Graphic Design Intern

About James & James

James & James builds solid American hardwood furniture in Heber Springs, Arkansas, and sells it directly to customers across the country. Every piece is made to order, and every touchpoint — from a product photo to a welcome email — is part of how customers come to trust a company they may never visit in person. Our marketing team also supports Ralph Speer, our trade-exclusive brand for interior design professionals, so the work spans both consumer (DTC) and trade audiences (B2B).

We are looking for a design student or recent graduate who wants real portfolio work, not busy work. You will join a small, fast-moving marketing team and take on two areas of ownership from day one: designing email campaigns, ad assets, and retouching product photography coming out of our in-house photo booth. You will work alongside our Senior Graphic Design Lead and marketing staff, get direct feedback on your work, and potentially see your designs go live to a real audience.

You do not need to arrive knowing everything. We will train you on email design fundamentals and our platform — what matters most is a strong eye, solid Photoshop skills, and the willingness to learn quickly and take feedback well.

What You Will Do:

Email design (roughly half of your time)

• Image generation through AI tools like Presti and Higgs field
• Design promotional emails and ads for James & James and Ralph Speer, working from a creative brief and existing brand guidelines.
• Learn email design best practices from the team — layout hierarchy, image-to-text balance, dark-mode behavior, file weight, and accessibility.
• Contribute ideas to campaign concepts and seasonal creativity.

Photo retouching and asset production (roughly half of your time)

• Retouch product photography from our in-house photo booth: cleanup, dust and blemish removal, color and white-balance correction, and shadow work.
• Cut out and mask products for silhouetted images and lifestyle compositing.
• Ensure wood grain, stain color, and finish are represented accurately and consistently across the catalog.
• Export and organize assets to spec for the website, email, paid ads, and social media.
• Maintain naming conventions and folder structure in our shared asset library.
• Support the team with occasional design needs: social graphics, simple illustrations or icons, print collateral, and event materials.
• Participate in creative reviews and weekly marketing team meetings.

What We Are Looking For:

• Currently pursuing or recently completed degree or certificate in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Digital Media, or related field.
• Working proficiency in Adobe Photoshop — comfortable with layers, masks, adjustment layers, healing and clone tools, and non-destructive editing.
• A portfolio (school, freelance, or personal work) that shows a good eye for typography, layout, and color.
• Attention to detail and the patience to do careful, repeatable work at volume.
• Reliable, organized, and able to manage your time across several small projects.
• Open to feedback and eager to learn.

Nice to have Skills:

• Adobe Illustrator — vector graphics, icons, and simple illustrations.
• Canva — building and adapting templates for quick-turn social and internal needs.
• Any exposure to email marketing platforms (Klaviyo, HubSpot, Mailchimp, or similar).
• Interest in furniture, interiors, woodworking, or craft

What You Will Gain:

• Hands-on training in creating AI creative tools, CGI tools, ad asset creation and email design from a team that sends to a large, engaged DTC audience.
• A body of published, real-world portfolio work across email, product photography, and brand design.
• Direct mentorship from our senior graphic designer
• Exposure how a DTC furniture brand runs marketing end to end — paid media, lifecycle, SEO, content, and trade.
• A letter of recommendation and potential consideration for future contract or full-time roles.