Graphic designer

What does a graphic designer do?

A graphic designer turns a written brief into visual work.

That includes logos, posters, social media posts, reports, packaging and slide decks. The designer chooses type, colour, layout and images so the message is clear and fits the brand.

In Singapore, graphic designers work in design studios, advertising and marketing agencies, publishers and print shops. Many sit in in-house brand or marketing teams at banks, government agencies, retailers and start-ups.

You work with marketers, copywriters, account managers, photographers and printers. In product companies you also work with UX/UI designers and developers, who need your visual assets in the right format.

What the work involves

• Read a design brief, ask about audience and goals, and agree what will be delivered and by when.
• Sketch ideas and build layouts in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator or Figma, then refine them after feedback.
• Apply brand guidelines to new materials such as social posts, banners, brochures and presentation decks.
• Prepare final files for print or screen, with the right colour mode, sizes and file types.
• Present work to colleagues or clients, explain the design choices and make revisions.
• Set up templates in tools like Canva so non-designers can make simple materials on brand.

Pay in Singapore

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Skills a graphic designer needs

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Graphic designer job description

We are hiring a graphic designer to create visual work for our brand across print and digital channels.

You will turn briefs into finished artwork, keep our materials consistent and work closely with marketing and content teams. You should be comfortable with typography and layout, Adobe tools and Figma, and have a portfolio that shows your range.

Responsibilities

• Develop design concepts from briefs and present options to stakeholders.
• Produce artwork for social media, web, email, print and event materials.
• Apply and protect brand guidelines across all materials.
• Design layouts for reports, brochures, slide decks and packaging.
• Create and edit illustrations, icons and image assets.
• Prepare print-ready and web-ready files and check printer proofs.
• Build templates and brand kits in Canva or Figma for other teams to use.
• Use AI image tools for early ideas or image edits, and check the output before it is used.
• Manage several jobs at once and keep to deadlines and revision rounds.
• Organise and name design files so others can find and reuse them.

Requirements

• Diploma or degree in graphic design, visual communication, multimedia design or a related field, or equivalent portfolio work.
• Typically 1 to 3 years of design experience for a mid-level role. Entry roles often accept internships and project work.
• Working skill in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, plus Figma and Canva.
• Strong sense of typography, layout, colour and visual hierarchy.
• A portfolio that shows brand, print and digital work, with a short note on your role in each project.
• Clear communication and the ability to take feedback and work with marketing and content teams.

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Graphic designer career path

Graphic designers usually start by producing artwork under guidance.

With experience they lead projects, then lead creative direction and teams.

1. Junior graphic designer

   Entry

   You make artwork from clear briefs, resize and adapt existing designs, and prepare files under review from a senior designer.

2. Graphic designer

   Mid

   You own whole projects from brief to final files, work with clients or marketers directly and build brand work with little supervision.

3. Senior graphic designer

   Senior

   You set the visual approach for larger campaigns, guide junior designers and handle difficult feedback from stakeholders.

4. Art director or design lead

   Lead

   You direct the look of campaigns and brands, manage a small team and decide which concepts go to the client.

5. Creative director or head of design

   Head

   You set the creative direction for the organisation or agency, manage budgets and hiring, and answer for the quality of all output.

The titles are ones commonly used in Singapore; employers may name the levels differently.

Related jobs and their pay

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Graphic designer interview questions

We wrote these questions from the skills this job needs. They are not an official question bank.

1. How do you choose typefaces for a poster and for a long report?

   What a good answer covers

   • Explains display faces for headlines and text faces for body copy.
   • Sets hierarchy with size, weight and spacing instead of many fonts.
   • Limits the design to two font families.
   • Checks readability at viewing distance and at print size.
   • Checks the font licence for commercial use.

2. How would you set up the grid for a 24-page annual report?

   What a good answer covers

   • Chooses page size, margins, columns and a baseline grid.
   • Uses template pages and paragraph styles for consistency.
   • Plans space for charts, tables and captions.
   • Keeps headings, folios and spacing the same across spreads.
   • Checks bleed and margins before export.

3. What is the difference between vector and raster files, and when do you use each?

   What a good answer covers

   • Vector files scale without losing quality and suit logos and icons.
   • Raster files hold pixel detail and suit photos and textures.
   • Names Illustrator for vector work and Photoshop for raster work.
   • Mentions exporting the right formats, such as SVG, PNG, JPG and PDF.
   • Mentions resolution needs for print and screen.

4. How do you prepare artwork for a commercial printer?

   What a good answer covers

   • Sets CMYK colour mode and uses spot colours when the brand needs them.
   • Adds bleed and crop marks and keeps text inside safe margins.
   • Uses images at a suitable print resolution, often around 300 dpi.
   • Outlines or packages fonts and links.
   • Asks for a proof and checks it before the full run.

5. How would you set up a shared component library in Figma for a team of three designers?

   What a good answer covers

   • Builds styles for colour, text and effects.
   • Creates components with variants, such as buttons and cards.
   • Uses auto layout so components resize cleanly.
   • Sets naming rules and a separate library file.
   • Agrees who can edit the library and how changes are announced.

6. How would you build a brand identity for a new neighbourhood café from a short brief?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks about audience, price point, competitors and the feel the owner wants.
   • Gathers a mood board before drawing logos.
   • Develops a logo with variants for small and large use.
   • Defines colours and typefaces and tests them on signage, menus and social posts.
   • Writes simple guidelines the owner can follow.

7. When would you use Canva instead of Adobe tools, and how do you keep Canva files on brand?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses Canva for quick, repeatable work such as social posts and simple flyers.
   • Sets up a brand kit with approved colours, fonts and logos.
   • Locks key elements in templates and sets team permissions.
   • Keeps complex or print-critical work in Adobe tools.
   • Trains colleagues on how to use the templates.

8. How do you use AI image generation in your work, and where do you avoid it?

   What a good answer covers

   • Uses it for early ideas, mood boards and backgrounds.
   • Edits and corrects the output in Photoshop, including distorted details and text.
   • Reads the tool's licence terms before using images commercially.
   • Avoids it for logos or work where the client needs clear ownership.
   • Tells the client or manager when AI was used, in line with company rules.

1. A client says the logo looks 'not premium enough' but cannot say why. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks for examples they like and examples they dislike.
   • Turns vague words into specifics such as colour, spacing, type weight or finish.
   • Shows two or three directions tied to the audience.
   • Explains the reasoning for each choice.
   • Agrees on the number of revision rounds.

2. You have two days to produce a campaign in five sizes, and the copy changes on day two. How do you work?

   What a good answer covers

   • Builds one main layout and adapts it for each size.
   • Uses linked assets, styles or Figma variants so text changes update quickly.
   • Starts with the sizes that will be published first.
   • Names versions clearly and tells the team which file is final.
   • Flags any risk to the deadline early.

3. Printed brochures arrive and the brand red looks orange. What do you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Checks the colour mode and profile in the file, such as RGB against CMYK.
   • Compares the print with the approved proof and the brand's Pantone reference.
   • Speaks to the printer about paper stock and press settings.
   • Agrees who is responsible and whether a reprint is needed.
   • Sets up a proofing step to prevent the problem next time.

1. Tell me about a time a stakeholder rejected your design. What did you do?

   What a good answer covers

   • Describes the situation and the feedback without blaming anyone.
   • Listens first and asks what problem the stakeholder sees.
   • Changes the work based on the goal, not personal taste.
   • Explains the result and what was learned.

2. Describe a project where you worked with a copywriter or developer who had different priorities.

   What a good answer covers

   • Names the different priorities, such as message length against visual space.
   • Shows how the team shared work-in-progress early.
   • Explains how you reached a compromise.
   • Shows respect for the other person's expertise.

1. A marketing team wants to use photos of customers taken at an event on a poster. What do you check first?

   What a good answer covers

   • Asks whether people agreed to their photos being used for this purpose.
   • Mentions the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and its rules on consent and purpose.
   • Asks the team to check with the legal or data protection officer.
   • Suggests using only cleared images, or stock photos with the right licence.
   • Keeps a record of permissions.

2. How would you design a public notice that must appear in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil?

   What a good answer covers

   • Chooses fonts that support all four scripts and look balanced together.
   • Allows extra space, because text lengths differ between languages.
   • Keeps the hierarchy the same across languages.
   • Asks native speakers to review line breaks and spelling.
   • Tests the layout at small sizes and in print.

Common questions about a graphic designer job

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