What does a graphic design assistant do?
Graphic Design Assistants help graphic designers in creating art, fulfilling orders, and managing the studio. They may be budding graphic designers looking for industry experience or creative professionals interested in getting into the graphic designing industry. They should be familiar with the different tools and concepts involved in graphic design. Graphic Design Assistants help lead graphic designers to complete different activities. They may assist by lining, coloring, rendering, and adding finishing touches to the designs. They may also be in charge of packaging physical art and booking shipments to buyers. Graphic Design Assistants should be able to showcase their creative prowess. They are welcome to pitch in designs, critique art, and provide input.
Graphic design assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real graphic design assistant resumes:
- Administer company website using PHP coding and manage Instagram/Facebook profiles.
- Approve lab dips, embroidery size and placement, strike offs, screen prints, and appliques.
- Supervise production staff that used embroidery machines.
- Produce: technical drawings, illustrations, animations, PowerPoint presentations and relate graphics for organization.
- Design PowerPoint presentations with sound/video; replace low-resolution images with high-resolution images in presentations and client proposals.
- Coordinate photography orders with vendors at direction of creative staff and negotiate image license contracts to maximize company profits.
- Collaborate with in-house design to produce course calendar for educational offerings; oversee print production process & distribution to regional educators.
- Edit and proofread company documents and contributor articles for publication.
Graphic design assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Graphic Design Assistants are proficient in Graphic Design, CAD, and Sketch. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Artistic ability, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Graphic Design Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Graphic Design, 14%
Work closely with graphic designer on projects involving the creation and presentation of visual and graphic promotional/educational materials.
- CAD, 6%
Assisted in high-end residential design projects including space planning, CAD drafting, 3D design & FF&E selection.
- Sketch, 5%
Sketch and render perspective drawings and elevations for various projects.
- Adobe Illustrator, 5%
Used Adobe Illustrator to design covers for checkbooks, calendars, wallets and more.
- Customer Service, 5%
Design and assemble custom invitations - Represented Company at Bridal Shows Customer Service - Managed incoming and outgoing orders
- Adobe Photoshop, 5%
Used Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to design book covers, logos, and presentation boards for use with sales presentations.
"graphic design," "cad," and "sketch" are among the most common skills that graphic design assistants use at work. You can find even more graphic design assistant responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a graphic design assistant to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what graphic design assistants do because "graphic designers must be able to perceive their work from their consumers’ point of view to ensure that the designs convey the client’s message." Additionally, a graphic design assistant resume shows how graphic design assistants use analytical skills: "web design and updates basic database work coordinate donations, organize catering dreamweaver, adobe suite, ms office, filemakerpro"
Artistic ability. Another essential skill to perform graphic design assistant duties is artistic ability. Graphic design assistants responsibilities require that "graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers." Graphic design assistants also use artistic ability in their role according to a real resume snippet: "created and executed artistic media campaigns, facilitated email blasts, and increased company market presence and market share. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of graphic design assistants is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday graphic design assistant duties, as "graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately and effectively convey information." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assisted with marketing projects, specifically in cad drawings for construction and/or graphic communication. "
Computer skills. For certain graphic design assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "computer skills." The day-to-day duties of a graphic design assistant rely on this skill, as "most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what graphic design assistants do: "prepared computer renderings and powerpoint presentations for five designers and their clients. "
Creativity. A commonly-found skill in graphic design assistant job descriptions, "creativity" is essential to what graphic design assistants do. Graphic design assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers." You can also see how graphic design assistant duties rely on creativity in this resume example: "worked with typography and layouts to create catalog created creative powerpoint for presentations assisted and followed-up with clients"
Time-management skills. While "time-management skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to graphic design assistant responsibilities. Much of what a graphic design assistant does relies on this skill, seeing as "graphic designers often work simultaneously on multiple projects, each with a different deadline." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of graphic design assistants: "light photography, meeting deadlines putting together slide shows and power point slides for meetings. "
The three companies that hire the most graphic design assistants are:
- Liberty University
3 graphic design assistants jobs
- URBN2 graphic design assistants jobs
- University of Alaska2 graphic design assistants jobs
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Compare different graphic design assistants
Graphic design assistant vs. Visual merchandiser
A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans. They must also be knowledgeable on product information to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Visual merchandisers should be creative in setting up the uniformity of the store's visuals within the budget goals. The designs must be appealing enough to drive the customers around the premises, potentially generating revenues and increasing profitability.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a graphic design assistant are more likely to require skills like "graphic design," "cad," "sketch," and "adobe illustrator." On the other hand, a job as a visual merchandiser requires skills like "ladders," "sales floor," "store management," and "drive sales." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Visual merchandisers earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $37,869. On the other hand, graphic design assistants are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $57,595.visual merchandisers tend to reach similar levels of education than graphic design assistants. In fact, visual merchandisers are 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Graphic design assistant vs. Associate designer
An Associate Designer helps in developing sketches on paper and in graphic design software. They usually are supervised by the junior staff and interns.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real graphic design assistant resumes. While graphic design assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "photography," "adobe creative suite," "flyers," and "mac," associate designers use skills like "human centered design," "space planning," "product development," and "apparel."
Associate designers earn a higher average salary than graphic design assistants. But associate designers earn the highest pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $61,366. Additionally, graphic design assistants earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $57,595 annually.associate designers earn similar levels of education than graphic design assistants in general. They're 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for graphic design assistants in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Sarah Satterfield Ph.D.
Department Chair Visual and Performing Arts, Professor of Music and Humanities, College of Central Florida
Graphic design assistant vs. 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. They also work closely with the creative team, cooperating in brainstorming sessions to ensure the consistency for each assigned task. A production artist should be keen on details, adjusting outputs as needed to maintain the highest quality for the actual presentation.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a graphic design assistant is likely to be skilled in "cad," "customer service," "flyers," and "brochures," while a typical production artist is skilled in "production art," "color correction," "digital assets," and "production process."
Production artists typically earn similar educational levels compared to graphic design assistants. Specifically, they're 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Graphic design assistant vs. Junior designer
A junior designer is an entry-level professional who is responsible for creating high-quality designs according to the requirements of clients. Under the supervision of senior designers, junior designers must understand project requirements and projects and use various techniques to create drafts, models, and prototypes. They collaborate with team members to pitch in creative ideas and produce final design solutions that can include banners or logos. Junior designers must also take on specially design tasks and use feedback from other designers to improve.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between graphic design assistants and junior designers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a graphic design assistant might have more use for skills like "cad," "customer service," "photography," and "flyers." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of junior designers require skills like "revit," "construction drawings," "auto cad," and "design ideas. "
Junior designers enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $55,726. For comparison, graphic design assistants earn the highest salary in the finance industry.The average resume of junior designers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to graphic design assistants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.Types of graphic design assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
