Hi, this is Anne with Graphic Design How To and today we're going to talk about interviews,
specifically for those of you who have just graduated college and today my husband's going
to join me to ask the questions, and then I will give you a sample response as a recently
graduated college student, and I might also throw in some tips and do's and don'ts at
the end of each question.
Okay, so let's get started.
#1: So tell me about yourself.
Well, I just graduated college with a degree in graphic design.
And most of my experience in the industry has come from my internship.
I interned at an agency here in town and I really got some awesome experience there.
I was able to work with graphic designers and art directors and really learn the ropes
of graphic design.
At first they kind of started me off slow with some production, and they helped me really
finesse that process.
And I was really able to learn the programs really well during that time.
And then later on, I was given my own projects, and I got to really be involved with the creative
process for those.
So that's me in a nutshell.
I love design.
Really, it's my whole life.
So I'm just super excited to be here!
With this question, stick to graphic design.
Don't talk a lot about your personal life or anything like that.
You also want to let them know how you've grown as a designer.
So those are the two things I really try and focus on with the 'Tell me about yourself'
question.
#2: Can you tell me a little about your creative process?
Sure.
For my branding project for Queens Bar and Grill, I first researched the company a lot.
This was a school project so I wasn't able to really meet with a client, but I researched
what the company already had designed and I also kind of tried to imagine what they're
look and feel would be like at the beginning and what they are looking for.
Then I went to the internet and researched a bunch about restaurants, bars and grills
and that kind of thing...and just to get a look at what the industry has been doing with
that kind of client.
After that, I started sketching and drew about 20 sketches or so and we narrowed - my teacher
and I - narrowed it down to one or two.
And then I just fully developed out that concept in Illustrator.
After it was all done, I mock everything up in Photoshop, and I kind of did a brand style
guide with Photoshop mock ups that I could present to the client, or my teacher, in this
case.
So that's really my process from beginning to end.
With the creative process question, they just want to know how you do your work, and if
it matches their style, too.
And I would keep it a little shorter than what I did in this video, so you can shorten
it if you want.
#3: How do you work with collaborators like copywriters,
developers and project managers?
Tell me about the final handoff process.
I think when concepting, it's really great to have more than one person.
So I would sit down with a strategist, other graphic designers and art director, maybe
a project manager and really bounce ideas off each other for a campaign.
And after we got the idea fleshed out, then I would take it to the computer, you know,
go through my whole creative process, and I would get with a project manager to kind
of get everything assigned.
And she probably would do that on her own honestly.
At that point, I would probably work alone on my computer, and maybe get feedback from
time to time from graphic designers and art directors.
And as far as hand-off to the next person, I would absolutely make sure to read over
everything again, make sure everything's perfect.
No mistakes!!
With this question, they just want to know if you like working with people.
A lot of these agencies are really tight-knit, they want to know that they can get along
with you.
They want to know that you are easy to work with.
Just let them know that you're friendly and you get along with people well and I think
this will go over good.
#4: Tell me about a time you had to work with
a difficult client.
Well, I can't think of a time specifically with a difficult client.
But with my teacher, she had a certain idea in her head about what she wanted the look
and feel of this project to be.
And she had written this out, but I just interpreted it different than what she said.
So when I handed in my project, she talked over what she liked and what she didn't.
And I could see that I had a lot of work to do.
But after a lot of communication back and forth, I finally understood what it was she
was looking for.
And we finally got to a place in the project where she was happy, and I was very happy
with the work as well.
So I think it's just a lot of communication and keeping it professional and just working
on a win-win situation for both parties.
With this question, they're trying to figure out how well you handle criticism?
Are you going to be somebody who talks bad about the client behind their back?
Are you going to be somebody who talks bad about the client in front of them or gets
mad at them?
You have to be really careful about maintaining professionalism in a job and they want to
see how you will deal with those kinds of situations.
And #5: who is your favorite designer?
And what brands do you most admire?
I would say my favorite designer is probably Aaron Draplin.
He has a specific kind of retro style that I just really love.
And he also has put out videos that have really helped me personally with my workflow.
And it's just so awesome that he's such a hard worker, he constantly turns out awesome
designs all the time.
I just feel like he's really influenced me as a designer.
And then as far as the brand goes, I would say Chipotle, because I think as a fast food
restaurant, they really have allowed their creative team to get really creative and be
playful.
And I think it really shows through all of their branding and their billboards and even
when they had that food scare a while back They did a really great job of sort of damage
control with that.
And they were completely transparent with the public, so that they could start winning
back that trust for them.
And I think that's really important - important from a marketing standpoint.
And also, the design, you know, played into that too.
So I would say they're probably my favorite.
I think with the 'favorite designer/favorite brand' question, an interviewer is really
trying to see if you know your designers, how passionate you are about design, and really,
they want to see that you know what's going on in the market and know what's going on
in advertising right now.
So if you can answer in such a way that shows that you kind of have a feel for the current
market and that you know your designers pretty well, I think that'd be good.
Okay, so those are my 5 interview questions that I have been asked myself and that I have
asked other people in interviews.
This is Anne with Graphic Design How to.
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