Startup Lab 2026: Graphic Design Summer Associate

Job Description

Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION

As a Graphic Design Summer Associate at Startup Lab, you will work as part of an in-house creative agency and be responsible for delivering professional, high-impact visual designs that bring startup ideas to life. Your primary role will be to transform the visual side of startup teams' rough concepts, wireframes, and prototypes into elegant, polished designs that captivate users and make their products irresistible.

You will:

• Work with different startup teams to come up with ideas for products and/or services.
• Collaborate with the teams to name products and startups; advise from perspective of design.
• Analyze market trends and do market research to target the preferences that will resonate with users.
• Design logos—logomark, logotype, and lockups—for the teams' various products and startups.
• Deliver a visual identity handbook for assigned teams.
• Design icons, screens, and other visual assets for the UIs of the products.
• Collaborate with the teams to design memorable websites for each startup.
• Work with startup team members to refine the look of the products.
• Translate startup teams' wireframes into polished, visually stunning UI designs consistent with the solution's visual identity.
• Assist with the testing and QA of the products/services, especially from the design perspective.
• Help the teams prepare for their Pitch Day Demos and the Demo Days Demos.
• Work with the teams to design their pitch day and demo days decks and other marketing materials.

QUALIFICATIONS

• You should be pursuing or have recently completed a Bachelor's degree in graphic design, UI design or HCI from an art school or a top-tier university/college, or able to demonstrate significant professional work experience.
• You should have already taken the Visual Identity/Branding class.
• You must have a strong design portfolio.
• It is a strong plus if you have UI design work experience and/or animation, video, or interaction design experience.
• You should be entrepreneurial-minded, i.e., you're a self-starter with a bias toward action.
• You should possess excellent organizational skills.
• You must be open minded. You know what you don't know and are open to learning new things.
• You must practice empathy.
• You must be comfortable in a fast paced and dynamic work environment
• You must have great interpersonal and communication skills
• You must be fully available—onsite—from 1 June 2026 through 28 August 2026.

COMPENSATION & PERKS

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Opportunities for travel
• Social and team-building events
• Fully stocked kitchen with assorted drinks & snacks
• Professional development through mentors, training, and networking
• Future opportunities—simplified pathway to employment