How to hire a designer

How to hire a designer, step by step

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

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

What does a designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a designer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   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 a 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 a designer that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of designer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   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.	$21-46
   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
   Graphic Designer, Marketing	A graphic designer of marketing specializes in developing creative imagery as part of a company's marketing efforts. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with the marketing team to share insights and strategies, conceptualizing designs in adherence to objectives and deadlines, and preparing presentations... Show more	$16-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • Customer Service
   • Graphic Design
   • CSS
   • HTML
   • PowerPoint
   • JavaScript
   • Revit
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Design Concepts
   • Project Management
   • Adobe Illustrator
   • Aided Design
   • Adobe Creative Suite

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead & design all creative content stemming from apparel design to web identity.
   • Manage various PCB designs utilizing state of the art DFM techniques and comply with company standards.
   • Utilize CSS, DHTML, HTML, and JavaScript for cross browser, cross platform compatibility and consistency.
   • Develop different kinds of functions globally, locally for the development of forms using JavaScript, CSS.
   • Transform customer specifications into usable SolidWorks 3D models and assemblies from which all manufacturing are derived.
   • Process ECR's and ECO's using Windchill.

   More designer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   Average designer salary

   $66,347yearly

   $31.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level designer salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$100,293	$48
   2	California	$87,012	$42
   3	Oregon	$78,360	$38
   4	District of Columbia	$76,275	$37
   5	Massachusetts	$72,469	$35
   6	New York	$71,993	$35
   7	Pennsylvania	$69,186	$33
   8	Illinois	$67,341	$32
   9	Ohio	$66,275	$32
   10	Maryland	$66,000	$32
   11	Colorado	$65,994	$32
   12	Connecticut	$64,916	$31
   13	North Carolina	$63,542	$31
   14	Indiana	$63,396	$30
   15	Minnesota	$62,538	$30
   16	Texas	$62,137	$30
   17	Georgia	$61,744	$30
   18	Utah	$60,281	$29
   19	Arizona	$60,218	$29
   20	Arkansas	$59,763	$29

   Average designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$133,918	$64.38	231
   2	Google	$131,910	$63.42	98
   3	Microsoft	$130,454	$62.72	70
   4	PayPal	$123,862	$59.55	27
   5	Airbnb	$121,657	$58.49
   6	Varian Medical Systems	$120,429	$57.90
   7	Practice Fusion	$120,303	$57.84
   8	Apple	$117,807	$56.64	51
   9	eBay	$117,648	$56.56	5
   10	Dropbox	$117,460	$56.47	2
   11	Twitter	$115,656	$55.60	3
   12	American Tower	$115,300	$55.43
   13	Thumbtack	$114,741	$55.16
   14	MUFG EMEA	$114,455	$55.03
   15	Yahoo	$114,285	$54.94
   16	Edelman Financial Engines	$113,391	$54.51
   17	Squarespace	$112,831	$54.25	2
   18	SAP	$112,276	$53.98	7
   19	Circle Internet Financial	$111,907	$53.80
   20	Parsons	$110,957	$53.34	97

4. Writing a designer job description

   A good designer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a designer job description:

   Designer job description example

   Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino),California,United States
   
   Design
   
   + We don't expect you to be able to do all of these things. If you have any of these capabilities, we would like to hear from you
   
   + Visual Design 2D or 3D. Create static visual communication artifacts. Important aspects are form, color, alignment, type, and layout. Illustrated or rendered. You will make things with aesthetic breadth beyond the Apple style.
   
   + Animation 2D or 3D. Use motion in a complementary and tasteful way to direct attention and describe interactions. You will create motion that strike a balance between artful - how it feels, and practical - what it communicates.
   
   + Interactive Prototyping 2D or 3D. Make something people can try with taps, swipes, or clicks. Not necessarily an app - whatever communicates an idea.
   
   + Interaction Design. Design new affordances and capabilities that are discoverable, easy to perform, and provide clear feedback. You will pay attention to how everything you make responds before, during, and after interaction.
   
   **Description**
   
   For everyone on the team, these core values are important to us: • Communication. You can explain your work to people from different disciplines. You provide constructive feedback. You encourage dialogue and inclusion. • Open. You accept feedback on your work and act on it. You are willing to try anything - even things you don't believe in. "Yes, and..." • Reliable. You do what you say you will do, when you said you would do it. When things change, you tell people. • Invention. Unexpected ideas and solutions. Inspiration and techniques from other fields or disciplines. • Initiative. Ideas and concepts no one asked for. You just jump in and make things. You do not wait for instructions or need permission. • Divergence. You try multiple approaches and learn from them before deciding what to do next. Willing to share concepts that might challenge or displease. Willing to keep unpopular options alive to see where they go.
   
   **Education & Experience**
   
   **Additional Requirements**
   
   **Apple Footer**
   
   Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will not discriminate or retaliate against applicants who inquire about, disclose, or discuss their compensation or that of other applicants. United States Department of Labor. Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is required to comply with a COVID-19 vaccination mandate issued by the New York City Department of Health. We will verify the vaccination status of all New York City team members who are working at an Apple Store, office, or partner store in New York City. New York City Department of Health Learn more (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. If you're applying for a position in San Francisco, review the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance guidelines (opens in a new window) applicable in your area.
   
   Apple participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program (Opens in a new window) .
   
   Apple is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. Apple is a drug-free workplace. Reasonable Accommodation and Drug Free Workplace policy Learn more (Opens in a new window) .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right 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 designer job on Zippia to find and attract quality designer candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 designer

   Once you've selected the best designer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the 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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How much does it cost to hire a designer?