UI Designer Cover Letter

Alongside your resume, a cover letter is one of the first things hiring managers see when considering applications. These short letters provide context for your resume and allow you to sell yourself and your talents. While a resume and portfolio serve a similar purpose, among dozens or hundreds of resumes, a compelling cover letter can help set you apart from the competition.

Cover letters tend to be short – less than 500 words – in length. Remember that hiring managers don’t want to read through large chunks of text with so many applicants. Cover letters need to be precise and should highlight not only your experience but also your personality. Your goal is to convince the reader why you’re a strong fit for the position and motivate them to consider your resume and portfolio.

How to Write a UI Designer Cover Letter

Writing a cover letter that is brief and compelling can be difficult, and it may take a few tries to get it right. However, you’ll find there are some universal aspects that all cover letters should include. Below are a few guidelines to help you get started and improve your chances of success.

Personal Information and Greetings

Your cover letter should start with a formal greeting. If you can address the hiring manager by their first and last name. If you cannot find their name, addressing them as “hiring manager” is acceptable. Next, you should introduce yourself and state that you are writing to apply for a posted job. You should state the title of the job you are applying for and make sure the title you use matches the posted job description. This is important to include as hiring managers may look at applications for various job postings.

Introductory Paragraph

The goal of the introductory paragraph is to hook the reader. Start with a brief introduction to your talents and experiences as a designer. You can use this section to summarize the major points of your resume, or you can explain your history as a UI designer. Ultimately, you want to be precise. Your resume, portfolio, and interview will show the broader points of your experience and history. 

Design Background and Experience

The cover letter is a good place to direct the readers’ attention to elements of your resume and job materials that may not be obvious without additional context. For example, your resume may list a job assignment you worked on or an accolade you received. You can provide greater context to this aspect that you might not have room for on your resume and help the reader of your application further understand why it matters. 

You don’t want to highlight everything on your resume, however. Remember, a cover letter needs to be short. Choose one or two specific experiences that are significant to the position you are applying for or relevant to the company and its work. 

Excitement and Passion

Beyond your qualifications, you also want to explain why you want the specific position. This can tie into your goals as a designer. Maybe you want to help people or work on particular projects. Explain how the job enables you to reach these goals. This is also a good place to show that you researched the company and the products it produces. Explain how your goals align with theirs or how you desire to design products like the ones they have a history of making. Maybe you can make an impact by designing for the company’s customer base. Whatever statements you make in this section should be accurate, not just used to inflate your worth. You can expect the “wants” listed in this section to be discussed in your interview. 

Ending and Professional Conclusion

At the end of the letter, thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration. This only needs to take up a single sentence. You should also include a call to action by inviting them to contact you. You can include your email or phone number here for a second time. Make sure to sign the letter, even if it is a digital signature. Use a formal signoff (such as “sincerely”) and your full name.

5 UI Designer Cover Letter Tips

Beyond the essentials of what to include in a cover letter – an introduction, your experience, a closing, etc. – the following tips will help improve the form or feel of your letter. 

Tip #1: Be Concise

Cover letters vary between half a page and a full page in length. However, the word count is generally between 250 and 400 words. These words are usually spaced out between three paragraphs. Remember that hiring managers have dozens or hundreds of applications to review and aren’t interested in wordy or text-heavy cover letters. Writing an overly long or dense letter could cause a hiring manager to put your application aside without reviewing your qualifications. In your cover letter, make sure you are highlighting experience and capabilities rather than seeking to explain all of them. 

Tip #2: Customize for the Position

A cover letter should be tailored to both the position you are applying for. It’s best to look back at the job position and describe how you fit the qualifications they are looking for. Look at the soft and hard skills they request, education requirements, or software expertise. Feel free to use the exact wording and language in the job description to show you were paying attention.

Some job postings contain specific instructions for writing your cover letter. These usually take the form of specific questions to answer. However, some may ask you to include a code word in your letter to make sure you read the whole description. Thoroughly review the job posting, as not including these things is a sure way to have your application disqualified. 

Tip #3: Customize for the Company

It’s always a good idea to research the company that posted the position. What are the company’s values? What types of products do they make? Who is their primary audience? In your cover letter, detail how your values as a UI Designer align with theirs. If you have experience with or are passionate about the products they make or the people they work with, state so. If the company has a varied portfolio, state that you’re willing or excited to take on constantly changing assignments. Companies appreciate you taking the time to research them, and your statements also help to show why you are a good fit. 

Tip #4: Don’t Repeat Your Resume

The purpose of a cover letter is to provide context for your resume and portfolio. The mistake many applicants make is to repeat the information already included in their resumes. This can significantly hurt your chances of progressing to an interview. 

It’s best to review your resume and ask if there’s anything you can expand on that you didn’t previously have room for. Tell the reader something they don’t know. This is an excellent opportunity to talk about your goals or values as a UI Designer or what drew you to the field in the first place. You can also expand on your career accomplishments or projects and their personal meaning. Remember that your cover letter serves as a “hook” to make the hiring manager interested in your resume and portfolio. 

Tip #5: Proofread & Get Feedback

Typos on your cover letter can lead to your application being thrown out before your qualifications are even considered. The same goes for letters that are too text heavy or visually dense. Printing out your letter can help you see how it appears visually. Reading your letter out loud is a great way to catch wording mistakes.

In addition to self-editing, asking teachers, instructors, or professionals you know for feedback is helpful. It’s extremely useful to get another perspective as they can usually point out mistakes or minor typos that can be easy to miss. They can also provide feedback on clarity and if the letter communicates the ideas you want. A professional in UI design can also critique your cover letter on aspects the industry or specific job posting is looking for. However, a trusted friend is better than none.

You can find professional feedback in the UI Design Certificate Program offered through Noble Desktop. In addition to receiving hands-on training from expert instructors, students learn fundamental industry concepts and tools. They’ll also build a portfolio of professional projects and receive one-on-one career mentorship that can assist in creating a compelling, memorable cover letter.

Learn the Skills to Become a UI Designer at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers several UI design classes for those seeking professional instruction in pursuing a career as a UI Designer. Classes are small and feature expert instructors and free retake options. Courses can be attended in person in NYC or online from anywhere. 

The UI Design Certificate is designed to prepare students to launch a career in UI design. You’ll learn essential design principles as well as how to use the most popular UI design tools: Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Throughout the course, you’ll complete a number of hands-on projects and build a portfolio to showcase your skills to potential employers.

Should you be interested in UX design as well as UI design (the two fields commonly overlap), you can pursue the UX & UI Design Certificate. You’ll learn the design principles and industry tools of both UX & UI design, build a professional portfolio, and receive one-on-one job preparation assistance. 

Bootcamps are also available where you can learn the ins and outs of the most popular UI design tools, including Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. These courses are open to pure beginners and are designed to guide you to mastery of the program. 

If you’re not ready to jump into a full UI design course, you can explore Noble Desktop’s learning hubs. These hubs are designed to inform you about a topic and offer learning resources, including free tutorials and self-guided education. UI design learn hubs include:

• Learn UI Design
• Learn Visual Design
• Learn Adobe XD
• Learn Figma
• Learn Sketch