Graphic Developer Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Graphic Developer Assistant is a foundational, hybrid role that serves as a critical bridge between the creative design and technical development teams. This position is perfect for an emerging professional with a passion for both visual aesthetics and clean, functional code. You'll be instrumental in translating design concepts, wireframes, and prototypes into tangible, interactive web experiences. This role involves a blend of graphic design, asset creation, and front-end coding, ensuring that our digital platforms are not only beautiful and on-brand but also responsive, accessible, and performant. As a key support member, you will help senior developers and designers bring projects to life, maintaining the integrity of the user interface and contributing to a seamless user experience across all digital touchpoints.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Graphic Design Internship or Apprenticeship
Junior Web Developer or Front-End Intern
Recent Graduate (with a strong portfolio)

Advancement To:

Graphic Developer / Creative Technologist
Front-End Developer
UI/UX Designer

Lateral Moves:

Motion Graphics Designer
Digital Marketing Specialist
UI/UX Researcher

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Collaborate closely with senior designers and developers to translate visual concepts, Figma/Sketch files, and wireframes into high-quality, interactive, and responsive web pages using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Assist in the development and maintenance of our front-end codebases, ensuring the implementation of modern web standards and best practices.
Create, optimize, and export digital assets, including images, icons, and illustrations, from design files, ensuring they are web-ready, performant, and correctly implemented.
Support the implementation and maintenance of the organization's design system and component library, promoting visual consistency and code reusability across digital products.
Conduct rigorous testing and debugging of front-end code across multiple browsers, operating systems, and devices to ensure a consistent and flawless user experience.
Build interactive prototypes and proof-of-concepts to help the design team effectively communicate, test, and validate new design ideas with project stakeholders.
Update and manage website content using various Content Management Systems (CMS), such as WordPress, Shopify, or headless CMS platforms, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
Implement front-end code that adheres to current web accessibility standards (WCAG), ensuring our digital properties are usable by people of all abilities.
Actively participate in peer code reviews to provide and receive constructive feedback, fostering a culture of high-quality code and continuous improvement within the team.
Assist the marketing team in the production and coding of digital marketing collateral, such as HTML email templates, campaign landing pages, and interactive social media assets.
Work with the product and marketing teams to implement A/B tests and other user experience experiments to help optimize engagement and conversion rates.
Utilize Git for version control, managing code branches, and collaborating with the team on a shared codebase according to established workflows.
Help create and maintain clear, concise technical documentation for front-end code, new components, and internal processes to support team knowledge sharing.
Analyze and optimize website and application loading speeds by improving asset delivery, code structure, and image compression techniques.
Slice and export design mockups from tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD with pixel-perfect precision for use in development.

Secondary Functions

Provide timely technical support for website-related issues to internal teams, effectively troubleshooting and resolving reported problems.
Contribute fresh, innovative ideas during creative brainstorming sessions, offering a valuable perspective that balances design aesthetics with technical feasibility.
Prepare and present engaging demonstrations of completed work, features, and prototypes to team members and key stakeholders.
Assist in analyzing user interaction data (e.g., from heatmaps, session recordings) to generate insights that inform design improvements and optimizations.
Contribute to the evolution of the team’s design system and front-end technology stack by researching new tools and techniques.
Collaborate with marketing and product teams to translate creative briefs and business needs into tangible design and technical specifications.
Participate actively in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies within the product and development teams.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Web Fundamentals: Strong proficiency in semantic HTML5, modern CSS3, and CSS pre-processors like SASS/LESS.
JavaScript: A solid understanding of vanilla JavaScript (ES6+) and introductory experience with a modern framework like React, Vue.js, or Angular.
Design Software: High level of competence with the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator) and modern UI design/prototyping tools (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).
Version Control: Hands-on experience with Git and platforms like GitHub or GitLab for collaborative development.
Responsive Design: Deep understanding and practical application of mobile-first and responsive design principles.
CMS Experience: Familiarity with updating and managing content within a Content Management System (e.g., WordPress).
Web Standards: Knowledge of web accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and on-page SEO best practices.
Animation Basics: Basic grasp of animation principles and experience creating simple animations using CSS transitions/animations or a library like GSAP.

Soft Skills

Attention to Detail: A meticulous eye for visual detail, ensuring pixel-perfect execution of designs, typography, and spacing.
Problem-Solving: The ability to independently troubleshoot technical and design-related challenges and propose effective solutions.
Communication & Collaboration: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team environment.
Curiosity & Eagerness to Learn: A proactive mindset and a genuine passion for staying current with emerging trends in design and technology.
Time Management: Strong organizational skills with the capacity to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and consistently meet deadlines in a fast-paced setting.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate's Degree or equivalent professional training/certification in a relevant field. A compelling portfolio can substitute for formal education.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Graphic Design / Digital Media Design
Computer Science / Software Engineering
Web Design & Development

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 0-2 years of relevant professional or internship experience.

Preferred: A strong and well-organized online portfolio that showcases a range of projects demonstrating both creative design skills and front-end coding abilities is highly valued and essential for this role.