Interview Questions for a Graphic Design Intern
To interview a Graphic Design Intern, focus on design fundamentals like layout, typography, and color, basic proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite or Figma, and the ability to follow brand guidelines. Assess how they receive and apply feedback, their genuine eagerness to learn and iterate, and their portfolio, including student work, more than years of polished professional experience.
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Run the interview around their portfolio and a short critique, since potential and coachability matter more than a finished skill set at the intern level. Strong candidates explain the thinking behind their choices, take feedback as fuel rather than criticism, and show real enthusiasm to improve. Watch for curiosity, openness, and a solid grasp of fundamentals over flashy but unjustified work.
Technical & Role-Specific
What to look for: Explains layout, typography, color, and hierarchy decisions with intent. Reasoning behind the work, not just describing what it looks like.
What to look for: Grasp of scale, contrast, spacing, and alignment to guide the eye. Applies fundamentals rather than decorating arbitrarily.
What to look for: Basic proficiency in the Adobe Creative Suite or Figma and a sensible workflow. Honest about current level and what they are still learning.
What to look for: Respecting color, type, spacing, and logo rules while still designing well. Understands guidelines as a framework, not a cage.
What to look for: Tidy layers, naming, and exports ready for others to use. Awareness that files are shared assets, basic but present.
What to look for: Reworking composition for different aspect ratios while keeping hierarchy and brand intact. Practical production thinking.
Behavioral & Past Experience
What to look for: Genuine engagement, the problem it solved, and what they learned. Reflection and ownership over the outcome.
What to look for: Taking critique constructively, iterating, and improving the work. Coachability, which matters most at the intern level.
What to look for: Initiative and curiosity, learning a tool or technique on their own. Demonstrates the eagerness to grow the role needs.
What to look for: Asking the right questions, making reasonable choices, and delivering. Reliability and resourcefulness even early in a career.
Situational & Problem-Solving
What to look for: Seeking to understand the reasoning, trying the direction, and learning from it while still able to share a view respectfully. Openness over defensiveness.
What to look for: Researching specs and conventions, looking at good examples, and asking for the brand context. Resourceful self-direction.
What to look for: Clarifying goals and audience, proposing a direction, and sharing early to confirm. Initiative balanced with checking in.
What to look for: Staying positive, learning what missed, and quickly exploring fresh directions. Resilience and a willingness to iterate.
What to look for: Raising it politely with evidence rather than staying silent or fixing it unilaterally. Attention to detail balanced with respect for the team's process.
Collaboration & Culture
What to look for: Welcoming critique, asking clarifying questions, and showing improvement across iterations. A growth mindset and openness.
What to look for: Specific, genuine goals tied to growing as a designer. Real enthusiasm and self-awareness about gaps.
What to look for: Asking questions early rather than guessing silently, and clear, friendly communication. Coachable and easy to work with.
Graphic Design Intern interview scorecard
Score every candidate on the same criteria, immediately after the interview, using evidence you actually heard rather than an overall impression. Agree the criteria with the panel before the first interview — deciding what counts after you have met people is how the loudest interviewer wins the debrief.
| Criterion | Evidence to record | Score 1-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Technical & Role-Specific | What the candidate actually said or did, in their own example — not your impression of it | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Behavioral & Past Experience | What the candidate actually said or did, in their own example — not your impression of it | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Situational & Problem-Solving | What the candidate actually said or did, in their own example — not your impression of it | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Collaboration & Culture | What the candidate actually said or did, in their own example — not your impression of it | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Overall recommendation | Strong no / no / mixed / yes / strong yes, with the single reason that decided it | - |
Want this as a reusable document? Use the interview scorecard template.
Questions to avoid asking a Graphic Design Intern
Exactly which questions are unlawful depends on where you are hiring, and the rules change — so treat this as the list of topics to route through your own employment counsel, not as a legal standard. The practical test that holds everywhere: if the answer could not change how the person does this job, you have no reason to ask it.
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Frequently asked questions
What skills should a strong Graphic Design Intern have?
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