Gain real-world experience
Build your portfolio
Learn from experienced designers
Network with professionals in the industry
Opportunity for a job offer after completion of internship

Cons

May be unpaid or low-paid
Long hours and demanding workload
Limited opportunities for creativity and personal expression
May be assigned menial tasks such as filing or making coffee
May not receive adequate training or support from supervisors

Key steps to become a design internship

Explore design internship education requirements

Most common design internship degrees

Bachelor's

74.1 %

Associate

13.5 %

Master's

7.6 %

Start to develop specific design internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Design Intern	12.05%
Sketch	10.76%
Graphic Design	4.55%
User Experience	4.09%
Visualization	3.48%

Complete relevant design internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New design interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a design internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real design internship resumes.

Gain additional design internship certifications

Design internship certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific design internship certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for design interns include Certified Interior Designer (NCIDQ) and Engineer In Training Certification (EIT).

More About Certifications

Research design internship duties and responsibilities

Design promotional materials, annual reports, newsletters and HTML emails, manage the website presence and functions
Manage the website and twitter page, write the blog posts and attend numerous fashion shows and sample sale rooms.
Assemble front-end implementation using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Develop knowledge of designing websites and learned languages such as HTML and CSS.

Prepare your design internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your design internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a design internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable design internship resume templates

Build a professional design internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your design internship resume.

Apply for design internship jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a design internship job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do design interns rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Design internship reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2022

Pros

There is so much to like about working as Graphic Designer ... the seeing how all the elements of words, space, colors, visuals (photos, graphics, charts,...) come together on a page...sharing info with others to learn and use

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019