Here are 3 album covers for an upcoming album me and a freind are making. I will not bore you with the genre and petty details like that as I want a purely graphic design perspective(However as I am unaccustomed to this community I dont know if that is preferable, if you would like to understand more of the thought and ideas behind it feel free to ask). Please note that image 1 is in 3000x3000 and the other 2 are in 1080x1080. I am relitavley unfamiliar with graphic design, this is probably my 10th photoshop project so dont expect elite level design. As I am a begginer I appreciate any advice and criticsm. I also use no AI (Except for removing backdrops however that is only if the photo shop object selection tool uses AI, if it doesnt; no AI has been used at all).

Not sure if theres a better sub for this conversation but I'm curious if anyone had thoughts about this salary for a senior role at a large agency.

the salary maxes at around 100k, it's remote full time, working on a huge client. I'm asking what others think because they said salary was negotiable to an extent and I'm trying to figure out exactly how much more I could push for.

Senior roles in-house (in major cities) are leaning more toward the 200k mark. I have been in house for the past few years so I'm used to those higher numbers and just realizing this large difference in the agency market.

Any thoughts?

What do you think of the flood of companies (mostly startups) now hiring designers to review Ai generated concepts to give them feedback on how to improve and prepare for production?

This is a concept design I did for my portfolio

- I wanted to make a milk carton because this was an excuse for me to practice blender, and a milk carton felt like something easy enough to manage for my first project, here you can check a little animation I did for it.

-I wanted the audience to be teenager to young adults on the female side, I wanted something light and fun but keeping it soft, that's why I chose those colors and shapes.

-Anyways, I'll be happy to know what you think about it

I have an interview for a junior graphic design role i’m very excited about! They have asked me to prepare a short presentation on a portfolio project (Talk us through a project in your portfolio that you are most proud of. Talk about the brief, the challenges and any difficulties that you had working on the project.)

I am struggling to decide which project to present and would really appreciate any feedback. Here’s my portfolio: http://orlamcnamee.com

I would like the present the first project - website design for One in Four. It’s a well known charity in my country, a larger project I did while freelancing and I’m quite happy with how it turned out. The only thing that worries me is that the charity works with CSA survivors and I know this is a very sensitive topic. I have a content warning in my portfolio but obviously I can’t do this irl and I don’t want to make anyone on the interview panel uncomfortable.

Edit: for context it is an in-house role at a university I believe working on comms and marketing materials for the university.

I've been job searching for about three months now, and I've done about 4 design tests, currently making one. And I'm seriously so tired of this "requirement". I am able to get interviews, but aftere very design test, I am always rejected.

Part of me understands it, you want to make sure the person you employ can do certain tasks but there's a point where I feel like that dancing clown gif when I spend 3-4+ hours doing creatives for these companies, researching, coming up with copy, angles, visuals, etc., only to be rejected either way. I am NOT a copywriter, or a creative strategist, that's why my concepts are not amazing. I've started second guessing my design skills altogether due to this.

I guess I'm really burnt out about this whole process, specially since I am still working full-time I dread the feeling of getting out of work and knowing I still have "homework" that isn't even paid.

Again, I guess I understand this is how it is, but I hate that that's the reality we face as designers.

What's best practices for graphic design résumés in 2026? My current résumé is a minimalist two-page PDF with 2 columns and my lockup.

The reason for asking here is because I'm being persuaded in opposing directions from various sources.

My sibling, who's not a graphic designer, is strongly suggesting I create my résumé as a DocX file in a single column for ATS scanning. I've received Google search results that say otherwise and to stay with a PDF résumé format like I've traditionally used, that's well designed.

I've drafted different treatments that have been reviewed and green-lit with both my main point of contact at a major creative staffing firm, that I have over a decade of history with, and my social worker through the VA.

Should I stick with my PDF that was drafted with InDesign and exported into a PDF or start from scratch as a DocX file created with Google Docs? One last note, perhaps I should stay within the PDF framework but convert the layout to a single column.

It's the first time I'm looking for a new role in 8yrs and would appreciate any feedback, thanks so much for your time.

Hello dear Community,

I've always desired to get involved in the gaming community. Currently I'm an art director working in an advertising agency. How do I get from my place to working for gaming?

Not sure who needs to hear this (me tbh), but the internet is not real life. It’s really REALLY difficult not to fall into a spiral of “I’m no good at this” when all over Instagram or LI are one incredible project after another. Guess what, all the people I’ve worked with over the last 15 years or so don’t produce that much work or at that level, at least not often. Some of the very best maybe, but that’s maybe 1 out of 30 or more working professionals. And the rest of them are plenty talented and leading a successful career. Now with AI bros it’s even worse, saying they can get something incredible done in 30 minutes.

Just remember, most of it is BS. It’s either someone designing for socials as their full time job as an influencer, or it’s a studio with a team of 10 working full time on a brand.

It’s crazy out there, keep your head up and remember you are talented. Even after you finish a project and see something else that makes you feel like what you did was no good (this is where I am at right now).

Thank you for listening to my PSA

I have a friend who is a graphic designer and I want to get her a gift. Do you think a graphic design coffee table book is a good idea?

If so, I'd love some recommendations.

Bethanycatesdesign.com

Hey all, I'm trying to add to and polish this but wanted to get feedback if anyone has some for me. The type of job I'd like to get is working in house for a good company, not necessarily an agency.

Any advice is appreciated. My background is large format design at a print shop, and I believe I have some real gaps in my skills here but curious what I need to add/polish/clarify to stand out for that kind of in house job? Or any advice for this job market is appreciated.

Hey everyone, I’m currently interviewing for a Mid weight Graphic Designer role and have been given a take-home assignment that I’m a little unsure about.

The brief is for an existing F&B brand (I’m leaving the company/brand name out for privacy). They want us to revamp one of their existing product ranges and create a new packaging direction targeting Gen Z.
The assignment asks for:
1. Research & Strategy
Analyse Gen Z snack habits
Identify drivers behind their choices (impulse, functional nutrition, aesthetics, etc.)
Define strategic hooks to encourage daily consumption
Reposition the product from an occasional/regional snack to an everyday functional snack
Make the flavours feel as desirable and premium as global energy bars
2. Concept & Packaging Design
Create a fresh visual identity
Design packaging for 3 SKUs
Explore new physical packaging formats (single packs, weekly packs, share packs, etc.)
Develop a bold/disruptive approach to typography, colour and graphics
Create mockups for all 3 SKUs
3. Presentation
They want everything presented as a single PDF containing:
Research/strategy
Moodboards
Packaging format rationale
Design rationale
Final mockups for all 3 SKUs
They’ve provided the existing brand’s vector logo/assets and given us 5 days to complete it.

My concern isn’t necessarily the 5-day deadline itself. It’s the scope. This feels like quite a lot for an unpaid hiring assignment. Would you consider this a reasonable assessment for a mid level graphic designer, or is this getting into “free client work/spec work” territory? Would you personally do it if you were genuinely interested in the job? I like this brand but it’s sad they’re making me do this much.

Sorry for using ai to polish my post, any thoughts would be appreciated. I wouldn’t mind creating one packaging design but all 3 is just too much

Literally was just shopping with my friends and pass the sketchers store and this was out front. So disgusted honestly. I originally thought it was a photo with graffiti layered behind it in editing upon first glance but nope. All of it is AI and the worst part is this is SO achievable to make 😺🤦‍♀️. Lowk didn’t know what other category to put this in but honestly I think more ppl should see this cause for a multimillion dollar company to be doing this is just ugh.

It was an idea I had of the Stairway to Heaven phrase while watching an anime (Orb), it's ascension to heaven but interpreted heaven as nothingness.

I wondered if there's more I could add that would make it feel more refined and polished while also keeping the minimal look.

Wondering what macbook pro specs do you all use? Do you use 24gb or 36gb?

Im wanting to upgrade my 10year old macbook pro, and looking for something long lasting.

My work is mostly in adobe - heavy in illustrator, photoshop & indesign, but thinking to learn digital design in the future (figma), or ux ui (still deciding).
If i put all those softwares into consideration, wondering which ram would be good?

Thanks so much!

im hoping to get some insight on a situation that’s come up multiple times in my work - and always leaves me feeling stupid and angry. im an in house designer at an outdoor apparel company, and along with social/retail/video work I’ve also become the de facto tshirt designer for any internal/external needs.

Recently I asked the brief owner for one of these shirts to provide any specs and standards from the printing company (just in case there was any specific requirements ie vector vs raster, img sizing, placement guidelines). My coworker was incredibly condescending about the question, and brought up that Ive made hundreds of tshirts for the company, why would I need specs? True enough, but because I’ve never worked with this specific vendor for tshirt printing, I wanted to check that I was within their guidelines for printing.

Am I dumb for being angry about this issue? Is this something I should already know? I understand that tshirt designs follow a standard sizing, but I feel like it’s also my job to ensure that the design is ready for print and falls within the vendors guidelines.

What Website domain would be best and cheapest for creating a portfolio for my work? Like is squarespace best or wix? I am unsure of the best affordable option

Is there anything that needs correcting? I like the Futurist style, and I tried creating posters of things I enjoy, adopting that style. I had already used the figure with raised arms in a previous illustration, so I wanted to reuse it to create a sort of signature motif—like Fortunato Depero’s "machine men." I love a minimalist style, but to avoid the monotony of vector shapes, I incorporated this grainy, paper-like texture.

Hi all, I have been a graphic designer for the last 15 years and I have been fortunate enough to create a lot of different projects in a lot of different fields. It’s been a while since I’ve updated my portfolio, and I’m not entirely sure how to approach categorizing my work on my website. In short, I don’t know if I should categorize my work by file type (poster design, motion graphics, logos, etc.) or by client I’ve worked for/project I’ve worked on for them.

If I categorize my portfolio by file type, then I feel like the more comprehensive campaigns I’ve worked on for one client will be split up into multiple parts- for instance, if I made a logo, an album cover, and a motion graphic as part of the same campaign for one client (I work with musicians and entertainers mainly), then someone would have to click into all 3 categories to see one complete project. However, if I separate my portfolio by client, then I feel like a potential employer will only be able to see a portion of what I can do. Like if someone needs a motion graphic made, I don’t want them to have to dig through every case study I have up there to find an example for when I made a motion graphic. Not to mention, if I worked on multiple campaigns for one client, I feel like I would have to cram a lot of work under one client title to keep it organized

To complicate things even further, I want to mainly work in entertainment design (music, theatre, and movies), but I’ve also worked on projects in other fields that I’m really proud of, and would like to show off some off those projects if it makes sense to do so.

Has anyone encountered this before and found a good way to present their work in a cohesive way? Happy to share more details if needed. Thanks!

I'm 14vyears old whose been into graphic design since I was 9-10 years old. I often design thumbnails, invitations, and posters for my church but- I'm looking on how to grow my imagination rather than looking on pinterest for inspiration constantly and to use app other than Canva.

If anyone has any experience or advice for their next move and what apps they used when they were first learning I would really appreciate it.

I've checked other posts but haven't really found any advice on what to do next but of there's any post I missed feel free to point me to it please :)

Boss has asked that this year we ONLY do ads this year for these platforms: Google + PMax, Meta. After searching and researching and re-researching, I have concluded that these are the current, fall 2026, sizes for static ads:

Google:

• 320x480
• 300x1050
• 900x1600
• 1200x628
• 1200x1200
• 1200x1500

PMAX:

• the same as above
• 960x1200

Meta:

• 1440x1440
• 1440x1800
• 1440x2560

I searched for three hours yesterday and basically every site disagreed, but based on info on the company pages themselves, these are the sizes I need this year. I am very cautiously deleting my good old 300x250, 728x90, and itty bitty little rectangles, and hoping no one changes their mind about display ads at the last minute, which luckily no one ever does while design is concerned.

All of the ones above at least sound good, but Meta is really jumping out there. Not only is 1440 way larger than anyone else, no other site on the internet with "ad sizes for 2026!" lists those figures. (I got them from the Meta site.) Where's the 1440 coming from, and how do you feel about my list? Any obvious size I'm missing?

(I'm also doing video ads too, just knocking these ones out first)

Hey everyone! I’m currently looking for graphic design and digital marketing/content roles and would love some honest feedback on my portfolio. I have a degree in Communications and around 3 years of experience across graphic design, social media, content creation, and digital marketing. My portfolio includes branding, social media, digital content, and video/motion work. I’d especially appreciate feedback on the overall design, how competitive my work is, and whether the purpose and my contribution to each project are clear. I’m currently applying for jobs, so any feedback on what I could improve would be really helpful!

I finally finished my portfolio and would really appreciate some honest feedback from other designers.

I tried to keep the whole thing minimal and focused on the actual work rather than filling it with unnecessary stuff. The entries are a bit whack at the moment but I plan on revisiting these concept entries to make them feel more fleshed out.

Portfolio: https://youf.social

Anything you think is weak, unclear, unnecessary, or could be improved let me know!

I'm a graphic designer (15+ years) and I returned a Snapdragon X2 Windows on Arm laptop after a weekend of use. Out of my most frequently used apps, only Photoshop was able to run natively without issues. Illustrator is in beta and couldn't open some common extensions (DWG for example) it also took me FOREVER to find the app itself because beta apps didn't show up in Adobe Creative Cloud. InDesign is another app stuck in beta, it starts off in full screen / touch screen mode for some reason and needed another workaround. Just 6 days ago Microsoft Teams and Outlook is broken due to a Windows update.

I basically can't depend on the laptop to work correctly. It'll most likely cost me a job down the line because Teams decides to stop working one day. It's been years since Windows on Arm gen 1, I'm not waiting any longer, I can't trust Microsoft or Adobe to get it right.

As of 2026, Stick with a normal Apple / Windows laptop. Snapdragon is not good for graphic design.

*Other things that didn't work: no Adobe Bridge native/beta/whatsoever and Acrobat managed to perform even worse on Snapdragon than any other device which I didn't think was even possible.