Swoon is hiring a Graphic Designer for a fully remote, six-month contract role based out of New York. The position focuses heavily on presentation design, executive communications, and brand storytelling. Before you apply, it helps to know exactly what skills the company expects you to bring to the table.
Overview of the Role
This is not a generalist graphic design position. Swoon needs someone who lives and breathes presentations. You will work Monday through Friday during standard business hours, partnering with sales, marketing, and leadership teams across the organization.
The deliverables range from client-facing decks to keynote-level event materials. You will also support occasional projects like infographics and branded marketing collateral. A portfolio is required to move forward in the hiring process.
Technical Skills You Need
PowerPoint and Google Slides Mastery
Advanced expertise in PowerPoint and Google Slides sits at the very top of the requirements list. This goes far beyond knowing how to drop text into a slide. Swoon expects you to build scalable templates, maintain visual systems, and produce polished decks under tight deadlines.
You should know how to use master slide layouts, custom animations, and smart formatting features. Consistency across large presentations is a skill many designers underestimate. Swoon needs someone who can build systems, not just one-off slides.
Typography and Layout Skills
Exceptional typography and layout ability is explicitly called out in the job description. This means understanding type hierarchy, spacing, kerning, and how fonts communicate brand personality. Poor typography can undermine even the most data-rich presentation.
- Select typefaces that match brand guidelines
- Create readable layouts for dense data and research
- Apply consistent visual hierarchy across all slides
- Balance white space with content effectively
Data Visualization
A core responsibility involves transforming complex data, research, and marketing strategies into visual narratives. Charts, graphs, and infographics must communicate clearly and quickly. Raw numbers on a slide do not tell a story. Your job is to make them do exactly that.
Familiarity with tools that support data visualization is a plus. However, most of this work will happen directly inside PowerPoint and Google Slides. Knowing how to make native charts look polished is critical.
Design Asset Management
Swoon expects the designer to create and maintain icon libraries, visual systems, and reusable design assets. This requires organizational discipline. You need to build resources that other designers and stakeholders can actually use without breaking the brand.
- Organize asset libraries for easy team access
- Develop scalable templates for different presentation types
- Document design systems clearly for collaborators
Supporting Design Tools
While PowerPoint and Google Slides are the primary platforms, proficiency in tools like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Figma will strengthen your application. Some supporting materials, including infographics and branded collateral, may require these tools. Staying current on emerging design software also signals that you are a proactive professional.
Soft Skills That Matter at Swoon
Visual Storytelling
Visual storytelling is listed as a defining skill for this role. You are not just making things look good. You are helping executives communicate ideas to clients, investors, and large audiences. Every design choice, from color to layout, must serve the narrative.
Strong storytellers understand their audience before they open a design file. Ask what the presentation needs to accomplish, not just what it needs to look like. That mindset separates great presentation designers from average ones.
Collaboration and Communication
This role requires you to work across multiple departments. Marketing, sales, product, and leadership teams will all bring you briefs with different priorities. Navigating those relationships without losing design quality is a real skill.
- Listen actively during stakeholder briefings
- Communicate design decisions clearly and confidently
- Give and receive constructive feedback professionally
- Manage expectations when timelines are tight
Attention to Detail
A misaligned icon or inconsistent font weight on an executive keynote deck can be embarrassing for the entire team. Precision and quality control are non-negotiable at this level. Swoon expects you to provide creative direction and quality review for other freelance designers too, which means your eye for detail must be sharp.
Working Under Pressure
The job description specifically mentions tight timelines multiple times. High-priority executive presentations often come with short turnaround windows. Being able to produce polished work quickly, without cutting corners, is one of the most valuable qualities you can bring to this role.
Adaptability and Trend Awareness
Swoon wants someone who stays current on presentation design trends and visual storytelling techniques. The design landscape evolves quickly. Following industry publications, attending webinars, and studying the work of leading presentation designers will keep your skills relevant and your work fresh.
Experience Required
While the posting does not state a specific number of years, the scope of the role clearly targets mid-to-senior level designers. You should have hands-on experience creating executive communications, sales enablement materials, and conference presentations. Managing freelance designers also suggests a level of professional maturity beyond entry-level work.
A strong portfolio is the single most important requirement to advance in the process. Your portfolio should showcase a variety of presentation types, including data-heavy slides, keynote visuals, and brand-aligned templates. Work that looks polished at scale will stand out most.
How to Build the Skills Swoon Is Looking For
Master the Core Tools
Start with PowerPoint and Google Slides if you have not already pushed them to their limits. Microsoft and Google both offer free learning resources for their platforms. YouTube tutorials from presentation design specialists like Nolan Haims or Duarte are also worth your time.
Practice building full presentation systems from scratch. Create mock templates for different industries and use cases. The goal is to make the tools feel effortless so you can focus on design decisions, not software mechanics.
Study Typography and Layout Fundamentals
Books like Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton offer solid foundations. Online courses through platforms like Skillshare, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning cover layout principles in practical depth. Apply what you learn immediately by redesigning old presentations using better typographic choices.
Build a Presentation-Specific Portfolio
Many graphic designers have portfolios filled with branding and print work but few slides. If that sounds familiar, start creating presentation case studies now. Redesign publicly available investor decks or conference presentations to demonstrate your skills. Document your process alongside the final output.
Practice Data Visualization
Find public datasets and turn them into clear, compelling slide-ready visuals. The Data Visualization Society offers community resources and challenges that sharpen this specific skill. Focus on clarity first, then aesthetics.
Seek Real-World Feedback
Join design communities on platforms like Dribbble or Behance and share your presentation work. Feedback from peers accelerates growth faster than solo practice. If possible, take on freelance presentation design projects to build your portfolio with real client work.
Ready to apply? Submit your application for the Swoon Graphic Designer role at remoteOK.com and make sure your portfolio is ready before you do.
