Graphic Designer Interview Questions

What is the latest design campaign that you saw? What did you like or dislike about it?

The Tiffany's ad campaign last year I remember had me so confused. They savaged by advertising gurus, mothers and even the generation Y and Z audience that it seeks win over. The street and social media campaign uses surly models and the tagline "Not Your Mother's Tiffany". They offended their most loyal audience.

How do you incorporate feedback into designs?

When receiving criticism, the first thing I do is mentally remove myself from the work and try to understand why it's being said. If I don't understand it on a surface level, I explore further. I then figure out what is actionable and specific and consult with the client to ensure that the alterations are correct. Finally, I thank the critic for taking the time to review my work.

What does the term 'design-thinking' mean to you?

'Design thinking' is a solution-focused thinking to produce a constructive future result. Is mostly a 'people first' approach—a design process mindset that designs products around people's needs, motivations, and behaviors.

How are UX, Visual and Graphic design different from each other?

-UX Design is about enhancing the user experience on the website. UX designers enhance the appearance of the website to make it simple, clear and easy to understand. -Visual Design is concerned with the visual communication of design. Visual designers make communication of information holistically aesthetic through designs. -Graphic design focuses on communicating with the user through designs. Graphic designers use typeface, hierarchy, color, and images to create designs.

What is a final hand off process?

Basically, is the very same moment when designs are handled to the developers. It's necessary to point out that there are two different versions of a project: the original design and the coded version. The original version exists in the same form as prototypes

How comfortable are you with short deadlines and new trends in a fast-paced environment?

Coming up with unique designs that impress users in a small time window is a tricky task. organization of time and ideas, constantly learn new tricks and techniques handling time constraints is a good strategy to meet short deadlines.

When a client says: "I don't like this design." What do you do?

First of all I will not take critique personally, but use it as an opportunity to dig deeper and uncover the real reasons why a client may not like a design. I would take a step back and ask smart questions to uncover the issues a client may have with the design. I would inquire why, and make sure the client understands that design decisions are based on sound principles— like color theory for example—and not subjective opinion.

How do you measure the success of your designs?

For me, good design enables effective communication and attracts the audience towards a brand.

According to you, what is the role of a graphic designer?

For me, the role of a graphic designer is to create visual concepts that inspire and captivate consumers.

How do you deal with negative feedback?

I Don't react immediately, take time to understand the concern. Analyze the feedback and Identify the pros and cons while I learn from it.

What should be a designer's priority while creating a design?

I can't speak for all designers but I prioritize user engagement and content both. In my opinion, content has a major impact on consumers and without the consumer, there is no value of design. So I focus on creating designs with high-quality content that have the potential to gauge users.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I'm a creative person and passionate for design. I'm proficient with graphic tools and have an artistic approach towards everything I create. And my weakness is the lack of experience. While I have it all-talent, passion, dedication to my work, I do need to grow my experience. But everyone has to start somewhere, and even the best graphic designers in the world had their first agency or corporate job one day.

Why are you looking for new opportunities?*

I'm looking for the next step where I can continue to grow and use the skills I've got so far to contribute to a company I love, and this opportunity seems to be the perfect fit.

Tell me about yourself.

I've been in the graphic design field for about two years now. I'm actually graduating from my bachelor's in Graphic IT this upcoming summer where I've took an extensive amount of classes related to UX. I have experience on branding, web design and product photography. One of my most recent projects was with a turbo company - I was tasked with redesigning their branding including logo, business cards, signs and also create a new e-commerce website. I particularly enjoy working in this industry because no two days are the same. I am a creative thinker and enjoy communication, art and technology.

What is Linked layer?

Linked layer is a tool that helps in the formation of a relational bond between layers and allows the designers to apply changes to all grouped layers.

Why should we hire you

My 2 years in the design industry has led to my intense understanding of the area. Your organization would be an excellent way for me to establish my skills and knowledge in UX Design. Even though I am a fresher, I assure you that I will give my best and work to my full potential so that I can contribute as much as I can towards the growth and welfare of this great brand

Where do you see yourself in five years?

My goal right now is to work in a company that enables me to work with people I can learn from. Later down the line, I would like to hold more responsibility for creative direction.

Tell us about your greatest achievement or proudest moment.

My greatest professional achievement was finishing my Bachelor's degree in 2 years with a 3.97 GPA. I had no financial support from my family and had to work a full-time job while pursuing my Graphic IT degree. This taught me to prioritize my time, build great habits and stay focused on my goals.

What is the use of Adobe Pagemaker?

Pagemaker is an application used for desktop publishing.

How is designing for print media different from designing for digital media? Are you comfortable working with both?

Print: Changes in final products are not workable. Allows the user to engage with design physically, enabling the sense of touch, print uses DPI (Dots per inch) and CMYK (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black) to determine image quality. Digital: Allows the designer to preview and test design at every point, Digital media disables any physical senses and allows the user to see the design only, on digital is use PPI (pixels per inch) and RGB (Red-Green-Blue) determine image quality.

What is your process to create design?

Research about the project Planning (storyboards) Dealing with multiple ideas (wireframes, prototyping) Time management (set up time frames) Attention to detail

Which graphic designer hero do you take your inspiration from?

Steve Krug is a mentor, I read his book Don't Make Me Think during a class and learnt a lot. Also Lotta Nieminen is a contemporary graphic designer, I like her style a lot.

What are the core graphic design principles?

The core graphic design principles are: - Contrast: Bringing together two or more elements that oppose each other in style, color or look. It helps the viewer focus on key elements. - Proportion: It works together with dominance and priority and focuses on the scale of elements. - Rhythm - Color: Color enhances the overall mood of design and reflects the tone and sophistication. - Visual Hierarchy: Allocating visual weight to elements in a design based on their importance. Segregation can be done by fonts, size, and texture. - Proximity

Do you work better alone or in a group?

The experience that I have has been mostly working alone, I have team up with photographers and videography but on design I have met deadlines by myself. I am aware on this field sometimes it is required to do teamwork and I find that as a good idea to come up with better ideas.

How would you describe the process of graphic design?

The popular approach to design includes: Research. Identification of objective. Strategy. Development. Improvement. Launch final design.

What is the shortcut to reset zoom?

The shortcut to reset zoom is ctrl+0 (Zero key).

Tell me about some of your favorite examples of good UX.

The simplicity of ZARA The usability of INSTAGRAM Grammarly's onboarding emails are a huge success: They don't just send premium offers and product updates, they regularly send you your stats and achievements to encourage you.

Is UX design UI design? What's the difference?

UI design is concerned with the effective layout of visual elements on a user interface. UX design is 'people first.' It's about what motivates them—how they think and behave.

Why do you want to work for us?

Ubicquia combines innovative design and technology to connect and better citizens experience which I love that, when I apply for jobs I look out for places where learning and retooling are encouraged and Ubicquia is a place where I could do just that with industry leaders.

Describe a time when you had a conflict at work.

While working on a project as a freelancer, on the project proposal it was stated that the project length would be about 90 days, and the company had to provide me all type of needed information, credentials and media content during those days for me to proceed with the work. It happened to be that as I started working, from the company side there was a delay of over 3 weeks on providing me with the content needed and that made me be on a tight deadline, however, the same company owner's were aware of the situation. I brought up the delay issue with the business owner and explained how it affected the progress of the project. I suggested that we should extend the deadline and get back to work on their project once they have all the content together. After our conversation, the company provided all the content needed right away and I was able to meet the original deadline.

Describe a situation where you had to meet a tight deadline and how did you deal with it?

While working on the motorcycle store, it was beginning of the month and all of the sudden the store was invited to a non-profit event where they would showcase products. I was responsible to create digital and printing products to promote that day. I consult with the business owner what was the priority for that day and made a list of each of the things we wanted to create by priority order. After the conversation, I started to work on the highest priority first, and I asked for feedback on the design more often than usual, that way I was able to delivered with time enough to print and deliver.

What is the difference between a window polygon and a crossing polygon?

Window polygon selects objects inside the polygon Crossing polygon selects all the objects within and around the boundary of the polygon.

Are you aware of different types of graphic design projects?

Yes, The 5 most common types of projects are: - Visual Identity Graphic Design- Visual elements that establish a brand's identity through images, shapes, and colors. - Marketing & Advertising Graphic Design- Designing for marketing and advertisement. e.g, postcards, flyers, print ads, billboards, brochures, etc. - User Interface Graphic Design- Designing to enhance the user's interaction with devices and applications. Includes web page design, interface design, app design, etc. -Motion Graphic Design- Designing in-motion graphics like advertisements, animated logos, presentations, tutorial videos, websites, video games, GIFs, etc. -Environmental Graphic Design- Designing spaces to make them interesting and memorable. Example- Wall murals, exhibitions, designing conference spaces, stadiums, retail stores, etc.

What makes you a good graphic designer?

Graphic design as a profession is a juggling act. There's not right or wrong idea but what it counts are the qualities in communication, curiosity, passion, ability to take criticism, problem-solving, patience, and reliability.

Why did you choose graphic design as a profession?

Graphic design is the only field where you can show creativity and unique designs everyday. It gives me mental peace because here you don't have to copy others and with the good graphic design, you can make a worthy difference around you.

On what parameters do you draft the design brief?

I draft design brief based on 5 parameters: Business profile. Market position. Target audience. Objective of design. Deadline.

Which graphic design tools are you familiar with?

Illustrator Photoshop Adobe InDesign Adobe XD Canva Crello

What is the use of Javascript in graphic design?

JavaScript is a scripting language used to control and enhance the graphic content on the web page.

What is Lasso tool?

Lasso tool is used to select areas with no pre-defined shape. It enables free selection of area. The three types of lasso tools are Standard lasso tool, Polygonal Lasso tool, and magnetic lasso tool.

The Whiteboard Challenge

1. Ask questions to clarify what the challenge entails. What are the expected outcomes? What factors should you consider? 2. Ask more questions to help you build a user persona. 3. Create a user story. Outline what the user would need to solve their problem and the steps they might take. 4. Draw a few critical wireframes on the whiteboard. Explain what you're including and why. 5. Discuss some alternatives or other use cases. 6. Respond to any feedback with improvements. 7. Ask if there's anything else you should iterate on. EXAMPLES: Practice the process with a real whiteboard ahead of the interview. Here are a few sample challenges to practice with: Design a child-friendly app for a store that makes custom teddy bears. Design a mobile app to help singles safely find a roommate in a big city. Re-design a popular dating app to make it more useful during the pandemic. Design something from the Designercize prompt generator.

What is 3D Graphic Art and how is it useful for a designer?

3D Graphic Art is a computer graphic animation used to make 3-dimensional illustration. Making 3D models helps the designers visualize space and enables efficient and accurate drawing, helping them observe otherwise invisible details.

What are the basic composition laws graphic designers follow?

5 most basic composition laws are: - Single visual:single visual," composition focuses on a large central image or graphic. All other elements, text / icons / nav etc are secondary and are there to compliment the image - The Golden ratio: The golden ratio is used to make the visitors focus on things the designer wants to emphasize. is based on a numerical ratio of 1 : 1.618. This design theory is mostly used for asymmetrical compositions (where content is not balanced / symmetrical). - The "Z" and"F" layout: The "Z" composition is when the viewer looks from the top left all the way to the right side of the page before continuing on. It's generally more minimalistic than the "F" composition which is where the viewer scans "line by line." - Focal point:are areas of interest, emphasis, or difference within a composition that capture and hold the viewer's attention. "Focal points are a place for the eye to rest in your visual design," - Grid design:are aids designers use to build designs, arrange information and make consistent user experiences. They include rule of thirds, golden section, single-column, multi-column, modular, baseline and responsive grid systems.

Explain the components of graphic design?

7 important components are: - Line: It is any two connected points in a design. Lines divide space, stress on specific words/phrases and creating patterns. It directs the viewer's attention in the desired direction. - Color: Color has the most powerful impact on the audience. It can make a statement individually and with other components. A well-crafted color theory develops mood and emotions towards design and creates visual interest. - Shape: It is defined by boundaries like color or line. All components come together to make a shape. Three types of shapes are geometric, natural and abstracted. - Space: It is the area between different elements of a design. It defines importance and leads the viewer through the design. Effective use of space makes the user perceive the design better and positively. - Texture: Texture is the surface, look and feel of the design. It adds depth and visual interest. - Scale: Scale is the size of elements of a design. It impacts the viewer by creating emphasis and visual interest in the design. - Typography: Typography is the styling of words using different fonts and sizes. Just like colors and shapes, typography expresses the nature of the design.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a UX Designer?

A challenge could be justifying the design process to certain stakeholders—it may seem too costly and take too long. Or face challenges around collaborating with professionals from other disciplines, such as C-level executives, product managers, engineers and visual designers.

Let's look through your portfolio! Tell me about a design project that you're proud of and walk us through your process.

Alpha Cycles is a luxury pre-owned motorcycle boutique store that had already an identity in the market but was looking for a more sophisticated look on their logo and marketing products. After identifying the objective and creating a strategy I recolored the logo and redesigned a series of business cards, flyers, standing banners, digital banners, events invitations, etc using a new visual identity. They were really happy with the results, so after that, I was asked to create a new website. As they were having issues with their previous site when uploading multiple products and advertising their services I made sure to use a friendly platform to update the site inventory regularly. I did a research on the company audience, sales, and inventory to create a design brief with the objectives and strategy and focused worked on some desktop and mobile wireframes until the expectations were matched and I launched the site using Squarespace.

What qualities and skills should a great graphic designer have?

An important quality in a graphic designer is the ability to communicate, both verbally and visually. We should be able to create work that carries a brand's vision and solves problems.