Job Titles x WTF!

Design job titles can be confusing. We get it.

We’re breaking it down—no fluff, no jargon. Just a straight-up look at what different roles in the design industry actually do every day. Whether you’re figuring out where you fit or just curious about what everyone else is up to, this is your guide.

Junior Designer • Midweight Designer • Senior Designer
Animation Designer • Illustrator • Creative Director •  UI/UX Designer

A day in the life of a Junior Designer.

Morning: Start the day with emails, project updates, and a stand-up meeting. Junior Designers juggle multiple tasks, so reviewing priorities is key. Mornings might involve refining layouts, selecting typography, or preparing assets. And remember—being on time means arriving 5–15 minutes early.

Mid-Morning: With a clear to-do list, dive into your work—tweaking presentations, developing graphics, or assisting on projects. Collaboration is key, so expect feedback from midweight and Senior Designers. Not sure what to do next? Your secret weapon: "Is there anything I can help with?"

Lunch Break: Step away from the screen, recharge, and connect with the team. Some days, it’s a quick desk lunch; other times, it’s an opportunity to get inspired by design trends. Remember—it’s not just about your work, but the value you add. Got downtime? Build a moodboard for an upcoming project.

Afternoon: Back to your desk, turning concepts into final designs—website mockups, packaging, or print layouts. Client reviews or internal critiques refine the work. Feedback is part of the process—don’t take it personally. You are not your work!

End of Day: Wrap up, organize files, and check off tasks. The final stretch might involve edits, prepping files for print, or sharpening your design skills. Before logging off, reflect on what you’ve learned and what’s next.

Key Skills: Attention to detail, creativity, adaptability.
Best Part: Seeing designs come to life and constantly learning.
Hard Part: Balancing multiple projects while refining your skills.

A day in the life of a Midweight Designer.

Morning: Start with emails, project updates, and checking in on timelines. Midweight Designers manage their own projects while supporting juniors and collaborating with seniors. Mornings often involve refining concepts, problem-solving design challenges, or preparing work for internal reviews. You’re no longer just executing—you’re thinking strategically.

Mid-Morning: Deep work mode. Whether you’re designing a campaign, refining branding assets, or preparing pitch decks, your role is about elevating the details. You might be mentoring a junior, leading a creative review, or presenting your ideas to the team. Proactively managing your workload is key.

Lunch Break: A chance to recharge and step back from the screen. Some days, it's about catching up with colleagues; other days, it's time to research trends or seek inspiration. As a Midweight, you should also be thinking ahead—how can you bring fresh ideas to your projects?

Afternoon: Time to push projects forward. This could mean finalizing designs for client presentations, collaborating with developers on a website, or working with production teams on print assets. Feedback is still part of the process, but now, you’re also expected to give it—constructively and confidently.

End of Day: Review what’s been completed, send updates, and ensure files are tidy for the next steps. You might be refining project timelines, prepping for an upcoming meeting, or experimenting with new design techniques. Midweights bridge the gap between execution and leadership, so staying sharp is key.

Key Skills: Problem-solving, time management, conceptual thinking.
Best Part: Ownership, more influence, and bigger creative challenges.
Hard Part: Balancing creative exploration with practical execution.

A day in the life of a Senior Designer.

Morning: You’ve barely sipped your coffee, and the day is already in full swing. Emails, Slack pings, project updates—check. A quick catch-up with the team—done. As a Senior Designer, you’re balancing your own creative work while guiding juniors and midweights. Your morning might include reviewing designs, refining concepts, or jumping into a client call where you somehow become the designated spokesperson.

Mid-Morning: Deep work time—unless, of course, someone needs feedback (spoiler: someone always needs feedback). You’re either shaping a big campaign, crafting key visuals, or figuring out how to push a project from good to great. You know how to handle creative roadblocks, and your art direction skills are sharp. You also probably have a signature move, like dramatically tilting your chair back when brainstorming.

Lunch Break: A rare moment to unplug—unless there’s an urgent deadline, in which case lunch is whatever’s closest to your desk. But ideally, this is time to recharge, catch up with the team, or scroll through design inspiration while convincing yourself it’s "research."

Afternoon: Meetings, presentations, and design refinements—this is when the magic happens. You’re giving creative direction, overseeing final touches, and making sure everything stays on-brand. You’re also mentoring juniors, which means delivering feedback in a way that’s both constructive and only mildly terrifying.

End of Day: Tying up loose ends, ensuring files are in order, and sending final approvals. If it's been a long day, you might even stare blankly at your screen for five minutes before realizing you never actually saved that last file. Before logging off, there’s time to reflect on what went well, what needs tweaking, and how to make tomorrow even better.

Key Skills: Art direction, leadership, creative problem-solving.
Best Part: Seeing your vision come to life and mentoring the next generation of designers.
Hard Part: Balancing creative integrity with client expectations (and resisting the urge to redo everything yourself).

Interviews about working as a Junior and Midweight Designer

A day in the life of a Animation Designer.

Morning: Fire up the laptop, check emails, and stare at Slack notifications for a minute before diving in. A morning stand-up with the team means catching up on projects, sharing progress, and pretending you totally didn’t stay up watching animation breakdowns until 2 AM. Then, it's straight into motion mode—refining keyframes, finessing transitions, and making sure nothing looks too robotic.

Mid-Morning: Deep work time. After Effects, Cinema 4D, or Blender are open, coffee is within reach, and it's all about making things move. Whether it’s a slick brand animation, a looping GIF, or an experimental motion sequence, this is the golden hour of creativity. Also, why does that one easing curve still look weird?

Lunch Break: Time to step away from the screen before your eyeballs turn into pixels. Some days, it’s a much-needed recharge; other days, it's a team lunch filled with hot takes on the latest animated film, game trailer, or whatever mind-blowing motion piece just dropped.

Afternoon: Back to animating, refining timing, and troubleshooting that one transition that refuses to look good. Feedback rolls in—sometimes it’s a tiny tweak, sometimes it’s a “let’s completely rework this” moment (silently screams but remains professional). If rendering takes forever, it's the perfect excuse for a snack break.

End of Day: Final touches, file clean-up, and hitting render (aka, praying nothing crashes). The last stretch might include testing out a new plug-in, finding inspiration for the next project, or just watching an unhealthy amount of motion reels before calling it a day.

Key Skills: Timing, patience, problem-solving (and knowing when to walk away from a stubborn keyframe).
Best Part: Watching your designs come to life.
Hard Part: Rendering. Just… rendering.

Interviews about working as an Animation Designer

A day in the life of an Illustrator

Morning: Coffee? Check. Sketchbook? Check. Existential crisis about which brush to use? Also check. The day starts with emails, project updates, and possibly a quick scroll through Pinterest or Behance for inspiration (it’s research, okay?). Depending on the workload, mornings might be spent sketching rough concepts, finalizing client illustrations, or making tiny adjustments that no one will notice, but you will absolutely obsess over.

Mid-Morning: Time to get into the flow. Whether it's editorial illustrations, branding assets, or a full-blown mural, the tablet is out, Procreate or Photoshop is open, and it’s all about bringing ideas to life. This could mean refining linework, experimenting with textures, or adjusting colors for the hundredth time. If it's a client project, there’s probably a round of feedback coming soon (deep breath).

Lunch Break: A chance to step away from the screen (or sketchbook) and give the wrist a break. Some days, it's a quick meal while watching an art process video; other days, it’s grabbing lunch outside and getting inspired by the world around you—street signs, patterns, people-watching, that one weird pigeon.

Afternoon: Back to illustrating (or drawing, there's a difference). If it’s a deadline-heavy day, it’s all about refining and exporting files. If there’s time to experiment, maybe it’s testing a new brush set, working on a personal project, or tackling a new illustration challenge. There might be client revisions—some minor, some that make you question everything. But hey, it’s all part of the process.

End of Day: Final touch-ups, organizing layers (because future-you will thank you), and sending off completed work. Before logging off, there’s time to sketch just for fun, research a new technique, or fall down an internet rabbit hole of obscure vintage posters. Then, it's time to close the tablet, step away, and not keep working on personal projects until midnight.

Key Skills: Patience, attention to detail, adaptability.
Best Part: Seeing your illustrations out in the world.
Hard Part: That one client who keeps saying, "It's just not there yet..."

Interviews about working as an Illustrator

A day in the life of an Creative Director

Morning: The day starts with a team stand-up, reviewing priorities, and ensuring projects are on track. A Creative Director balances overseeing multiple projects while aligning creative strategy with business goals. Mornings often include reviewing briefs, refining concepts, and providing direction to designers, copywriters, and strategists. There’s also time spent liaising with clients, ensuring expectations and deliverables are clear.

Mid-Morning: Meetings take up a significant part of the role—whether it’s brainstorming sessions, creative reviews, or discussions with stakeholders. This is when ideas are evaluated, refined, and shaped into something strategically sound and visually compelling. A strong understanding of branding, messaging, and user experience is essential.

Lunch Break: A rare window to step away from the desk. Some Creative Directors use this time to stay updated on design trends, industry news, or even review reference material for upcoming projects. More often, it’s used for networking, catching up with peers, or a quick reset before the afternoon picks up.

Afternoon: Time to make decisions. This could mean reviewing high-level creative work, signing off on concepts, and ensuring consistency across all brand touchpoints. Managing the team is a key focus—mentoring designers, providing constructive feedback, and ensuring work aligns with brand and business objectives. There’s also collaboration with production teams to refine final deliverables.

End of Day: Wrapping up final reviews, checking in with project managers, and ensuring deadlines are met. A Creative Director’s role is both creative and strategic—balancing visionary thinking with execution. Before logging off, there’s time to reflect on the day’s progress and set priorities for tomorrow.

Key Skills: Leadership, strategic thinking, brand development, communication.
Best Part: Shaping creative and leading a talented team.
Hard Part: Managing expectations from both clients and internal teams while balancing creativity and business needs.

Interviews about working as a Creative Director