Get ready for your upcoming Visual Designer virtual interview. Familiarize yourself with the necessary skills, anticipate potential questions that could be asked and practice answering them using our example responses.
Updated May 02, 2024
The STAR interview technique is a method used by interviewees to structure their responses to behavioral interview questions. STAR stands for:
Situation: Describe the context or background of the situation you were in.
Task: Explain the challenge or task you were faced with.
Action: Detail the specific actions you took to address the task or challenge.
Result: Share the results or outcomes of your actions.
This method provides a clear and concise way for interviewees to share meaningful experiences that demonstrate their skills and competencies.
Can you discuss a time when you had to meet a tight deadline for a design project? How did you ensure the quality of your work?
Meeting tight deadlines while maintaining work quality is common in the design industry. Your response can show your time management skills, efficiency, and dedication to quality.
Dos and don'ts: "Meeting tight deadlines while maintaining work quality is common in the design industry. Your response can show your time management skills, efficiency, and dedication to quality."
Suggested answer:
Situation: I was once tasked with redesigning an e-commerce website in a tight timeframe due to an upcoming sales event.
Task: My challenge was to deliver high-quality design within the constrained timeline.
Action: To manage this, I streamlined my workflow, prioritizing the most impactful design tasks first. I made use of design systems to speed up the process and conducted rapid iteration cycles with regular feedback from the stakeholders to minimize rework.
Result: The redesigned website was ready in time for the event and performed excellently, with a noticeable uplift in conversion rates. This experience taught me the importance of efficiency and effective time management in design.
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How would you describe your design style and what influences it?
An understanding of your aesthetic preferences helps assess if your creative vision aligns with the company's brand. The influences that have shaped your style can also reflect your artistic diversity and how you might innovate in your designs.
Dos and don'ts: "An understanding of your aesthetic preferences helps assess if your creative vision aligns with the company's brand. The influences that have shaped your style can also reflect your artistic diversity and how you might innovate in your designs."
Suggested answer:
Situation: Throughout my career as a visual designer, I've had the opportunity to work on diverse projects ranging from digital product design to traditional graphic design.
Task: As a professional, my task was to develop a design style adaptable to different project requirements and audiences, while staying true to my personal aesthetic preferences.
Action: I cultivated a minimalist yet bold style that focuses on functionality and user-friendliness. Inspired by renowned designers like Dieter Rams and Paula Scher, I started emphasizing usability and the power of typography in my designs, respectively.
Result: My versatile style allows me to deliver designs that balance aesthetic appeal with functionality, aligning with a broad range of brand identities and user needs.
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Can you discuss a design project you’re most proud of, and what made it successful?
Discussing a project you're proud of allows interviewers to gauge your problem-solving skills, creativity, and project execution abilities. It also showcases your understanding of successful design and your ability to contribute to impactful projects.
Dos and don'ts: "Discussing a project you're proud of allows interviewers to gauge your problem-solving skills, creativity, and project execution abilities. It also showcases your understanding of successful design and your ability to contribute to impactful projects."
Suggested answer:
Situation: I was once assigned a rebranding project for an e-commerce platform that had been facing a decline in user engagement.
Task: My task was to reinvent their visual identity to resonate better with their target audience and instill a sense of reliability and user-friendliness.
Action: I conducted thorough market research, competitive analysis, and user interviews. Based on these insights, I created a design that incorporated a fresh color palette, modern typography, and intuitive illustrations.
Result: The rebranding led to a 30% increase in user engagement within the first two months of implementation, and the client expressed immense satisfaction with the transformed brand identity.
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How do you approach creating a new design from scratch? What steps do you follow?
Knowing your process for creating a new design from scratch helps them understand your strategic thinking, creativity, and problem-solving approach. This can reveal how effectively you might work in their design process.
Dos and don'ts: "Knowing your process for creating a new design from scratch helps them understand your strategic thinking, creativity, and problem-solving approach. This can reveal how effectively you might work in their design process."
Suggested answer:
Situation: I was asked to create a visual design for a startup's mobile app, starting from scratch, with no existing design assets.
Task: My objective was to create a visually appealing and user-friendly design that reflected the company's brand identity and mission.
Action: I started with extensive research to understand the target users, market trends, and the startup's brand values. Following this, I sketched initial design ideas and then created wireframes and mood boards. After receiving feedback and refining my designs, I moved to the final high-fidelity prototypes using design tools like Adobe XD.
Result: The thorough step-by-step process resulted in a well-received design that met the client's needs, the brand's requirements, and resonated with the target user group. The app has been downloaded over 10,000 times since its launch.
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How do you incorporate the goals of the brand or product into your visual designs?
Incorporating brand goals into visual design shows your ability to understand and translate abstract ideas into tangible visual assets, an essential skill for a visual designer.
Dos and don'ts: "Incorporating brand goals into visual design shows your ability to understand and translate abstract ideas into tangible visual assets, an essential skill for a visual designer."
Suggested answer:
Situation: While working for a health-tech startup, I was assigned to design a mobile app focused on promoting healthy lifestyle habits.
Task: The primary task was to ensure the visual design clearly communicated the brand's mission and values, appealing to the target audience.
Action: I initiated the design process by thoroughly understanding the brand's goals, the product's purpose, and the user persona. I then incorporated these insights into the color scheme, typography, imagery, and iconography, creating a consistent and engaging visual language that emphasized health and positivity.
Result: The final design effectively encapsulated the brand's mission and resonated with users, contributing to the app's high user-engagement rates and positive reviews in the app stores.
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How do you handle constructive criticism and feedback on your designs?
Your reaction to criticism or feedback can demonstrate your professionalism, flexibility, and dedication to continuous improvement, all important traits in a team environment.
Dos and don'ts: "Your reaction to criticism or feedback can demonstrate your professionalism, flexibility, and dedication to continuous improvement, all important traits in a team environment."
Suggested answer:
Situation: In a previous role, I worked on a high-stakes project where my initial designs received significant criticism from the project stakeholders.
Task: My task was to professionally manage the feedback and utilize it to improve the design.
Action: I approached the situation with an open mind, seeking to understand the stakeholders' perspective and specific concerns. I conducted a detailed discussion to clarify their feedback, and then iterated on my designs, aligning them more closely with the stakeholders' vision without compromising usability and aesthetics.
Result: The redesigned version received positive feedback, and the process significantly improved my ability to handle criticism constructively, ultimately leading to stronger design outcomes.
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How do you balance creativity with the practical requirements and constraints of a project?
Balancing creativity with practicality is a common challenge in design. Your response can show your problem-solving skills, your ability to innovate within constraints, and your understanding of project realities.
Dos and don'ts: "Balancing creativity with practicality is a common challenge in design. Your response can show your problem-solving skills, your ability to innovate within constraints, and your understanding of project realities."
Suggested answer:
Situation: In one instance, I was hired to create a comprehensive visual design for a fintech application with stringent guidelines due to industry regulations.
Task: My challenge was to balance these constraints with the need for an engaging and innovative design.
Action: I worked closely with the legal and compliance teams to thoroughly understand the rules and regulations. I prioritized these constraints while using creative workarounds, such as visually engaging illustrations and unique color combinations, to keep the design attractive and user-friendly.
Result: The final design complied with all regulations and was applauded by the client and users for its innovative approach within a traditionally conservative industry.
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Can you share an instance where you had to adapt your initial design due to client feedback or project limitations?
Discussing how you adapt to feedback or limitations allows you to demonstrate flexibility, problem-solving, and client management skills.
Dos and don'ts: "Discussing how you adapt to feedback or limitations allows you to demonstrate flexibility, problem-solving, and client management skills."
Suggested answer:
Situation: I was designing a website for a client who wanted a highly interactive, media-rich design. However, after the first round of reviews, they became concerned about the load time and potential accessibility issues.
Task: I had to pivot quickly and adapt the design to make it more performance-efficient and accessible while maintaining its visual appeal.
Action: I optimized the use of multimedia elements, replaced some heavy design elements with more lightweight and accessible alternatives, and focused more on optimization techniques such as lazy loading for images.
Result: The revised design maintained a balance between interactivity and performance. The client appreciated my quick response and adaptability, and the website received positive feedback for its speed, accessibility, and aesthetic appeal.
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How do you ensure your designs are accessible and inclusive for a diverse audience?
Ensuring designs are accessible and inclusive is a key aspect of modern design. This question assesses your understanding of diverse user needs and your ability to create inclusive designs.
Dos and don'ts: "Ensuring designs are accessible and inclusive is a key aspect of modern design. This question assesses your understanding of diverse user needs and your ability to create inclusive designs."
Suggested answer:
Situation: While working on a large-scale e-commerce project, I had to design a platform that could cater to a diverse set of users, including those with impairments.
Task: I had to ensure that my design adhered to accessibility guidelines and provided a seamless user experience for all.
Action: I took a proactive approach to incorporate accessibility from the beginning. I chose a color palette that was high-contrast and friendly for colorblind users, ensured the text size was adjustable, and made sure the site was navigable via keyboard. I also tested the designs using various assistive technologies.
Result: The design was praised for its inclusivity, resulting in an increased user base and a significant decrease in bounce rates. This was a testament to the power of accessibility in expanding a brand's reach.
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How do you keep up with the latest trends in visual design, and how do you incorporate them into your work?
Staying updated with design trends is vital to keep your work relevant. Sharing how you incorporate these trends can demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and adaptation.
Dos and don'ts: "Staying updated with design trends is vital to keep your work relevant. Sharing how you incorporate these trends can demonstrate your commitment to continuous learning and adaptation."
Suggested answer:
Situation: In the fast-paced world of visual design, it's essential to stay up-to-date. I experienced this firsthand when I was asked to design a brand identity for a start-up in the technology sector.
Task: The client wanted a design that was modern and represented the cutting-edge nature of their business. This required me to be familiar with the latest design trends and effectively incorporate them.
Action: I regularly follow leading design blogs, participate in online design communities, and attend webinars or workshops to stay updated. In this project, I utilized my knowledge of current trends like minimalistic design, bold typography, and dynamic gradients.
Result: The branding was well-received, with the client praising it for being "fresh" and "current." By continually learning, I was able to successfully meet the project's requirements and exceed the client's expectations.
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Can you share an example of a challenging design problem you faced and how you solved it?
Sharing a challenging design problem can showcase your problem-solving skills, creativity, and resilience.
Dos and don'ts: "Sharing a challenging design problem can showcase your problem-solving skills, creativity, and resilience."
Suggested answer:
Situation: In one of my previous roles, I was tasked with designing a mobile app for a client in the healthcare sector. The challenge was making a wealth of information available without overwhelming the user.
Task: My job was to simplify complex healthcare data and processes into a user-friendly and intuitive interface.
Action: I worked closely with the client and users to understand their needs and pain points. This involved research, interviews, and user testing. Then, I incorporated a blend of data visualization techniques, simple navigation, and a clean UI to present information in an understandable and accessible way.
Result: The app was lauded for its user-friendly design and ease of navigation, leading to higher user engagement and positive reviews. This experience underscored the importance of understanding user needs and designing with simplicity in mind.
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How do you collaborate with other team members, like content writers, UX designers, and developers, in a project?
Collaboration with team members in different roles is key in a project's success. This question assesses your teamwork skills, communication abilities, and understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of design work.
Dos and don'ts: "Collaboration with team members in different roles is key in a project's success. This question assesses your teamwork skills, communication abilities, and understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of design work."
Suggested answer:
Situation: I was part of a multi-disciplinary team working on a complete website redesign for a retail client. It required constant collaboration with various team members, each with different roles and perspectives.
Task: The goal was to ensure seamless collaboration with everyone involved for a successful, cohesive final design.
Action: I employed a proactive communication approach, engaging all stakeholders early in the design process. I used collaborative tools that allowed for real-time feedback and co-creation. I also ensured to keep everyone updated with regular progress meetings.
Result: This approach resulted in an efficient workflow, minimized revisions, and fostered a strong sense of shared ownership of the project. The website redesign was completed on time, and the client praised the cohesiveness of the design and the smooth process.
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Have you ever had a disagreement with a team member or client about a design decision? How did you handle it?
Discussing a disagreement about a design decision can demonstrate your conflict resolution skills, your ability to stand up for your design choices while being open to other perspectives.
Dos and don'ts: "Discussing a disagreement about a design decision can demonstrate your conflict resolution skills, your ability to stand up for your design choices while being open to other perspectives."
Suggested answer:
Situation: During the design of a website for a major retailer, a conflict arose. The client had a very specific and traditional vision for the site that contrasted with the modern and user-friendly design we were proposing.
Task: My job was to reach a consensus that satisfied both the client's desires and the needs of the project.
Action: Instead of merely pushing back, I chose to explain our design choices. I presented case studies that supported our decisions and showed how they could increase usability and conversion rates. But I also listened attentively to their concerns and adapted aspects of the design to better reflect their vision while preserving functionality.
Result: This approach led to a mutual understanding and a design that satisfied both parties. The website was a success and even led to an increased engagement rate, proving that a balance between client vision and design best practices can be achieved.
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Have you ever had to mentor or guide a junior designer? If so, what approach did you take and what was the outcome?
Mentoring a junior designer can show leadership potential, communication skills, and your commitment to fostering a supportive work environment.
Dos and don'ts: "Mentoring a junior designer can show leadership potential, communication skills, and your commitment to fostering a supportive work environment."
Suggested answer:
Situation: In my previous role at a design agency, I was tasked with mentoring a junior designer who had just joined our team.
Task: I was responsible for introducing him to our work process, helping him improve his skills, and guiding him through his first projects.
Action: I took a supportive and empathetic approach to mentorship. I started by understanding his career goals, strengths, and areas he felt needed improvement. I then set up regular check-ins and provided constructive feedback on his work. I also encouraged him to take on tasks that would stretch his capabilities while ensuring I was available to assist when needed.
Result: Over time, his skills and confidence significantly improved, and he was able to take on more complex projects independently. He expressed gratitude for the guidance and mentioned how it positively influenced his work approach. This experience reinforced the importance of patience and tailored guidance in mentorship.
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Given our company's industry focus and brand identity, how would you approach creating compelling visual designs?
Understanding a company's brand identity and industry focus is crucial in creating effective designs. Your response can demonstrate your ability to understand and adapt to different brand identities and your strategic thinking skills.
Dos and don'ts: "Understanding a company's brand identity and industry focus is crucial in creating effective designs. Your response can demonstrate your ability to understand and adapt to different brand identities and your strategic thinking skills."
Suggested answer:
Situation: When I was brought on to rebrand a tech start-up that wanted to stand out in a crowded market, I was faced with a similar task.
Task: The objective was to develop a visual identity that was unique and represented the brand’s innovative and forward-thinking values.
Action: I started by immersing myself in understanding the company, its goals, and its target audience. I also examined competitors and the broader industry landscape. I then created mood boards and sketches, experimented with different design elements, and collaborated closely with the company's stakeholders to ensure the designs accurately reflected the brand's identity.
Result: The new branding was a hit and received positive feedback from both the company and their customers. It helped the start-up establish a strong brand identity in the market, demonstrating the power of a well-thought-out and researched design strategy.
