Designers are in high demand, and you’re probably wondering what you should ask during an interview to make sure you get the right designer for your company. You may know that good graphic designer don’t come cheap, so it’s important to make sure they’re a good fit before hiring them.

Graphic Designer Interview Questions

To help with this process, we’ve compiled a list of the 40 best interview questions to ask potential graphic designers.

1. What qualities and skills should a good graphic designer have?

This question will help you determine what type of designer would be the best fit for your company.

2. What are the steps of your creative process as a graphic designer?

This question will help you determine how the designer approaches their work and what process they follow in order to come up with an effective solution. This question can also show some insight into the designer’s personality and how they work.

3. How do you define creativity?

This question will help to get a sense of what the designer values about their job, as well as how innovative they are. In addition, this can give you an idea if there is any chance that your ideas may clash with theirs in the design process.

4. Do you have any experience with our industry?

This question will tell if a potential graphic designer has worked at companies similar to yours, and whether or not they are qualified to do work in that area.

5. How many years of working experience do you have?

This is an important question because it’ll show how experienced the candidate is which can also lead to some valuable insight into their skillset.

6. What types of clients did you work with while working as a graphic designer?

The answer may reveal strengths and weaknesses in regards to marketing campaigns, design style, etc.

7. Have you won any awards for your designs?

If so, this could indicate skill level and quality standards. This question ks is not a guarantee they will be good, however, so always ask for work samples.

8. Do you have any formal training in graphic design?

This could mean anything from a degree to online courses and classes taken outside of the company. If this person has been very active with their skillset then that’s something worth noting.

9. What are your favorite tools?

Sometimes people develop certain habits or preferences over time which can help inform how well they’ll fit into an organization’s workflow.

10. How do you feel about working remotely on projects when needed?

You need to know if the candidate would prefer being centrally located within offices for all tasks or if there might be some flexibility available. It also helps determine what types of team

11. Do you have any graphic design samples that I can review?

A good graphic designer will always provide examples of their previous work for clients to review in order to get hired. This could be as simple as displaying some on their website or portfolio page, but it’s important not only because this demonstrates skill level but also provides valuable insight into past projects which again might reveal strengths and weaknesses. Also, ask if they are able-bodied – disability accommodations should be made based on a need per ADA laws; If a candidate discloses an accommodation needs due to a disability please consider providing one!

12. Describe a time you collaborated cross-functionally on a design project.

This question is meant to gauge whether the designer is willing and able to work with other departments, as well as their ability to collaborate on a project. This helps you to decide if the designer is able to fit in with your company culture.

13. What are some of the most appealing aspects of graphic design?

This question will give you an idea of how much passion and enthusiasm they have for their job – which may be a deciding factor in whether or not they’re a good match for your position.

14. What are your design preferences?

This will help you understand what types of clients they would be best suited for in terms of style or preference. It can also give insight into if there may any clashes when it comes to the designer’s work preferences with your company values.

15. What is your design philosophy?

This not only helps you understand how they approach projects but also what types of goals or outcomes are important and/or appealing for them in regards to design output. The more aligned a designer is with your business needs, the better match it will be.

16. What is your design process?

Knowing what the designer’s design workflow looks like will give you insight into how they work, and whether or not the approach to designing your company’s project meshes with theirs. Be sure to ask for a detailed explanation of their process so that it can be compared against your expectations in terms of timeline and deliverables.

17. Do you have a portfolio?

You might not be interviewing for the type of designer who needs to showcase their work, but this is still an important question. The candidate’s response will reveal how confident they are in themselves and their abilities, which can help tip the scales when deciding whether or not it makes sense to hire them.

18. Tell me about the best design piece from your portfolio.

This question will help you determine what the candidate considers to be their best work. It will also give them an opportunity to show off a bit, which is always fun for both parties involved.

19. What key metrics do you use to track your design’s success?

This question is all about finding out whether the designer has a plan for measuring their own success. Good graphic design communicates ideas effectively, engages and attracts an audience, and motivates people to take action. If they can’t answer this question, you might want to go in another direction with your search.

20. How do you stay on top of trends in design?

This question is about finding out whether the candidate has an interest in staying on top of design trends. A designer who’s interested in this will stay up-to-date with new developments and can help your business keep pace with today’s changing world.

21. How do you typically come up with ideas for projects?

This question is just about gauging the designer’s creative process. You want to find a designer who enjoys developing new ideas for your project and has skills that can bring those ideas to life.

22. What are some of your favorite design projects?

This question will help you understand the candidate’s experience level and whether they have had any projects that are similar to yours.

23. What is color theory and why is it important in graphic design?

This question is designed to evaluate the candidate’s knowledge of color in graphic design. Color can be a powerful tool for telling a story through words, conveying emotion, and establishing a strong brand identity.

24. What’s your favorite color and why?

This question is designed to assess the candidate’s knowledge of and ability to use colors effectively. This will help you determine whether they can take your project ideas from paper to pixels with ease.

25. Explain how you organize your work for tight deadlines and multiple projects simultaneously.

This question gives the candidate a chance to describe their organizational skills and how they approach deadlines.

This is also a good opportunity to learn which work management tools the graphic designer candidate relies on for organizing their projects and staying accountable with deadlines.

26. How do you work with collaborators like copywriters, developers, and project managers? Tell me about the final hand-off process.

This question is an important one to ask because it can help you determine how well the designer will work with members of your team on a project.

You should also consider asking about what tools they use for collaboration and if they have any advice around getting feedback from collaborators effectively.

If you want someone who has a good track record working collaboratively, this is another great opportunity to assess their experience level!

27. What are some ways in which graphic design impacts society?

This question will help you determine if the designer is passionate about design and wants to use their skills for social good.

You may also want to ask about how they would go about creating a graphic that has an impactful message, or what advice they have on designing with empathy.

28. What are some of your favorite fonts?

This question will help you get a sense of the designers’ aesthetic preferences as well as give them an opportunity to share any typefaces they’re particularly skilled at using!

If this person’s work involves lots of bold serifs in all caps then it might be worth asking them more questions around typography because there could be potential skill sets that can’t easily translate from one project to another. For example: drawing custom-made lettering versus

29. What brands do you most admire and how do they influence your work?

This is a question that can tell you what type of person the designer is. It could lead to understanding how they work in terms of communication, their personality and if they are open enough for collaboration.

The answers will also help you understand how much say or control the designer has over projects because there’s no point hiring someone who doesn’t have complete autonomy on decisions about branding, graphic design, etc.

30. What do you think differentiates good designers from bad ones?

This is an ideal place to ask any questions around skill sets and professional development as well as whether this person works independently or collaboratively on jobs. For example: does he/she specialize in designing logos versus web graphics; Has he/she always been in-house or has he/she worked as a freelancer, etc.

The graphic designer should know how to work with different formats such as Photoshop and Illustrator for print design versus web graphics.

31. What are your thoughts on the importance of an eye-catching logo? Is there one thing you would never do to create a professional logo?

This is another place where they may talk about their own process or what they think works best when designing logos and it’s important that you ask these questions so that you can understand if this person is right for the job. For example: does the designer believe in using textured images; will s/he take into account accessibility requirements (with color choice) at all times, etc.

32. What is your opinion on the importance of aesthetic appeal? Is there one thing you would never do to create an aesthetically appealing logo?

This question will show what they think about making logos attractive and how much this factors into their work process, especially with regard to color choice when designing a logo for accessibility purposes.

33. Do you have any general thoughts or advice for people who want to become graphic designers themselves but are not sure where to start?

It’s good practice at this stage in the interview (after asking more specific questions) to ask some open-ended questions that can give insight into whether the designer really wants others to succeed as well as help them feel like part of a community. For example: Do you have any general thoughts or advice for people who want to become graphic designers themselves but are not sure where to start?

34. How do you meet tough deadlines? Tell me about a time you completed great work under pressure.

This question will show what steps the designer takes to meet deadlines, whether they work well under pressure and how important a deadline is. After this question, I might say something like – ‘What are your best tips for meeting tight deadlines?’ or ‘How does someone know when their design is complete?’

35. Do you work better alone or in a group?

This question will show whether the designer is more of a lone wolf or someone who needs to work with others.

36. How would you describe your style?

This question will illustrate how well the designer knows his/her own design process as pertains to their personal aesthetic and approach, which can be extremely helpful when deciding on an individual for a project.

37. What are some things that inspire you in your work?

Designers need inspiration just like everyone else – this question will reveal what fuels them creatively.

38. How do you incorporate feedback into your designs?

This is a question that’s best asked towards the end of their design process when they’ve had time to incorporate feedback from stakeholders.

39. Describe a time when you had a conflict at work.

This question will help a potential employer understand what they’re like when it comes to handling difficult situations and the degree of their professionalism.

40. Do you have any questions about this position?

The last one’s an obvious choice – make sure your final question has something specific to do with the job description or company profile so that it can’t be answered by simply browsing around on Google!

We hope these questions will help you find the perfect graphic designer for your next project!