Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Graphics Consultant Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Graphics Consultant Assistant supports senior graphics consultants and creative teams by transforming client briefs into high-quality visual deliverables across print, digital, and motion channels. This role combines hands-on design and production skills with client-facing coordination, quality assurance, and operational support—ensuring brand consistency, efficient production workflows, and timely delivery of creative assets. Ideal candidates are proficient with industry-standard design tools, understand print and digital production pipelines, and have strong communication and project management instincts.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Graphic Designer or Production Artist
Design Intern or Creative Assistant
Marketing Coordinator with creative responsibilities

Advancement To:

Senior Graphics Consultant / Senior Graphic Designer
Art Director or Visual Design Lead
Creative Project Manager or Design Operations Manager

Lateral Moves:

UX/UI Designer
Brand Strategist
Motion Graphics Designer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Assist lead graphics consultants in interpreting client creative briefs and translating business objectives into concrete visual concepts, ensuring deliverables align with brand strategy and campaign goals.
Produce polished layouts and design compositions for print collateral (brochures, posters, signage, packaging) that meet prepress specifications, bleed, trim, and color profile requirements.
Create responsive digital assets (web banners, social media graphics, email templates) optimized for performance across platforms and varying screen sizes, including proper export settings and file naming conventions.
Prepare and manage print-ready files and proofs, liaising with print vendors to confirm stock, finishes, color-matching (Pantone/RGB/CMYK), and delivery schedules to ensure successful production runs.
Maintain and enforce brand guidelines by auditing deliverables for correct logo usage, typography, color palettes, imagery, and tone across campaigns and channels.
Execute image editing, retouching, compositing, and color correction to professional standards using Adobe Photoshop and similar tools to ensure visual consistency and quality.
Build high-fidelity mockups and presentation decks for client reviews using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, PowerPoint, or Figma, articulating design rationale and alternative concepts.
Support motion and animated content production by creating storyboards, assets, and After Effects compositions; render and deliver optimized video files and GIFs for web and social.
Assist in the creation and maintenance of digital asset libraries and design systems, tagging assets correctly and ensuring version control for reuse and cross-team collaboration.
Translate wireframes and UX/UI direction into polished interface assets, iconography, and micro-interactions while collaborating with product designers and developers on implementation.
Export and hand off appropriately formatted assets (SVG, PNG, JPG, PDF) together with style specs, slices, and redlines to development teams; verify assets in staging environments.
Conduct QA and proofing across visual deliverables—checking copy accuracy, layout alignment, accessibility contrast ratios, responsive breakpoints, and print proofs before client sign-off.
Track project timelines, update status in project management tools (Asana, Trello, Jira), escalate risks, and proactively communicate schedule impacts to the lead consultant and stakeholders.
Participate in client-facing meetings as a design representative—taking briefs, capturing feedback, clarifying scope, and following up with next steps and annotated proofs.
Assist with estimating production time and resourcing for proposals and statements of work; document requirements, deliverable lists, and file specifications for budget and planning accuracy.
Support A/B testing initiatives for visual variants by preparing creative permutations, tracking performance metrics, and recommending visual optimizations based on results.
Implement accessibility best practices in design work including proper color contrast, legible type sizes, and providing alt-text guidance for imagery on digital assets.
Manage vendor relationships for photography, print, signage, and merchandise—coordinating specifications, timelines, and quality checks to ensure successful subcontracted delivery.
Document and refine design production workflows and templates to increase operational efficiency, reduce rework, and standardize onboarding for new creative team members.
Mentor and review work from junior designers or interns, providing constructive feedback on composition, typography, and production standards to raise quality across the team.
Maintain software licenses, asset permissions, and font licensing records; ensure legal use of imagery and type by confirming rights and documenting sources.
Stay current with design trends, software updates, and industry best practices; propose new tools, plugins, or processes that improve creative output and speed-to-market.
Assist in post-delivery activities such as archiving project files, compiling final asset packages, and preparing case study materials for internal and external portfolios.
Monitor and report on creative KPIs when requested (e.g., engagement lift for visuals, time-to-delivery metrics) to help refine future creative strategy.

Secondary Functions

Provide ad-hoc creative support to marketing, product, and sales teams, including last-minute asset requests and event collateral.
Coordinate photo shoots and location logistics, including scouting, shot lists, and on-site assistance where required.
Support budget tracking for design projects by forwarding vendor invoices, tracking time spent on tasks, and maintaining simple budget logs.
Contribute to internal training sessions and lunch-and-learn workshops to raise cross-functional awareness of brand and design standards.
Archive and tag completed campaign assets within the DAM (digital asset management) system and maintain clear folder structures for future reuse.
Assist with compliance reviews for brand, legal, and regulatory requirements where visuals are used in sensitive industries (healthcare, finance, regulated products).
Help prepare RFP responses and design capability materials for business development activities.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign—able to create, edit, and produce print- and web-ready files with best practices for color and file formats.
Motion graphics and video support: After Effects and Premiere Pro experience for simple animations, lower-thirds, and social video exports.
UI/UX tools: Experience with Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD to create interface assets, design tokens, and collaborate on prototypes.
Strong production knowledge: prepress, color management (Pantone, CMYK, RGB), bleeds, trapping, and PDF/X standards for print production.
Web export & optimization: ability to prepare optimized assets (SVG, WebP, responsive PNG/JPG), basic understanding of retinas/2x assets and lazy loading.
Basic HTML/CSS proficiency to interpret front-end constraints, spec assets accurately, and communicate with developers about implementation.
Typography and layout expertise: hierarchy, kerning, grid systems, and modular design for both print and digital contexts.
Digital asset management: experience organizing, tagging, and versioning assets in DAM systems or shared storage.
Photo retouching and compositing: advanced Photoshop techniques including masks, layers, frequency separation, and color grading.
Familiarity with accessibility guidelines (WCAG), ensuring designs are perceivable and usable by diverse audiences.
Familiarity with project management tools: Asana, Trello, Jira, or Monday.com for task tracking and collaboration.
Experience with vendor coordination and basic print production negotiation.

Soft Skills

Strong client-facing communication: clear, professional, and able to present design choices and trade-offs to non-design stakeholders.
Attention to detail and meticulous proofing to catch layout, copy, and color issues before delivery.
Time management and prioritization skills to juggle multiple projects and meet tight deadlines without sacrificing quality.
Collaboration and cross-functional teamwork, adaptable to feedback from account managers, developers, and marketing leads.
Creative problem solving: resourceful in finding design solutions that meet brand, technical, and budgetary constraints.
Proactive learning mindset: quickly adopts new tools, techniques, and industry best practices.
Constructive feedback culture: gives and receives critique respectfully while iterating designs efficiently.
Project ownership and accountability for deliverables from concept through final production.
Empathy and client orientation: understands audience and business goals to create visuals that drive outcomes.
Flexibility and resilience when managing scope changes, urgent requests, or production setbacks.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree in graphic design, visual communications, or equivalent practical experience with a strong portfolio.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Fine Arts, Interaction Design, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Graphic Design
Visual Communications
Digital Media / Multimedia Design
Interaction Design / UX Design
Fine Arts / Illustration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years in graphic design, production, or creative services roles.

Preferred: 2–5 years supporting design teams or working in agency/consulting environments with demonstrated experience across print, digital, and motion deliverables; portfolio showing breadth of work, production knowledge, and client-facing contributions.