1. What is a UX/UI Designer at Authentic Brands Group?

As a UX/UI Designer at Authentic Brands Group, you are at the forefront of shaping the digital experiences for some of the world’s most iconic lifestyle, entertainment, and fashion brands. Authentic Brands Group manages a massive portfolio of global intellectual properties, meaning your work will directly impact how millions of consumers interact with these brands across various digital touchpoints, from e-commerce platforms to immersive brand campaigns.

This role goes beyond creating visually appealing interfaces; it requires a deep understanding of brand identity and user-centric design principles. You will be responsible for translating complex business goals and distinct brand voices into intuitive, seamless, and engaging digital journeys. Whether you are designing for a high-energy sports brand or a premium lifestyle label, your work ensures that the digital presence is as compelling as the physical product.

What makes this position uniquely exciting is the scale and variety of the problem spaces you will tackle. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including brand managers, marketing strategists, and developers, to bring concepts to life. Expect a fast-paced environment where adaptability, a strong creative vision, and a meticulous eye for detail are essential to driving user engagement and business growth.

2. Common Interview Questions

3. Getting Ready for Your Interviews

To succeed in the interview process for the UX/UI Designer role, you must approach your preparation strategically. Interviewers at Authentic Brands Group are looking for a blend of creative excellence, strategic thinking, and collaborative strength.

Focus your preparation on the following key evaluation criteria:

Creative Process and Articulation – Your ability to explain the "why" behind your design decisions is just as important as the final output. Interviewers will evaluate how you move from a high-level problem statement to a polished digital solution. You can demonstrate strength here by clearly structuring your portfolio presentation, highlighting your research, iterations, and the specific user problems you solved.

Autonomy and Ownership – Authentic Brands Group values designers who can take initiative. Interviewers will actively probe how much guidance you require during your creative process. You should be prepared to discuss projects where you operated independently, managed your own timelines, and drove the creative direction with minimal hand-holding.

Collaboration and Conflict Resolution – Design is a team sport, especially when managing global brands. You will be evaluated on your ability to work alongside other creatives, product managers, and stakeholders. Prepare specific examples of times you navigated group dynamics, handled conflicting feedback, or worked through project difficulties to achieve a unified goal.

Brand Adaptability – Because the company manages a diverse portfolio spanning lifestyle, entertainment, and sports, your ability to adapt your design language is critical. Showcasing versatility in your portfolio and demonstrating an understanding of different target demographics will strongly position you as a top candidate.

4. Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a UX/UI Designer at Authentic Brands Group is highly focused on your practical design skills, your creative methodology, and your cultural alignment with the team. The process is generally straightforward but rigorous, designed to give both you and the hiring team a clear picture of how you work in a real-world setting.

You will typically begin with an initial screening call with Human Resources. This conversation is focused on your background, career interests, and basic qualifications. Following a successful screen, you will move to a core interview with the creative team. This is a deep-dive session where you will present your portfolio, explain your end-to-end design process, and answer behavioral questions about your teamwork and autonomy.

The final stage of the process is a take-home creative assignment. Authentic Brands Group uses this step to evaluate your hands-on execution, your ability to follow a brief, and how well you translate brand requirements into high-fidelity UI or digital design assets. The assignment is designed to mirror the actual day-to-day work you will encounter on the job.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from your initial HR screen through the creative portfolio review and the final design assignment. Use this roadmap to pace your preparation, ensuring your portfolio is presentation-ready early in the process and that you have carved out focused time for the take-home assignment at the final stage.

5. Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To excel in your interviews, you need to understand exactly what the creative and hiring teams at Authentic Brands Group are looking for. Below are the primary evaluation areas you will face.

Portfolio Presentation and Creative Process

Your portfolio is the foundation of your candidacy. Interviewers are not just looking at pretty screens; they want to see your underlying methodology and how you solve user problems. Strong performance in this area means delivering a concise, structured narrative that walks the interviewer through your entire design lifecycle.

Be ready to go over:

• Problem identification – How you pinpointed the user need or business goal at the start of the project.
• Ideation and wireframing – The exploration phase, including sketches or low-fidelity prototypes that led to your final direction.
• Final execution and impact – The high-fidelity deliverables and the measurable impact your design had on the user experience or business metrics.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Establishing comprehensive design systems, conducting specialized accessibility audits, or leading cross-platform responsive strategies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through a project in your portfolio from initial concept to final launch."
• "Explain your creative process when starting a completely new digital design project."
• "How do you validate your design decisions before moving into high-fidelity mockups?"

Autonomy and Independent Execution

Because Authentic Brands Group operates a fast-paced portfolio of brands, designers are often expected to run with projects without constant oversight. Interviewers will test your ability to thrive in environments where you might not have a rigid roadmap. Strong candidates will demonstrate proactivity, resourcefulness, and the ability to self-edit.

Be ready to go over:

• Level of guidance – How much direction you typically need from a creative director or product manager.
• Handling ambiguity – Times when you were given a vague brief and had to define the scope yourself.
• Time management – How you prioritize tasks and meet deadlines when juggling multiple brand requests.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "During the project you just showed, exactly how much guidance did you have during your creative process?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to deliver a design but lacked clear requirements from stakeholders."
• "How do you ensure your work stays on track when working independently?"

Collaboration and Navigating Difficulty

Even with high autonomy, you will frequently collaborate with marketing teams, brand managers, and external partners. Interviewers want to know that you are a positive, constructive team player who can handle differing opinions and project roadblocks gracefully.

Be ready to go over:

• Cross-functional teamwork – How you integrate feedback from non-designers into your work.
• Conflict resolution – Navigating disagreements over creative direction or project scope.
• Overcoming project hurdles – Examples of times a project failed or faced significant delays and how you pivoted.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Expand on a time you had difficulty on a project and how you overcame it."
• "Tell me about a time you had to work with a group that had conflicting ideas about the design direction."
• "How do you handle situations where a stakeholder rejects your proposed design?"