Graphic Designer
Position Profile
Major Administrative Unit: University Communications
Department: Marketing, Public Relations and Digital Strategy
Division: Integrated Communications and Strategic Partnerships
Job Title: Graphic Designer
Job Classification: Graphic Artist III, APA 12
Overview
University Communications is seeking a Graphic Designer to create and coordinate dynamic, brand-aligned designs for a range of marketing and communications efforts. This position plays a vital role as a member of the award-winning content and creative team working to support and achieve strategic goals for Michigan State University. This position involves providing visual leadership for the MSU brand by designing official brand elements, integrating the university’s brand identity across various projects, and creating resources such as templates and tutorials. The graphic designer provides creative direction or assistance to enhance visual storytelling and contributes to content development for owned, social, paid and earned channels. This includes creating designs, creative products and visual approaches for websites, social media, email, advertising, print products, signage and other outlets. This job requires strong collaboration with partners across and beyond campus, and problem-solving skills in order to deliver innovative and versatile designs that achieve outcomes with key audiences.
Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities
- Creates and produces original, brand-aligned designs for a range of university-level digital marketing and communications efforts to help achieve strategic goals
- Designs university brand identity elements and marks, assists with approvals and guidance across campus, creates templates and tutorials, maintains signature system and logo usage chart. Helps with partnership and cobranding identity systems and contributes to university brand guidelines/studio
- Contributes to visual storytelling for our content development for owned, social, paid and earned channels
- Prepares digital graphics and visual assets for websites, stories, social media, email and advertising campaigns
- Coordinates design needs for various print materials, digital properties, occasions and events, presentations and reports
- Develops and maintains knowledge of accessibility requirements and how to meet them; helps ensure content and projects produced meet accessibility standards
- Works across teams (within University Communications, with others on campus and outside agencies) to provide design consulting and collaborate on projects
- Provides creative direction for assigned key initiatives and campaigns
- Assists with content development in the university CMS system
- Directs design intern
- Helps maintain system for storing and organizing design files and assets
Unit Specific Education/Experience/Skills
The job requires:
- Knowledge equivalent to that which would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree in graphic design, advertising, commercial art, digital media arts and technology, or a related field
- Five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work in graphic design, including web sites and digital executions
- Mastery or very strong skills with the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop
- Experience in Microsoft Office, including Word and PowerPoint
- Knowledge of and experience in design and layout principles, including typography
- Experience with logo design and visual identity system development
- Demonstrated understanding of marketing and branding principles
- Demonstrated ability to balance creativity and detail-oriented work in a deadline-driven environment, to learn new skills quickly and to collaborate effectively as part of a team
- Exceptional creative thinking skills and the ability to adapt to new technology or communications avenues
- Demonstrated strong written and verbal communication skills
- Strong digital portfolio of design work for review
Desired Qualifications
- Demonstrated ability to create original creative concepts across multiple digital and print media
- Knowledge of or experience working in foundational arts, illustration, photography, print design and PowerPoint
- Strong knowledge of digital content trends (social, web, etc.) and understanding of how graphics work and interplay across all platforms
- Some background or proficiency in HTML and CSS and experience creating responsive website designs
- Some background or proficiency in elements/manipulation of photo, video, animation
- Knowledge and experience in meeting accessibility standards
- Experience working in marketing or advertising environments and/or in higher education or other service-oriented environments
Required Application Materials
To assure full consideration, please apply online at careers.msu.edu by September 13. The posting is No. 797647. Applications must include a cover letter, resume, three professional references and portfolio of design work.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability or protected veteran status.
Together-we-will Statement
The university is requiring all MSU students, faculty, and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 with limited exceptions. Learn more at: https://msu.edu/together-we-will.
Remote Work Statement
MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.
About MSU/East Lansing
Michigan State University is situated on a beautiful, park-like campus, close to major metropolitan centers, with outlying research facilities and natural areas and a proud land-grant heritage. The campus is located in East Lansing and adjacent to the capital city of Lansing, with a diverse population of approximately 450,000. Local communities have excellent school systems and place a high value on education. The campus has nearly 5,500 faculty and academic staff, more than 6,300 support staff, and more than 50,000 students. MSU is an equal-opportunity employer committed to supporting and actively increasing diversity in all areas of campus. MSU is proactive in exploring opportunities for employment of dual-career couples, both inside and outside the university. Information about MSU’s dual-career support can be found at http://miwin.msu.edu.