How to hire a graphic designer

How to hire a graphic designer, step by step

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

What does a graphic designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the graphic designer you need to hire. Certain graphic designer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A graphic designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, 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.

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

   Type of Graphic Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   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.	$16-33
   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
   Web Designer	A web designer is a creative professional responsible for creating and redesigning the content and layout of websites. Web designers are required to meet clients and users to discuss the needs and goals of their clients... Show more	$20-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Adobe Creative Suite
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Adobe Illustrator
   • Typography
   • Brochures
   • Design Concepts
   • PowerPoint
   • Graphic Design
   • Flyers
   • Adobe Indesign
   • HTML
   • Art Direction
   • Posters
   • Product Photography

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the transition from paste-up, typesetting, pasting up page layout to digital ad/page building and web printing.
   • Design new template for magazine as well as ads, flyers, brochures, and cards for a variety of events.
   • Plan the development of a social networking site website using HTML, CSS, PHP, and a WordPress management system.
   • Compose and create daily advertisements for national automotive dealerships utilizing typography and design concepts while adhering to corporate brand standards.
   • Follow style guide requirements to maintain brand integrity with specific treatments of photography, typography, graphic elements and team/sponsor/arena logos.
   • Create UI kit for the website.

   More graphic designer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your graphic designer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A graphic designer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, graphic designers' average salary in montana is 47% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level graphic designers 51% less than senior-level graphic designers.
   • Certifications. A graphic designer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a graphic designer's salary.

   Average graphic designer salary

   $49,450yearly

   $23.77 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level graphic designer salary

   $34,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

   Average graphic designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$63,052	$30
   2	Massachusetts	$58,402	$28
   3	Washington	$57,758	$28
   4	New York	$57,449	$28
   5	California	$55,717	$27
   6	New Jersey	$54,141	$26
   7	Pennsylvania	$51,554	$25
   8	Illinois	$48,012	$23
   9	Colorado	$47,544	$23
   10	Hawaii	$47,530	$23
   11	North Carolina	$47,336	$23
   12	Ohio	$45,147	$22
   13	Minnesota	$44,841	$22
   14	Nevada	$44,824	$22
   15	Texas	$42,702	$21
   16	Missouri	$42,259	$20
   17	Florida	$40,715	$20
   18	Georgia	$38,805	$19

   Average graphic designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$103,821	$49.91	265
   2	NVIDIA	$103,376	$49.70	5
   3	ResMed	$100,562	$48.35	3
   4	Apple	$99,520	$47.85	50
   5	Visa	$96,998	$46.63	6
   6	Microsoft	$96,718	$46.50	51
   7	PayPal	$94,799	$45.58	29
   8	Google	$94,014	$45.20	91
   9	Houzz	$93,168	$44.79
   10	Xilinx	$92,093	$44.28
   11	Shopkick	$91,435	$43.96
   12	Cisco	$91,336	$43.91	31
   13	Western Digital	$89,840	$43.19	6
   14	Slalom	$89,037	$42.81	3
   15	eBay	$88,920	$42.75	2
   16	Edelman Financial Engines	$88,383	$42.49
   17	Jacob Realty Boston	$88,203	$42.41
   18	ChyronHego	$87,208	$41.93
   19	Yahoo	$86,756	$41.71
   20	CIT Group	$86,260	$41.47

4. Writing a graphic designer job description

   A graphic designer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a graphic designer job description:

   Graphic designer job description example

   Graphic Designer
   
   The Graphic Designer provides advanced-level graphic design and development while following brand standards for various materials. This role ensures that the design team promotes the vision of the company through high-quality graphic content. Motion Industries offers an excellent benefits package which includes options for healthcare coverage, 401(k), tuition, reimbursement, vacation, sick, and holiday pay.
   
   Job Duties
   
   • Produces graphic art and visual materials for promotions, advertisements, films, packaging, and informative and instructional material through a variety of media outlets.
   • Serves as a Motion brand ambassador, ensuring team completes all marketing deliverables in compliance with corporate branding standards, formats, and template styles.
   • Generates and manipulates graphic images, animations, sound, text, and video into consolidated and seamless multimedia programs.
   • Facilitates in brainstorming, design thinking and problem-solving workshops for the design team
   • Follows Motion Industries brand guidelines and principles.
   • Upholds strong file management practices within the appropriate shared drive including working documents with version control
   • Provides recommendations and designs based on the needs of the business.
   • Stays up to date with the best practices and trends in digital marketing and advocates knowledge across the organization.
   • Performs other duties as assigned.
   
   Qualifications
   
   • Typically requires a bachelor's degree in a related field and five (5) or more years of related experience or an equivalent combination.
   • Excellent knowledge of the digital environment, including files, formats and best practices
   • Acute attention to detail and an ability to balance multiple simultaneous projects
   • Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite.
   • Ability to handle pressure and make quick decisions
   • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with the creative and marketing teams
   • Strong attention to detail. GPC conducts its business without regard to sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. GPC's policy is to recruit, hire, train, promote, assign, transfer and terminate employees based on their own ability, achievement, experience and conduct and other legitimate business reasons.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find graphic designers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any graphic designers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level graphic designers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find 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 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 graphic designer

   Once you've found the graphic designer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new graphic designer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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