Graphic Design Intern

To be considered for this role, you must apply directly through our online application. 

Overview

Cato's Graphic Design team creates visual assets for web, social media, print, and presentation formats—supporting Cato's research communications, event programming, and partner initiatives, including Sphere Education Initiatives. The work is focused on production and brand compliance: interns deliver actual deliverables that meet Cato's established visual standards rather than developing conceptual ideas from scratch.

Past projects include Instagram social media templates with documented brand guidelines, InDesign-formatted lesson plans and educational materials for Sphere, slide decks for Sphere Summit and Cato University, brochure layouts, and Photoshop photo treatments for publication. The pace is steady and cross-team, with requests coming from throughout the organization.

Responsibilities

• Design and create graphics for Cato's social media and website, following established brand and style standards.
• Create layouts for print and presentation products, including ads, flyers, signage, slide decks, and educational collateral.
• Format documents in InDesign using predefined paragraph and character styles, tables, and production-ready file structure.
• Create and document social media templates and brand guidelines for team use.
• Retouch and edit photos in Photoshop for publications, presentations, and digital media.
• Collaborate with teams across Cato — including Sphere Education Initiatives, Student Programs, and Marketing — on design requests.
• Keep production files organized and properly labeled with strict version control.

Required Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in or holding a bachelor's degree in graphic design or a closely related field.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, especially Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign — including working knowledge of paragraph and character styles, production-ready file preparation, and print and digital output standards.
• A portfolio that demonstrates clear visual hierarchy, strong typography, and meticulous attention to detail; student portfolios are accepted.
• Shows interest in visual communication and translating policy and educational ideas for broad audiences; aligns with Cato's principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace.
• Ability to work efficiently under deadline pressure and produce clean, production-ready files across multiple concurrent requests.
• Professionalism, reliability, and attention to detail — design production demands precision, consistent adherence to brand standards, and dependable follow-through on assigned tasks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience creating assets across various formats — social media, print collateral, presentation decks, and web graphics — within a defined brand system.
• Ability to create original vector illustrations in Illustrator.
• Experience with motion graphics or animation for digital platforms.
• Experience with PowerPoint or Keynote for professional presentation design.
• Previous internship or work experience in a design studio, agency, communications team, or similar setting..

The Cato Internship Program

Cato’s paid internships are available for undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students, law students, and early-career professionals who are strongly committed to individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace—principles that together form libertarianism, also known as “classical liberalism,” “market liberalism,” or, to many of our international friends, simply “liberalism.” 

All Cato interns participate in the same intensive seminar series, which covers a wide range of history, philosophy, policy, and professional development topics. Interns also assist with events and occasionally support Cato staff with other daily tasks. 

Interns receive competitive pay. Part-time roles are adjusted accordingly and require a minimum of 25 hours per week. Program participants must be able to attend in person in Washington, DC.

For more information about the internship program and experience, we encourage you to explore our website. If you have any questions, email studentprograms@cato.org.