design visual communicationcradle to cradlelife cycle assessmentmaterial selectionsustainable design
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Portfolio
35% weight
Check their portfolio for products that actually reached tooling: ask for recycled content percentages, mono-material housings, disassembly time, and any Cradle to Cradle or FSC certification achieved.
Evidence to listen for
Work exists and can be looked at, not just described
States what they made versus what the team or a template made
Shows range rather than one repeated style
Can walk through a piece from brief to final
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No portfolio, or work that is unattributable or clearly templated.
2
Needs Improvement
Thin portfolio; unclear what they personally made.
3
Satisfactory
Real work with adequate range; contribution mostly clear.
4
Very Good
Strong varied portfolio with clear personal ownership.
5
Excellent
Shows shipped SKUs with measured outcomes: grams of virgin plastic removed, snap-fit replacing adhesives, third-party eco-certification granted.
02
Evaluation factor
Craft and rationale
25% weight
Probe material and process reasoning: why PCR PP over bioplastic, how they ran LCA in SimaPro, GaBi, or Granta EduPack, and where they traded durability against recyclability.
Evidence to listen for
Explains why a layout, type choice, or colour decision serves the brief
Knows typography and hierarchy as craft, not decoration
Works to a brand system without either breaking it or hiding behind it
Names the tools they are genuinely fast in
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Cannot explain any decision; work is arbitrary.
2
Needs Improvement
Talks in taste terms only; no link between choice and brief.
3
Satisfactory
Sound craft with some ability to justify decisions.
4
Very Good
Articulate about why each choice serves the brief.
5
Excellent
Defends material choices with LCA numbers and end-of-life pathways, naming trade-offs they rejected and the reason.
03
Evaluation factor
Feedback and iteration
25% weight
Assess how they respond when suppliers, moulders, or packaging engineers push back on recycled resin tolerances, colour drift, or cost per unit, and what the design became afterwards.
Evidence to listen for
Takes critique without treating it as an attack
Distinguishes a subjective preference from a real problem, and says so politely
Iterates fast rather than defending version one
Delivers files correctly and on time
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Defensive about critique; will not revise.
2
Needs Improvement
Accepts feedback passively; iterations do not improve the work.
3
Satisfactory
Revises willingly; struggles to push back on weak feedback.
4
Very Good
Iterates quickly and can argue for the work when the feedback is wrong.
5
Excellent
Describes specific revisions driven by moulding trials or supplier data, keeping the sustainability goal while solving the manufacturing constraint.
04
Evaluation factor
Working with the brief
15% weight
Test command of the commercial and regulatory brief: EU Ecodesign/ESPR, EPR fee structures, packaging waste rules, and greenwashing claims they refused to sign off.
Evidence to listen for
Asks about audience and goal before opening the design tool
Works with marketing, product, or clients rather than in isolation
Flags an impossible brief early
Hands over files and assets others can actually use
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Designs in isolation; ignores the brief's purpose.
2
Needs Improvement
Starts designing before understanding the goal.
3
Satisfactory
Asks the right questions when prompted.
4
Very Good
Interrogates the brief up front and hands over cleanly.
5
Excellent
Translates regulation and margin targets into design decisions, and cites a claim they blocked for lacking substantiation.
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