How to hire a junior designer

How to hire a junior designer, step by step

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

What does a junior designer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the junior designer you need to hire. Certain junior 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 junior designer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, junior 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.

   This list presents junior designer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Junior Designer	Description	Hourly rate
   Junior 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.	$20-31
   Graphic Designer Internship	In a graphic design internship, one of the primary responsibilities is to accomplish tasks while under the supervision of more experienced colleagues. An aspiring graphic designer may use this opportunity to observe and participate in designing for various industries, handle different clients, participate in creative meetings, and learn strategies from experts... Show more	$12-22
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Sketch
   • Graphic Design
   • Adobe Creative Suite
   • Revit
   • Design Projects
   • PowerPoint
   • Construction Drawings
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Auto CAD
   • HTML
   • Design Ideas
   • Design Concepts
   • Design Solutions
   • Space Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the website and twitter page, write the blog posts and attend numerous fashion shows and sample sale rooms.
   • Coordinate REVIT teaching for inner office/branches.
   • Utilize PowerPoint to create furniture, lighting and final material selection presentations for client meetings.
   • Create PowerPoint templates to be used by clients or other upper management in proposals or live shows.
   • Sketch new designs (by hand and computer aid) add colors and make updates to carry-over styles as necessary.
   • Develop residential designs using Revit.

   More junior designer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, junior designers' average salary in south dakota is 43% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level junior designers 34% less than senior-level junior designers.
   • Certifications. A junior 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 junior designer's salary.

   Average junior designer salary

   $53,349yearly

   $25.65 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level junior designer salary

   $43,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average junior designer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$63,922	$31
   2	Washington	$61,987	$30
   3	District of Columbia	$61,522	$30
   4	Massachusetts	$59,289	$29
   5	New York	$57,903	$28
   6	Virginia	$57,363	$28
   7	Colorado	$55,124	$27
   8	Michigan	$54,684	$26
   9	Pennsylvania	$54,366	$26
   10	Oregon	$54,298	$26
   11	Illinois	$54,208	$26
   12	Arizona	$53,237	$26
   13	Ohio	$51,932	$25
   14	Connecticut	$50,997	$25
   15	Nevada	$48,989	$24
   16	Texas	$48,275	$23
   17	Minnesota	$47,343	$23
   18	Georgia	$46,914	$23
   19	Florida	$44,473	$21

   Average junior designer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Nike	$59,986	$28.84	106
   2	Shutterstock	$59,677	$28.69
   3	Stitch Fix	$58,783	$28.26	3
   4	Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	$58,709	$28.23	29
   5	STV Group	$58,607	$28.18	21
   6	Johnson Fain	$58,597	$28.17
   7	FiscalNote	$58,327	$28.04
   8	LEO A DALY	$58,257	$28.01	2
   9	Payette	$58,053	$27.91
   10	Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo	$57,411	$27.60
   11	HGA	$57,338	$27.57	21
   12	IA Interior Architects	$57,313	$27.55	19
   13	RAPP	$57,167	$27.48	2
   14	Ketchum	$57,113	$27.46
   15	Richmond American Homes	$57,058	$27.43	1
   16	WIX Filters	$57,057	$27.43	2
   17	Fluor Corporation	$56,961	$27.39	8
   18	NBCUniversal	$56,949	$27.38	21
   19	MVE Architects	$56,941	$27.38	2
   20	RPA	$56,855	$27.33	1

4. Writing a junior designer job description

   A junior 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 junior designer job description:

   Junior designer job description example

   Publicis Groupe is looking for a talented Jr. Visual Designer to join our team! Working in close collaboration with a multi-disciplinary client delivery team, you will partner with a global brand to design assets across a variety of digital channels.
   About you... and the job:
   
   You live and breathe visual design and your true love exists at the intersection of logic and beauty. Design systems and interface designs are your jam but you don't limit yourself and want to dabble in all things design including web, mobile, ecomm, motion, illustration, and/or brand work.
   
   While not a UX designer, you are comfortable partnering with UX teams and have a conceptual understanding of UX design principles and processes.
   
   You possess outstanding verbal and written communication skills and are comfortable working both independently and collaboratively... but you aren't afraid to ask questions or receive feedback.
   
   You want to learn from and work closely with broad, cross-functional teams including visual, architectural, copy, and development components.
   
   You understand the power of a logical, intuitive, intelligently-designed user experience that helps customers accomplish their tasks quickly and efficiently but also know how to integrate beautiful design and balance beauty with functionality.
   
   You have a super creative mind but are also analytical and strategic in your approach to design. You have a natural curiosity and are an "ideas person" who loves to concept, experiment, innovate, and stay on the cutting edge of digital creative. You'd rather try something new and fail than stay safely in your lane.
   
   You are passionate about the creative world and love to stay on top of the latest design trends, strategies, and technologies as well as how competitors within the industry are doing things.
   
   You are flexible, nimble, and able to adjust to constantly shifting needs and priorities. Above all, you bring joy and passion to your work and to the team around you.
   
   You have a great sense of aesthetic and a natural eye for design demonstrated by your strong portfolio showcasing client work, spec work, and mockups that feature beautiful, modern design across a variety of digital and traditional channels.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right junior 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 junior designer job on Zippia to find and recruit junior designer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit junior 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 junior designer

   Once you've selected the best junior 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new junior 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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How much does it cost to hire a junior designer?