Graphic Designer

We're Growing!

Thank you for your interest! This position has been filled.

About Flyleaf Creative

Flyleaf Creative is an award-winning multidisciplinary design firm that builds brands and digital strategy for mission-driven organizations that are undergoing great transitions. With over 25 years in communications design, we strive to produce meaningful work that improves lives, specializing in the fields of arts & culture, criminal justice reform, education, and freedom of expression. We seek collaborators with similar interests in those fields who are adept at bringing awareness and energy to our clients’ work. 

We value diversity in our team members, consultants, and clients, and we aim to uphold an informed perspective about the context within which our work and that of our clients exists. We are committed to the work of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our own organization, and we embrace the fact that this value only strengthens our work.

We always tackle projects that encompass more than one design discipline including branding, web design, digital marketing, print communications, and large-scale environmental graphics and signage programs, for clients such as St. Ann’s Warehouse, the Apollo, Bard Prison Initiative, MCC Theater, Longwood Gardens, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center.

About the Role

Flyleaf is growing! We are looking to add a full-time Graphic Designer who has 3+ years of multidisciplinary experience, with an emphasis on branding, brand systems, and brand activation campaigns. Ideally, the designer has some experience working with cultural and/or advocacy-oriented clients.

Our projects require a very creative and organized individual with an enterprising spirit who can think independently and work collaboratively, while contributing their intellectual passions to the life of the studio. We are looking for someone who is capable of making gorgeous, ground-breaking work, bringing a fresh playful approach to brand activations and can guide projects through every stage of their life cycles. The studio consists of the principal, account/project manager, three designers, a remote digital team, and strategic consultants that are a regular part of the extended Flyleaf family.

We are looking for a designer who thinks strategically and is a highly motivated, detail-oriented team player who will liaise directly with the principal, design team, and client, and is responsible for delivering high-quality projects on time.

Ideal candidates should have:

  • Interest in and/or awareness of culture, performing arts, literature, public policy, or other mission-based issues; some experience with clients in these fields is preferred
  • Solid understanding of the R&D and design development process for branding and creation of visual brand systems, brand voice, and presentation decks
  • Experience creating whole or portions of multi-platform brand activation campaigns based on research of the client’s mission and brand language such as:
    • digital marketing campaigns (e.g., website, social media, eblast)
    • advertising campaigns (e.g., digital display, out of home)
    • print collateral (e.g., brochures, annual reports)
    • large-scale graphics and special events collateral
  • Strong conceptual thinking and leadership skills with confidence to communicate ideas clearly while working closely with a small internal team, clients, outside consultants, developers, and printers
  • Solid understanding of designing and launching websites with sensitivity to accessibility and user experience
  • Flexibility and willingness to learn and take on new challenges
  • Willingness to take charge of projects while enjoying the autonomy of working in a small studio
  • Comfortable with highly collaborative team environments
  • Familiarity with the following is a plus:
    • large-scale graphics and/or environmental signage design
    • motion graphics skills and/or light video editing
    • illustration skills
  • Interest in contributing to studio marketing initiatives, a plus

Major Responsibilities:

  • Designing and creating materials of a high and consistent quality, with responsibility for selection and oversight of production
  • Developing new brands in web and print: involves creating new brand systems and brand voice, discovery and branding research, logomarks, typographic hierarchy, templates, etc. ranging from full websites, social and digital ad campaigns, to print collateral
  • Designing for existing brands: involves working within established brand systems to generate print and digital materials
  • Brainstorming and building marketing campaigns across social media, email, print, and microsites
  • Creation of design system for websites, including mockups, animated prototypes and supplementary graphic components, creation of client guideline documents
  • Creating, organizing, and delivering production-ready assets and documentation for all phases of the project
  • Working with account manager to set appropriate schedules based on workflow; self-managing deadlines
  • Tolerance for some ambiguity in project scopes and translating approaches into tangible next steps
  • Presenting comfortably to clients, designer will have exposure to high-level client leaders and their staff (working with them on a day-to-day basis), responding professionally and confidently to their feedback
  • Meeting with and receiving feedback from other team members, and accurately accounting for feedback in making revisions
  • Willingness to ideate on content and content strategy when helpful
  • Designer will report to Project Manager and Principal

Qualifications:

  • BFA/BA in graphic design or similar
  • Outstanding creative portfolio that showcases previous website, style guide and presentation deck work as well as a solid understanding of the R&D and design development process (branding you’ve designed; apps, websites or campaigns you’ve deployed for said brands, etc.) and a strong grasp of typographic hierarchy, color palette and image making
  • A strong design background, 3+ years of multidisciplinary experience such as: comprehensive brand systems (including social media and digital ad campaign assets), feature-rich websites, robust print pieces, and digital presentation decks.
    • Strong grasp of typographic hierarchy, color palette and image making
    • Playful, vibrant, lush designs across type-, graphic-, and photographic-based work
    • Some understanding of how you would approach intellectual/experimental subject matter
    • If available, examples of a presentation deck of some phase of design work as shared with a client
  • Previous agency experience is preferred
  • Previous experience with non-profit and/or arts & culture clients is a plus but not required
  • Excellent writing, communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with ability to articulate design decisions and to support thematic concepts for design presentations, brand narrative and other written documentation, including client guideline documents
  • Thrives as a systemic thinker, bringing attention to detail and ability to see the big picture
  • Excellent organizational skills with ability to plan, prioritize, and coordinate multiple projects
  • An open, positive, and empathetic personality
  • Demonstrates ability to build trusted partnerships with project manager, designers, web developers, and clients
  • Practices giving and taking feedback with a positive and curious attitude
  • Proven experience in a similar role
  • Ability to work on multiple projects at once, some on strict deadlines
  • Ability to problem-solve project briefs and consider various routes to ensure delivery

Software and Technical Experience:

  • Experience with web graphics and website design required
  • Familiarity with formal UX / UI fundamentals is a plus
  • Intimate knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite Software
  • Familiarity with UX and product design tools (Adobe XD/Sketch/Figma), and digital prototyping programs such as InVision is a plus but candidates should feel comfortable with designing site navigation and content in the Adobe Creative Suite
  • Strong knowledge and experience with managing the life cycle of web deliverables from discovery through deployment
  • Experience working with developers for back-end functionality deliverables
  • Basic HTML & CSS skills to allow you to collaborate with our developers, a plus but not required
  • Familiarity with email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp, Dot Digital, and/or Constant Contact is preferred
  • Experience with technical requirements for social media formats, platforms, and image/video quality constraints
  • QA and fielding client bug reports and escalating them to appropriate parties, following through until they’re resolved
  • Familiarity with content editing and asset management in CMS platforms such as WordPress and Squarespace is preferred
  • Experience with creative management systems such as Basecamp, Google Suite, Slack, Milanote, Miro, a plus but not required
  • Video editing skills and/or motion design experience, a plus but not required

How to Apply

This is a full-time position starting immediately. Interested candidates must live within commutable distance to the studio in Chelsea, Manhattan. Our studio offers some WFH flexibility due to COVID.

Salary and benefits are commensurate with experience. Designer must be eligible to work in the US. We cannot sponsor candidates at this time.

To apply, please send a PDF of your 1) cover letter, 2) resume, and, 3) a link to your portfolio via email to email hidden; JavaScript is required with the subject line “Graphic Designer.” No phone calls please.

 

Flyleaf Creative is a Certified WBE with the City of New York.