Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design primary responsibility is the overall design and management of college website and its attendant web content.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design is part of the leadership team within the Office of Institutional Advancement at Edward Waters College. This position oversees and contributes to the strategic work of the office through working on various design projects, providing conceptual vision, and ensuring quality execution to Edward Waters College's visual and creative projects.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure all digital and print communications reflect the institution brand. This position will be forward thinking about integrating all visual and creative components into the College's communications and marketing efforts and will push visual creators to think innovatively about their work.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design works independently to coordinate and execute small to large scale graphic design projects. These projects are developed in a variety of media, including print, web, social media and digital communication, and are designed to reach internal and external audiences.

Graphic design projects require the Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design consult with stakeholders to understand their communication needs and to ensure that design concepts are tailored to the intended audience; select the visual materials to be used in the communication of information; create visual material including original designs; design the placement and appearance of visual material; select typographical format; design and plan the effective use of color, tone, and harmony; and design, produce, and coordinate various materials required in the production of final products.

Create designs, concepts and sample layouts of a variety of marketing and communications materials including the following, but not limited to: printed and electronic brochures, posters, fliers, programs, and advertisements; web sites; social media collateral; and identity development.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design is responsible for the artistic concept and graphic design expertise in the creation of print, electronic, and multimedia materials, and use of both design and production elements to organize ideas visually to convey the desired impact and message to the target audience.

The Director of Creative Services and Grapich Design is responsible for brand positioning and strategy; issues and reputation management; oversight of digital content and top level web and social media platforms.

The Colleges Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design will initiate and lead in the development and execution of various projects in the field of visual communication. This position will manage Edward Waters College's visual identity by performing broad-based design tasks across several mediums and demonstrate an understanding of industry standards and trends to provide and enhance visual identity services. The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design will use their expertise to advise and work collaboratively with university internal and external stakeholders on complex projects.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design will have oversight of web design and website management, as well as, the development of video and multimedia productions.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design will be responsible for design, production, and development of high leveled presentations and reports (print, digital, video, Powerpoint and other applications) in support of the Office of the President.

Maintain responsibility for design, production, and development of high leveled presentations and reports (print, digital, video, Powerpoint and other applications) in support of the Office of the President.

Develop and maintain a strong visual and written brand identity and brand personality for the College and serve as the campus resource for questions about the brand.

Independently develop and manage complex, highly creative projects involving abstract or technical content requiring extensive subject matter/stakeholder knowledge.

Design visual communication tools (e.g., presentation, brochure and stationery templates) that reflect Edward Waters College's visual identity

Help new and existing Edward Waters College departments implement unit visual branding in accordance with the institution's visual identity system

Serve as a campus wide resource on Edward Water College's visual branding design issues.

Provide creative vision, direction and design for complex projects. Determine overall themes for multi-faceted projects as well as individual design concepts.

Coordinate production process; develop and write printing and/or other production specification, and select appropriate production media and materials.

Perform complex design across a variety of platforms using job-required software applications and in-depth knowledge of principles and practices of visual communications.

Maintain knowledge of industry standards, trends and state-of-the-art technology to provide and enhance services.

Design and produce a variety of projects for print and digital communication purposes.

Train and supervise student staff (if required) in the development of visual communication materials to promote campus events, programs, services and departments.

Work with professional staff team and public affairs office to support Edward Waters College brand guidelines and design standards. Provides consultation and recommendations to stakeholders, groups and departments regarding design and visual media projects.

Ability to simultaneously execute projects and provide innovative solutions.

Design projects for internal stakeholders including brochures, social media graphics, invitations, fundraising, marketing and media campaigns, and compliance.

Consult with internal stakeholders on all aspects of projects, including planning, content, layout, turnaround time, corrections, approvals, and project estimates.

Demonstrate a strong ability to conceptualize, design and create design solutions that uphold the College personality and identity.

Serve as an integral member of the Office of Institutional Advancement team that works to fulfill high-level College goals and initiatives related, but not limited to Edward Waters College's communications and marketing strategy, admissions marketing strategy, development communications, presidential communications, alumni communications, student, faculty and staff communications.

Work in close collaboration with lateral peers to ensure all projects are integrated, realize their full potential, and are relevant.

Work in close collaboration with photographers, videographer, and social media team to recommend visual/creative solutions.

Communicate with diverse audiences across varied platforms and direct content development and solutions for multiple media.

Create and maintain timelines and prioritizes by utilizing project management software to ensure projects stay on time

Oversee the brand implementation in all visual channels

Together with the Vice-President of Institutional Advancement, set performance indicators for the creative/visual area and make data-informed decisions to Communications & Marketing and internal stakeholders.

Work independently to produce highly complex projects concurrently with very limited artistic direction, self-identifying approach to projects and priorities.

Research, evaluate, and implement new and traditional graphic design processes to create the most effective marketing and communications materials.

Research, evaluate, and recommend creative graphic strategies for advertising in support of department needs.

Uses appreciable creativity to create and execute graphic art and designs, as well as ingenuity to devise new solutions to challenges.

Provide design maintenance of websites and other electronic publications, ensuring that all design elements, templates and finished solutions work within a variety of browser types and meet required accessibility requirements

Plan, design, prepare and produce graphics for production, web applications, printing, and special projects.

Play an integral role in maintaining the visual brand integrity of the College, and review, revise, and enhance identity standards.

Be responsible for designing and updating marketing materials including; advertisements, infographics, brochures, signage, direct mail, social media, promotional products, presentations, logos, and invitations using the Adobe Creative Suite or similar application.

Collaborate with the Marketing team during all stages of the process including research and development, brainstorming, concept development, design execution, and production.

Assist in planning and managing photography shoots, especially those related to marketing collateral.

Maintains a graphics and photographic library and maintains digital records.

Selects and purchases graphic, photographic and printing materials and supplies.

Provides images and logos to campus offices and departments.

Keeps abreast of new technologies in information technology, particularly graphic design and photo imaging programs.

Provides design expertise, creative skills, and awareness of the college's brand identity, mission and vision.

Serves as a key strategist and creative thinker in conceptualizing communications and marketing initiatives; ensures that all design projects are integrated within the division's brand identify. Defines design criteria, develops graphic design concepts, and presents them for review to the business user.

Coordinates and art-directs (as needed) the services of freelance designers, photographers, illustrators, designers, student help and vendors.

Creates concept-compositions, graphic designs, and layouts; refines final designs to meet the constraints of budgets, deadlines and client and/or management expectations.

Prepares or directs the preparation of final design files for production.

Identifies, selects and coordinates vendors for printing and production services, as appropriate to the project, including printers, other designers, marketing specialists and others to ensure the successful completion of projects, on times and on budget.

Provides technical advice and guidance, and serves as liaison with production personnel, publishers, stakeholders and others involved with the project. Participates in or directs production and/or printing and mailing on a project basis.

Responsible for the day-to-day graphic design operations and for the execution applied to the development of communications and marketing themes and materials.

Works with student staff (when needed) from concept to finished piece, including communication with clients, to develop print and digital design including publications, posters, signs, presentations, displays, graphic marks, videos, and a variety of promotional materials for campus groups and departments.

Works with supervisor and professional staff team to develop graphic elements for consistent messaging and branding for department and stakeholders

Utilizes design methods and tools most appropriate for projects, whether through computer generated or analog formats

Presents and explains effective use of design and visual media services to internal stakeholders; offers ideas and information on techniques and production considerations

Researches and recommends relevant equipment and software, subscriptions, memberships and conferences

Contributes information and assists in preparation of reports and presentations

Attends department and program meetings

All other duties as assigned

PREFERRED/DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university and/or equivalent in graphic design, fine arts, marketing, advertising, communications, or a related field of study; previous experience in art/creative direction required; at least five years of professional experience with graphic application and publishing tools required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs):

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design should possess a thorough knowledge of best practices and design principles; ability to multi-task and stay organized; knowledge of prepress and printing process; excellent writing and verbal skills; solid analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to work independently and on deadline; experience in marketing to a diverse audience; the ability to work well under pressure, meet deadlines, and handle multiple projects; passion to develop projects independently and work effectively and collaboratively as part of a team.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design must be proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat) and have strong knowledge of web/email development software.

Expert skills and knowledge in graphic design practice, including project planning, art direction, layout, prepress production, ink and paper selection, digital and offset printing, etc. Expert in knowledge of visual design theory including: composition, color, hierarchy, and typography.

The Director of Creative Services and Graphic Design must possess a strong command of CSS and web design issues, including browser and cross-platform consistency.

Must be a knowledge expert of HTML and Java Script languages.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Please submit a letter of interest detailing relevant experience and related skills along with cv/resume to complete your application. The email address to send cv/resume is careers@ewc.edu NOTE: Required to create a strong digital portfolio. If selected for an interview, a sample of your portfolio is required.