Graphic Designer Cover Letter Examples
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
A graphic designer cover letter has one job: get the reader to open your portfolio and look at the right pieces first. Creative directors and design managers decide on the work, so the letter names two or three projects that match the posting, says what you did on each and what happened after it shipped to print or went live, and puts the portfolio link where nobody has to hunt for it.
The graphic design cover letter examples below cover three situations: a recent graduate applying for a junior in house role, a mid level designer moving from an agency to a brand team, and a senior designer applying to lead a small team. Each paragraph is annotated. Cover letters for graphic design read best when they sound like a short briefing on your work, not a statement about your passion for design. Some employers and agencies ask for a graphic designer covering letter or an application letter; it is the same document under another name, and the examples below work for any of those requests. Our graphic designer resume page shows the matching resume.
Complete graphic designer cover letters, annotated
Recent graduate, junior in house role
A design graduate with one internship applying for a junior graphic designer role on the in house team of a regional grocery chain.
Dear Ms. Albright,
I am applying for the junior graphic designer position on your in house creative team. I graduated in May with a BFA in graphic design, I completed a summer internship at a packaging studio, and my portfolio is at jordanpark.design, with the three pieces most relevant to retail design at the top.
Degree, internship and the portfolio link in the first paragraph, with a pointer to the most relevant pieces. A design manager can open the right work in one click.
At the packaging studio I prepared print ready files for a line of private label snacks, built the dielines for two box sizes and corrected color proofs with the printer. I learned that most of the job is getting files right for production, and I now check bleed, fonts and color profiles before anything leaves my screen.
Production detail is what juniors are hired for. Dielines, proofs, bleed and color profiles show she can be trusted with files that go to a printer.
My senior thesis was a full rebrand for a farmers market, covering the logo, signage, weekly flyer template and social posts. The market still uses the flyer template each week, which taught me to design systems that someone else can update without breaking them. That is the kind of work I see in your weekly circulars and store signage.
One project described as a system that is still in use, connected directly to the employer's own work. That shows research without a paragraph about loving the brand.
I work in Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop every day and I am comfortable in Figma for social and web assets. I take feedback well and I would welcome the chance to show you the work in person.
Software named plainly, one honest line about feedback, and a close that points back to the portfolio rather than repeating the letter.
Best regards, Jordan Park
Agency designer moving to a brand team
A graphic designer with five years at a mid size agency applying for a brand designer role at a software company.
Dear Mr. Castellanos,
I am applying for the brand designer position. I have spent five years as a graphic designer at a mid size agency, working on identity, campaign and web projects for clients in healthcare, education and consumer goods. My portfolio is at mayaokafor.com and the case studies for the brand refresh and the product launch campaign are the two closest to this role.
Years, setting and sectors up front, then two named case studies and the link. The reader knows which pieces to open before reaching paragraph two.
On the healthcare brand refresh I designed the new identity system with our art director, wrote the brand guidelines and built templates for presentations, email and social that the client's marketing team still uses. For the product launch campaign I designed the print, out of home and digital ads across nine sizes and handed off animation specs to our motion designer.
Each project names her role, the deliverables and what is still in use. Brand guidelines and templates are exactly what an in house brand team maintains.
I want to move in house because I would like to stay with one brand long enough to see how it grows, rather than handing it over after launch. Your team's recent work on the product illustration style stood out to me, and I have built a similar illustration library for one of our education clients.
A clear reason for leaving agency life that does not criticize the agency, followed by a specific detail from the employer's own work. Both answer the interview question early.
I am fluent in the Adobe suite and Figma, and I have worked closely with copywriters, marketers and web teams on tight deadlines. I would be glad to walk you through the case studies.
Tools and collaborators named in one line. In house designers work with many departments, so cross team work is worth a sentence.
Best regards, Maya Okafor
Senior designer applying to lead a team
A senior graphic designer with ten years of experience applying for a design lead role managing three designers at a nonprofit.
Dear Ms. Whitaker,
I am applying for the design lead position. I have ten years of experience as a graphic designer, the last four as senior designer on the in house team of a national health charity, where I set the visual direction for our annual campaign and mentor two junior designers. My portfolio, including the campaign and the annual report, is at danielreyes.studio.
Years, current role and the leadership he already does, with the two most relevant portfolio pieces named. The hiring panel sees senior experience and a link to judge it.
Each year I lead the design of our main fundraising campaign across direct mail, print, video thumbnails, web and events. I set the art direction, brief our freelance photographers and illustrators, and review every piece before it goes out. Last year I also redesigned our annual report as a shorter printed piece with a full web version, which cut printing and mailing work for the whole team.
Art direction across channels and briefing freelancers show the scope of a lead role. The annual report change is described by what it saved the team, not by awards.
I already run our design review each week and I built the shared component library our team uses in Figma, which means new designers can produce on brand work in their first month. I would like to make that the main part of my job: hiring, reviewing and making sure three designers can do their best work.
Design review and a component library show he already builds systems for other designers. Stating that he wants to manage answers the question every panel asks of senior makers.
Your organization's work on food access is close to the causes I have designed for, and I would welcome the chance to discuss how I would lead the team.
A short close linking the mission to his past work. At nonprofits, fit with the cause is a real hiring factor and one sentence is enough.
Best regards, Daniel Reyes
What each paragraph has to do
Open with the role, your level and the portfolio link
The first paragraph names the position, your years and setting, and the link to your portfolio, with a pointer to the two or three pieces most relevant to this job. The reader decides on the work, so make it one click away.
- The exact job title from the posting.
- Your experience in one line: years, agency, in house or freelance.
- The portfolio link and the pieces to look at first.
Walk through two projects: your role, the deliverables, what happened next
The middle paragraphs are short project briefs. For each one say what you did, what you delivered and what happened after: the template still in use, the campaign that ran in nine sizes, the files that went to print without corrections. Be clear about what was yours when you worked with an art director or a team.
Connect to their work, then close
Mention one specific thing about the employer's design: a campaign, a packaging range, an illustration style. Then list your tools in one line and close by offering to walk through the work.
Opening lines that fit your situation
You are self taught with no design degree: I am a self taught graphic designer with three years of freelance work for local restaurants and small shops, and my portfolio at the top of this letter shows the menus and signage I designed.
Design managers hire on the portfolio, so leading with paid client work and the link makes the missing degree a minor detail.
You are moving from print to digital design: I have spent six years designing print catalogs and packaging, and over the last year I have designed email templates and web banners in Figma for two of our clients.
Naming recent digital work, however small, shows the move has already started and that the print skills come with you.
You are a freelancer applying for a staff role: After four years as a freelance graphic designer working with ten repeat clients, I am applying for the staff designer role because I want to build one brand over time.
Repeat clients prove reliability, and a clear reason for going in house answers the worry that you will leave for freelance work again.
The posting asks for a covering letter and portfolio by email: Please find my covering letter and portfolio attached for the graphic designer role; the two packaging projects on pages three and four are closest to your brief.
A covering letter sent by email is read in the preview pane, so naming the attachments and the pages to open first saves the reader a click and a guess.
You were referred by someone on the team: Priya Natarajan on your design team suggested I apply for the junior graphic designer role after reviewing my packaging work at the portfolio night in March.
A named referral and a moment where they saw your work get the letter read with more attention than an unsolicited application.
Phrases to cut
Instead of: I have been passionate about design since I was young.
I designed the farmers market rebrand for my senior thesis, and the market still uses the weekly flyer template I built.
Instead of: I have a great eye for detail.
I check bleed, fonts and color profiles on every file before it goes to the printer, and my files go to print without corrections.
Instead of: I think outside the box.
I redesigned our annual report as a shorter printed piece with a full web version, which cut the printing and mailing work for the team.
Instead of: I am proficient in all design software.
I work in Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop every day and use Figma for social, email and web assets.
Instead of: My creativity would add value to your brand.
Your product illustration style stood out to me, and I built a similar illustration library for one of our education clients.
Mistakes that cost interviews
- Hiding the portfolio link at the end of the letter or leaving it out, when the work is what the reader is deciding on.
- Describing a design philosophy instead of two or three real projects with your role and the result.
- Taking credit for a whole team project without saying what part was yours, which a portfolio review will expose.
- Designing the cover letter itself with heavy graphics that an applicant tracking system cannot read. Keep the letter plain and let the portfolio carry the visuals.
- Sending the same letter and portfolio order to every employer instead of putting the most relevant pieces first.
Frequently asked questions
What should a graphic designer cover letter include?
The job title, your years and setting, your portfolio link with the most relevant pieces named, two short project descriptions with your role and the result, one detail about the employer's own design work, your tools and a short close offering to walk through the portfolio.
How do I write a graphic design cover letter with no experience?
Lead with your best school, internship or personal projects and the portfolio link. Describe one project as a brief: the problem, what you designed and whether it was used. Name your software and mention production skills like preparing print ready files, which junior designers are often hired for.
Should my graphic designer cover letter be designed?
A matching header with your name and portfolio link is fine, but keep the body plain text in a readable font. Many employers use applicant tracking systems that read text, not graphics. Your portfolio is where the visual work belongs, and the letter should send the reader there.
How long should cover letters for graphic design jobs be?
One page, three or four short paragraphs, usually under four hundred words. Creative directors read quickly and want to get to the portfolio. Two project descriptions with your role and a result are worth more than a full page about your approach to design.
Is an application letter for a graphic designer different from a cover letter?
There is no real difference. Application letter is common in international and public sector postings, and covering letter is the older, more British name some studios still use. Write it the same way: the role, your level, the portfolio link, two short project briefs and a close. Match the term the posting uses in your subject line.
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