Careers in Design

By Willy Franzen

Looking for an entry level job or internship in design? This is an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have relevant entry level and internship opportunities.

Photo Credit: Flickr user DeaPeaJay (CC-BY-SA)

Design deals with the art and aesthetics of making things attractive to others. Many companies employ designers in order to make their product and brand beautiful and to put their best face forward to consumers. Because of this a designer can work in almost any industry, but almost all of them specialize in a specific area. A few major areas a designer might specialize in include:

Web design, creating beautiful and functional websites for users to interact wtih
Game design, creating games of all sorts
Product design, creating new products and prototypes
Graphic design, creating graphics, logos, and layouts
Interior design, making a room or the interior of a building look aesthetically pleasing
Fashion design, creating clothing that may find its way to clothing racks

To get started in design, learn the tools of the design trade you want to work in. For graphic design, for example, learn how to use graphic design programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. You also need a strong portfolio and for many positions a degree in design, art, or a related field.

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Design

Lua - Lua is an NYC based company focused on “empowering mobile workforces by giving them access to the people and information they need to get the job done."

See the complete Lua profile

The Institute for Humane Studies - The IHS is an Arlington, VA based organization that “advances a freer society by discovering and facilitating the development of people who share an interest in liberty.”

See the complete The Institute for Humane Studies profile

CompStak - CompStak is based in NYC and creating "transparency in commercial real estate by gathering information that is hard to find, difficult to compile or otherwise unavailable.”

See the complete CompStak profile

Victorious - Victorious is a Santa Monica, CA based startup that is “motivated by the challenge of powering and uniting the world’s most creative communities.”

See the complete Victorious profile

Sprout Social - Sprout Social is a Chicago, IL based company that offers “a management and egnagement platform for social business.”

See the complete Sprout Social profile

Emerge Media - Emerge Media is a Chicago, IL based company that is “taking on the essential roots of everyday tasks and breathing real life into the technology behind them.”

See the complete Emerge Media profile

BustedTees - BustedTees is a New York, NY based t-shirt company that was started by the same team as CollegeHumor.

See the complete BustedTees profile

Chalkfly - Chalkfly is a Detroit, MI based office supply startup that provides “the supplies you need to do your best work.”

See the complete Chalkfly profile

Piece & Co. - Piece & Co. is a Chicago based social enterprise that partners with fashion/retail brands to have female artisans "create beautiful, handmade products and accessories."

See the complete Piece & Co. profile

ArtStream - ArtStream is a DC based non-profit “whose mission is to create artistic opportunities for individuals in communities traditionally under-served by the arts.”

See the complete ArtStream profile

GuideSpark - GuideSpark is a Menlo Park, CA based company that offers a “robust employee communications platform” to make HR's job easier.

See the complete GuideSpark profile

SumAll - SumAll is a New York, NY based company that allows “you to see all your information in one place and provide you visibility into the past, present, and future.”

See the complete SumAll profile

WPromote - WPromote is an El Segundo, CA based company that calls itself “the country’s leading Online Marketing firm." They help clients with SEO, PPC, and Social Media.

See the complete WPromote profile

Noom - Noom is an NYC based company that makes healthy living easy by using "cutting-edge technology to accurately monitor your progress and provide expert advice and analysis."

See the complete Noom profile

eponym - eponym is a company based in Brooklyn, NY that helps "the world’s most exciting brands create and distribute their own eyewear.”

See the complete eponym profile

Kitchensurfing - Kitchensurfing is an NYC based company that matches “up chefs and people who need a cook at high and low price points and for a variety of types of engagements."

See the complete Kitchensurfing profile

Spatial - Spatial is a Broomfield, CO based company that is “the leading provider of 3D components for technical application development across a broad range of industries.”

See the complete Spatial profile

Team Detroit - Team Detroit is an ad agency that in 2006 brought together parts of five legendary agencies that were under the same ownership and already working with Ford.

See the complete Team Detroit profile

RelayRides - RelayRides is a San Francisco, CA based company that connects “vehicle owners whose cars would otherwise be idle with people who need a car.”

See the complete RelayRides profile

Optoro - Optoro is a Washington, DC based company that “unleashes hidden revenue for retailers and creates value for shoppers” by helping businesses with “reverse logistics.”

See the complete Optoro profile

Northstar Travel Media - Northstar Travel Media is a Secaucus, NJ based “business information and marketing solutions provider to the $300 billion U.S. travel, tourism and meetings industries.”

See the complete Northstar Travel Media profile

Advanced Telemetry Systems - Advanced Telemetry Systems is an Isanti, MN based company that provides "researchers and managers in ecology and biology with animal tracking and monitoring products."

See the complete Advanced Telemetry Systems profile

Fever - Fever is a New York, NY and Madrid, Spain based startup social network that is “changing the way people make plans.”

See the complete Fever profile

StyleCaster Media Group - StyleCaster Media Group is based in NYC and aims “to bring style to the people, empowering millions of readers to discover and share their style.”

See the complete StyleCaster Media Group profile

AlphaSights - AlphaSights is a New York, NY based company that provides “today’s investors, deal-makers and corporate strategists with access to the knowledge they need to succeed.”

See the complete AlphaSights profile

Mason Zimbler - Mason Zimbler is an Austin, TX based “integrated agency rooted in the digital space” that combines “a love of creative” with a “desire for results.”

See the complete Mason Zimbler profile

Blinds.com - Blinds.com is a Houston, TX based company that is “the world’s largest online window covering store.”

See the complete Blinds.com profile

WONGDOODY - WONGDOODY is based in Seattle, WA and “is the most awarded independent advertising agency on the West Coast.”

See the complete WONGDOODY profile

Xamarin - Xamarin is a San Francisco, CA based company allows developers to write “apps entirely in C#, sharing the same code on iOS, Android, Windows and Mac.”

See the complete Xamarin profile

Lands’ End - Lands' End is a Dodgeville, WI based "international apparel brand synonymous with timeless American style.”

See the complete Lands’ End profile

Luminate - A lot of companies have put ads alongside images, but Luminate is a Mountain View, CA based company that is putting them in the actual images.

See the complete Luminate profile

Square Root - Square Root is an Austin, TX based company that has developed “a single platform to improve operations and performance throughout franchise networks.”

See the complete Square Root profile

Trefis - Trefis is a Boston, MA based company that has developed a set of tools that “helps you understand how a company’s products impact its stock price.”

See the complete Trefis profile

Betaworks - Betaworks is an NYC company that works "to create beneficial and transformative products for the socially connected world.”

See the complete Betaworks profile

Sojern - Sojern is based in San Francisco and has developed a travel-focused “robust audience engagement platform [that] is powered by machine-learning technology."

See the complete Sojern profile

Tradesy - Tradesy is a Santa Monica, CA based marketplace for new and gently used fashion that can “turn your closet into cash.”

See the complete Tradesy profile

Gameloft - Gameloft is a New York, NY based company that allows its “fans to play games anywhere, anytime, and on any digital platform.”

See the complete Gameloft profile

Ahalogy - Ahalogy is a Cincinnati, OH based company that is “pioneering the science of discovery on Pinterest.”

See the complete Ahalogy profile

Liferay - Liferay is a Diamond Bar, CA based company that helps clients “build modern websites and portals to engage customers, partners, and employees.”

See the complete Liferay profile

Wanderful Media - Wanderful Media, based in Los Gatos, CA, is aiming “to transform the $4 billion business of traditional advertising circulars through digital innovation."

See the complete Wanderful Media profile

K2M - K2M is based in Leesburg, VA and develops “technological innovations which enable surgeons to more effectively treat the world’s most complex spinal disorders.”

See the complete K2M profile

Houzz - Houzz is a Palo Alto, CA based company that offers “a collaborative platform for home remodeling and design."

See the complete Houzz profile

TVI - TVI is a New York, NY based “award winning digital agency that designs leading brand experiences."

See the complete TVI profile

Targeted Victory - Targeted Victory is an Alexandria, VA based agency that has “anchored digital campaigns on the local, state, and presidential level.”

See the complete Targeted Victory profile

Shapeways - Shapeways is a New York, NY based company that has built “the world’s leading 3D Printing marketplace and community.”

See the complete Shapeways profile

GoPro - GoPro is a San Mateo, CA based company that has built a huge business by offering “the world’s most versatile camera.”

See the complete GoPro profile

Limeade - Limeade is a Bellevue, WA based company that is aiming to “measurably improve well-being in the world through happy, healthy, high-performing workforces.”

See the complete Limeade profile

Kids II - Kids II is based in Atlanta, GA and has “been inventing and reinventing baby toys and gear for over 40 years.”

See the complete Kids II profile

FATHOM - FATHOM is an Oakland, CA studio that uses its “expertise in 3D printing and additive manufacturing to help customers innovate faster and more efficiently.”

See the complete FATHOM profile

American Conservatory Theater - American Conservatory Theater is a San Francisco based non-profit that aims to "renew, and reinvent the rich theatrical traditions that are our collective legacy."

See the complete American Conservatory Theater profile

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Careers in Design

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Design

See more companies with entry level jobs and internships in design: