As with almost any career, an industry based on hard skills and a special combination of soft skills is the graphic design industry. If you are a student in the areas of graphics and design, we’ve got some graphic design internships for you.
Graphic design is a highly diverse field, incorporating logo designs, banners, flyers, social media content, and more. For a young graphic designer, the range of choices can appear quite overwhelming. This is why you might need a graphic design internship.
Keep reading for the best graphic design internships for international students.
Here’s the table of content for an overview of what to expect in this article.
What is a Graphic Design Internship?
A graphic design internship is an internship program at a graphic design firm, usually spanning a few weeks to six months, where you are employed for day-to-day tasks, all the while gaining valuable knowledge and experience. Unlike a full-time job, it is only temporary, and is intended for younger individuals who intend to later begin a career in graphic design.
How to Find a Graphic Design Internship
Confused as to how to land the perfect internship? We have compiled some of the best tips. They include:
Research
Sites like LinkedIn, Monster.com, and internships.com are always a hub of available internship positions. You can surf them at any time to check for openings for interns. Another option is scouring your locality for great graphic design internships.
Get good at what you do
Graphic design is a profession that requires skills in design, art, and computer applications such as Adobe Creative Suite, InDesign, Illustrator, and more. By taking courses and honing your skills in these, you’re making yourself more attractive to hirers.
Build a portfolio
A portfolio is simply a catalogue of the best work you’ve done; and gives recruiters an idea of what you’re good at and what you bring to the table. It is possible to host your portfolio on a URL, which you can then include in your resume. Doing this shows your potential employers how serious you are with your craft and hoq well you’re suited for the job.
Apply relentlessly
Take Mason Gentry, a top creative designer from Los Angeles, for example: “When I applied to my first internship I was repeatedly told that there were no openings. Every month for four months I sent the creative director a friendly email to check-in. Eventually a spot opened up and I got in!”
Stand out
Recruiters see tens to hundreds of resumes for internship positions, most for not up to 30 seconds, so you must make yourself stand out! Did you win a national art competition? Did you build a UX Design? Do you have any unique creative experiences that make you exceptional? Highlight them!
What do Graphic Design Interns Do?
Although the exact range of tasks varies from workplace to workplace, WayUp.com gives a summary of what you’re to expect in your first graphic design internship:
As a graphic design intern, you’ll assist with technical tasks such as creating hard and soft copy files, writing reports and mailing, printing and stuffing materials. You’ll also shadow a graphic designer, attend meetings, compile databases and assist the design team with creative work related to existing projects.
10 Best Graphic Design Internships For International Student
Here are the best graphic design internships for international students:
#1 Graphic Design Intern at Contentsquare
Contentsquare, a global SaaS technology startup that empowers brands to build better digital experiences for all, and who have been recognized by Gartner as one of the four most innovative ecommerce technologies in the world, are looking for a new Visual & motion Design Intern to work within their Marketing team to create corporate digital, video and print assets(reports, social assets, landing pages, event booths, digital campaigns, event teasers, webinar videos, clients interviews).
The Contentsquare Studio has members in New York, London, Paris, Singapore offices.
This internship could start as soon as possible on a full time contract ideally (part time with 3 days a week minimum could be also an option) for at least 6 months.
You will report into your manager based in Paris, collaborating every day with the global brand design and video team. You will be based in the UK office but work on projects for their Munich team.
Qualifications
• You’re a student or have just graduated in Graphic Design/Video/Visual Communication
• You’re fluent in the Adobe Creative Suite (Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/Indesign/After Effects/Premiere)
• You know how to make great presentations using PowerPoint and Google Slides and have a basic knowledge of print conception
• You have strong skills in Video production(cameras, lighting, audio recording, mounting) and Motion Design
• You will collaborate in building projects (about Contentsquare expertise, hackathon project) from conception to visual design and/or video
• You are fluent in English and German.
• You are highly attentive to detail.
• You are a creative and curious thinker, not afraid to challenge a brief.
#2 Retail & Product Designer Intern with Pernod Ricard
Location: Paris
MMPJ presents you with the opportunity to work with three of the most exciting brands in the Wine & Spirit world. Brands that have a very strong heritage, yet growing fast and still with space for globalization. We are looking for a Graphic Designer with the ability to deliver multiple productions simultaneously.
This role is a part of a Studio at MMPJ. The duties include:
• Being the Graphic designer for three wine brands
• Ensure Graphic Brand image consistency at all touch points
• Shape the Graphic Look & Feel for the 3 Brands
• You deliver creations and artworks, and do production follow up.
Required Skills
• You are highly creative, passionate about what you do.
• Ability to multi-task and stay calm under pressure managing high volume of small to mid-sized projects simultaneously. You are organized with an eye for detail and know what a qualitative execution is.
• You master the Adobe programs.
• You have an extensive culture and network in the graphic design field.
• English will be your work language.
#3 Creative Designer Intern (STAGE) at Adikteev
Location: Paris, France
Adikteev, the leading app re-engagement platform for performance-driven marketers, and recently ranked #10 among Inc. Magazine’s Top 5000 fastest growing companies and ranked in the top retargeting partners of the world for two consecutive years by AppsFlyer Performance Index. This company is looking for a motivated, art-sensitive creative design intern who is willing to:
• Participate to creative briefs, analyze the brand assets and images
• Brainstorm and generate new ideas for mobile creative
• Design and produce mobile creative ads (animated and interactive banners, playable ads, video ads) and more.
Required Technical Skills
• Extensive knowledge of After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop (Adobe CC)
• Knowledge of interaction design
• Understanding of the bricks used in the composition of a game: animation, A.I., graphics engine, etc…
• Notions of HTML5, Javascript and CSS3 is a plus
Required Soft Skills
• Ability to multi-task (manage several projects at the same time)
• Rigour, responsiveness and ability to manage priorities;
• Know how to work in “emergency mode”
• Strong team spirit
• Fluency in English
• Sense of humour
#4 Graphic Design Intern at Glovo
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Glovo, a Barcelona-based startup and the fastest-growing delivery player in Europe, Hispanic America and Africa, is looking for a graphic design intern to join our team to work directly with the Communications department.
They are looking for a highly motivated and creative candidate with strong interpersonal abilities and with strong attention to detail, who can find creative solutions.
As a part of the Glovo team, you will:
• Create brand creatives for all social media platforms
• Conceptualizing visuals based on requirements
• Translate ideas into all sorts of designs
• Work with a creative social media content manager to produce a final design
Qualifications
• Currently studying a degree or recently graduated
• Availability for 6 months full-time or part-time internship with a university agreement or similar.
• Availability to start as soon as possible
• Good skills with Adobe CC: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop. Premiere Pro and After Effects
• Knowledge of Adobe CC : After Effects / Premiere.
• Early knowledge about HTML & CSS.
• Determined to get things done: no job is too big or too small
• Comfortable working in high growth and high-performance start-up with a fast pace environment.
• Good communication skills both oral and verbal.
• Fluent English and Spanish
#5 UX/UI Design Internship – Summer 2022 at SafeAuto
Location: Remote
Are you looking for a Summer Internship Program where you can hone your skills from the classroom to the boardroom? Where you’ll feel like part of the team? Where you will make an impact with the projects you’ll be doing? If the answer is yes, then SafeAuto should be the place for your summer internship program.
As an intern, you will work with a team of knowledgeable associates, working on meaningful projects for the organization to help better serve the customers.
SafeAuto is seeking intellectually curious undergraduate or graduate students who have completed two full years of their academic program and have maintained 3.0 GPA. Only students who are majoring in the field of study relevant to the professional area will be selected. You must be able to legally work in the United States and pass the organization’s drug screening and background check prior to starting with us.
What’s more? After successful completion of your Internship, you may have the opportunity to continue working on a part-time basis in the Fall or receive an offer for full-time employment post-graduation.
Qualifications
• You should have HTML/CSS (Flexbox) experience
• You should know Adobe Creative Cloud
• You should know Graphic Editing Software(Sketch, Figma, Affinity)
• You should know Prototyping Tools (Invision)
#6 Quincy Gems Graphic Design Internship
Location: Quincy, IL (Remote internship)
Quincy Gems is looking for the next superstars in Graphic Design for their Summer 2022 internships.
Here’s what you can expect to get from the company:
• High-quality training and supervision from an energized and experienced full-time staff
• Career guidance and coaching from upper management
• Freedom to be creative and develop as a professional in the sports industry
• Experience in Graphic Design for sports
• Web-site updates
This position does not require you to come to Quincy. You may work remotely but will still have schedule times to take care of Social Media.
#7 Graphic Design Intern at Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
Location: Remote
In this role, the graphic design intern will apply their graphic design and project management skills by leading a project to create and develop process for maintaining CSI’s digital and creative assets and identifying a long-term solution through vendor selection process. The role will also be responsible for creating on-brand graphics for CSI’s internal intranet site on an as-needed basis
Requirements
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required for Successful Job Performance:
• Actively enrolled in an undergraduate program, preferably focused in one of the following areas: marketing, graphic design, or communications
• Experience with InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Illustrator
• Basic knowledge of layouts, typography, line composition, color, and other graphic design fundamentals
• Strong creative and analytical skills
• Compelling portfolio of graphic design and project work
• Ability to work remotely and be a self-starter
• Graphic Design major preferred
Other Specifications
• Will be at a computer 8 hours per day
• Must be comfortable working remotely at a computer for 8 hours per day
• Interaction with team members will be limited to virtual communication
#8 Visual and Graphic Design Internship (Fall 2022) at Tesla
Location: Hawthorne, California 90250
The Internship Programs Team is driven by the passion to recognize emerging talent. The year-round program places the best students in positions that they will grow both technically and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team.
Tesla is dedicated to providing an experience that allows for the intern to experience life at Tesla by given them projects that are critical to their team’s success.
You will be part of a Visual Design team is responsible for all internal and external graphic design needs throughout the company. The scope of work will be very wide, and we treat the interns as if they are full-time team members. This means a lot of responsibility and exposure to work that has immediate relevance to our company’s mission. This internship (at least for the time being) will be one where the intern works from home.
Requirements
Specific project assignments and required technical aptitude will vary:
- Must be working on a degree in a design field (preferably visual design, industrial design, UI/UX, graphic design etc)
- Would prefer juniors or seniors at the university level.
- Must be proficient in the Adobe creative suite of software
- Beneficial to have experience in photography, retouching, motion graphics, and illustration.
- Must be able to submit a portfolio showing both student and any previous internship work.
Additional Information
This position is expected to start around August or September 2022 and continue through the entire Fall term (i.e. through December/January) or into early Spring 2022 if available. They ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time, for most internships. Please consider before submitting an application.
For International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week. Many students will be limited to part-time depending on their academic standing.
#9 Graphic Design Intern at Feeding Children Everywhere
Location: Remote
As FCE’s Graphic Design intern, you’ll help develop the branding and visuals featured on their online platforms. From creating imagery for print to designing graphics for social media and web, this position gives you the opportunity to expand their brand through many different platforms.
This internship is ideal for skilled graphic designers who are looking to learn and be challenged by a highly creative work environment, all while building a killer portfolio.
FCE is a mission-based business, and if you’re passionate about helping others while developing yourself as a professional, they want you on their team!
Main tasks include:
- Print Materials
- Postcards
- Flyers
- One pagers
- Booklets
- Social Media Graphics for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin
- E-blast Imagery
- Compelling images sent to thousands of subscribers
- Campaign Elements
- Any elements needed for a mailing or digital campaign
Minimum Requirements
- You need to have the skills: Extremely proficient in Adobe suite, specifically Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.
- You need to have a creative flair: Strong design style and a portfolio showcasing it! (Required)
- You need to pay attention to details : Highly attentive to detail, organized and thorough
- You can hold your own: You are a quick problem solver and can work independently
- You can joggle: Ability to juggle multiple projects and organize many moving parts
Essential Physical Skills
- Acceptable eyesight (with or without correction)
- Ability to communicate both orally and in writing
- Acceptable hearing (with or without hearing aid)
- Grabbing, sitting, holding, writing, drawing
- Ability to operate a computer and other technology-based design tools
#10 Graphic Design Internship at Red Hat Software
Location: Remote
The Red Hat Internal Communications and Creative team is looking for a creative, passionate individual who is ready to join them as a Graphic Design Intern and learn within an innovative and dynamic company.
In this role, you will work in an environment where diverse perspectives are invited, the best ideas are valued, and people feel empowered to contribute. Freedom and courage are two of their core values, which is why you need to be comfortable taking risks and exploring the unknown. You will be responsible for using design to solve business problems, simplifying and telling complex stories, and communicating Red Hat’s culture.
This is an opportunity to work with a creative and fun team that is constantly thinking of new ways to share their unique culture, attract top talent, and help deliver a great associate experience.
Required Skills
- Ability to work full time May-August
- Currently pursuing a degree; if you have graduated, be no more than 6 months past your graduation date
- Knowledge of Google Drive
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to tell an engaging story visually
- Typography skills, including a sense of composition, scale, pacing, and color
- Ability to explain design decisions
- Experience in Adobe Creative Suite applications
- Experience designing for web platforms
- Familiar with designing and prototyping in UX/UI software like Adobe XD, Invision, Sketch, or Principle
- Visualizing design ideas using storyboards, and lo-fi and hi-fi wireframes
- Research on best web design practices
- Visualizing ideas during research and ideation stage
The following are considered a plus:
- Passion for open source and working collaboratively
- Detail-oriented with great file organization skills
- Ability to manage your time
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- International experience
- Presenting designs well, visually and verbally
- Basic knowledge of Javascript
- Experience in web development or building websites
#11 Integrated Design Intern at InTouch Solutions
Location: United States (Remote)
At Intouch, you’ll discover what it’s like to turn your passion into practice. Putting your experience to work — from Account to Creative to Development and beyond. As an Intouch intern, you’ll work on real projects with actual clients, so you can grow your enthusiasm and experience right along with them.
Each year, Intouch brings in the best and the brightest for a 10-week intensive program. Intouch interns receive hands-on experience under the guidance and mentorship of their supervisor while taking part in a highly collaborative project with their fellow interns, where they solve a real business problem as a team. The 2022 internship program will be fully virtual and will run from June 7-August 13.
With a strong eye for details and a mix of creative and technological skills, the Integrated Design team partners with other creatives to take projects across the finish line.
An Integrated Design intern will bring to life, complex or simple creative ideas, creating a wide range of marketing collateral including visual products, newsletters, banner ads, emails, websites, digital apps, and various printed materials. The result? Projects that deserve a gold medal.
Qualifications
• Experience using creative software such as Sketch, Photoshop, InDesign, etc.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to multi-task
• High attention to detail
#12 Design Internship at NetJumps International
Location: Murrieta, CA (On-site)
NetJumps International is seeking a paid graphic design intern to work on-site, part-time for 3 months at 20+ hours per week.
Hours are flexible and the experience invaluable! Beef up your resume with this incredible opportunity to work with experienced professionals at an established design agency.
Requirements
- Available 2-3 days per week part time or equivalent.
- A great attitude and sense of humor.
- Exceptional skills in graphic design.
- Experience creating designs that work responsively a plus.
- Effective communication skills across all levels of an organization — from individual contributors to department heads.
- Solid communicator, great on keeping key stakeholders and others posted with appropriate levels of detail in a timely manner; speaks and writes clearly and concisely.
Conclusion
Graphic design is an exciting and challenging field to get into, but yet very fulfilling for creative thinkers. If you’re thinking of launching your career in this creative field, then an internship is the way to go.