When hiring a graphic designer, technical skills are just part of the equation. You need someone who can translate brand vision into visual reality, communicate effectively with clients, meet deadlines under pressure, and handle revisions with grace. That's where a thorough reference check becomes invaluable.

This Graphic Designer Reference Check Form is built specifically for creative agencies, design studios, marketing teams, and businesses hiring visual talent. Instead of generic employment verification questions, it digs into the qualities that actually predict success in design roles: creative problem-solving, brand thinking, collaboration, and professional reliability.

The form walks references through key performance areas including creative quality and originality, client communication skills, deadline and time management, brand understanding and strategic thinking, and revision handling. You'll also capture specific project examples, work style insights, and candid assessments of strengths and areas for improvement.

Paperform makes reference checking faster and more consistent. References can complete the form on any device, at their convenience. Conditional logic adapts questions based on their responses, and you can set up automated email notifications when new references come in. All responses are collected in one place, making it easy to compare feedback across multiple references and spot patterns.

For agencies managing multiple candidates, you can duplicate this template for each role, customize the questions for different seniority levels, and even connect responses to your ATS or Stepper to automatically trigger next steps in your hiring workflow—like scheduling final interviews when all references are complete.

Whether you're hiring your first designer or building out a creative team, this template helps you move beyond surface-level verification and gather the insights that actually matter for creative roles.