Description

Skidmore Studio is looking for a passionate, talented Junior Designer to produce extraordinary creative that is unique, on-brand, and forward-thinking. Our ideal candidate has a deep working knowledge of print and digital for a range of small to big-name brands.

The Junior Designer will clearly communicate brand strategies, elevate, and add value to the content, and produce solid, on-time work that answers the creative brief. When met with the challenges of time constraints and limited budgets that are the norm of small studio life, the Junior Designer will use their experience, imagination, and ingenuity to deliver creative solutions. The Junior Designer is efficient in our core creative tools (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign) and eager to grow their skills in brand, packaging design, and related marketing campaigns.

Because we’re a close-knit, high-energy team, you must be comfortable collaborating, defending your position, and fulfilling tasks from blue-sky brainstorms to down-in-the-weed details- whether building comps in Photoshop, kerning type in InDesign or packaging files for production.

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS
• 0-3 years’ experience working as a graphic designer on client work at an agency, studio, or similar environment
• Developing creative and conceptual thinker
• Technical graphic design proficiency
• Strong technical skills in other design disciplines including traditional print (and prepress), large-format, website UI/UX, wireframes, social media, and digital marketing
• Experience in branding and marketing design for consumer brands (with the portfolio to prove it)
• Demonstrated creative resourcefulness
• Experience managing self on small projects as well as contributing to larger team projects
• Deep passion for graphic design and ability to excel in at least one core design capability
• Fluent in current design industry hardware and software tools – for example, strong with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Experience in Sketch, Figma, InVision and/or Keynote a plus
• Degree in graphic design or experiential equivalent

Primary Responsibilities
• Take design direction from the design lead, design director, or creative director for client projects.
• Support senior designers to execute system-driven design work
• Develop designs that subtly and significantly vary from each other
• Use design to communicate key messages, elevate and add value to content
• Clearly articulate the rationale and strategy behind your design choices to senior team members.
• Actively participate in and often lead internal design reviews with insightful contributions. Capture and interpret feedback from teammates and clients
• Accurately estimate the time you need to complete your work and meet all deadlines, both internal and external
• Prepare designs with the proper specs for the required output
• Deliver design work that answers the creative brief, on time and on budget
• Employ a personal brainstorming process and be able to clearly communicate your brainstorm output with teammates while participating in and/or leading project brainstorms
• Research clients, audiences, and project details to inform your work
• Follow contemporary traditional and digital publications and thinkers in the design industry and share relevant information with the team
• Remain fluent in current design industry hardware and software tools

YOUR ATTRIBUTES
• Deep passion for all things design – trends, philosophies, and technologies
• Capability to concept AND finish a project – everything from ideation to completion with special care and consideration for all the details
• Holistic thinker about your work and collaborate with writers, strategist, and other designers to make your own work- and theirs- even better
• Take a “no task too small” approach to your work; willing to work in whatever’s best for the Studio

ATTRIBUTES OF SKIDMORVIANS

Ability to work entrepreneurially in shades of gray
• Adaptable and flexible with wearing “multiple hats” within our boutique studio
• Resourceful and comfortable with taking ownership of undefined work or problem solving
• Ability to bring structure to the nebulous and communicate clearly in the face of ambiguity

Desire for excellence and to learn and grow
• Coachable, continuous learner who is vulnerable about one’s own growth
• Curious and hungry for knowledge, with a desire to excel and have meaningful impact
• High creative and service standards with a passion for continuous improvement

Passionate about Brand, Collaboration, and Results
• Creative, innovative problem solver who cares more for collaboration than being “right,” the winner, or in charge
• Ability to capture and respond to feedback in ways that value others
• Desire to remove “not possible” from your vocabulary; substitute with “how might we…”

PURPOSE + VALUES OF SKIDMORVIANS

Every member of the Skidmore team is expected to continuously strive to fulfill the Studio’s core purpose and uphold our core values:

Core Purpose:

To help good organizations and good people be their best.

Core Values:

Be a Sage: Bring wisdom, Add confidence, Be discerning

Have the Zest: Bring enthusiasm, Add flavor, Be genuine

Deliver the Goods: Bring purpose, Add value, Be unified

Benefits

Paid time off: Paid vacations days, 11-13 paid holidays per calendar year, and unlimited paid sick/personal time after 60 days employment.

Medical Coverage: The Studio pays a portion of the premium for both employees and eligible family members.

Dental Coverage: 100% Studio paid for employees.

Vision Coverage: 100% Studio paid for employees.

401K Plan: Sponsored 401k retirement savings plan which includes an employer match after 90 days employment.

Wellness Reimbursement: Monthly wellness stipend.

Wireless Communication Stipend: Stipend for personal cell phone and home internet expenses.

COACHING & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Every Skidmorvian is supported with a customized, personal development plan with weekly and/or bi-weekly coaching sessions. The plans include rituals and routines for recognition; education and training planning; skills, values, and performance evaluations; and career path creation. Skidmorvians are expected to have personal commitment to their own development, and develop the ability to ask for and receive support from studio’s managers, leadership, and coaches.

REMOTE / VIRTUAL / “CONNECTED” STUDIO

Skidmore Studio is operated as a connected team who work remotely, predominately in Eastern and Central Time Zones. Our virtual work expectation is the team is connected Monday through Friday and available for online meetings, phone calls and chats during common business hours (9 am – 5 pm Eastern, 8 am - 4 pm Central).

Our team is expected to travel for in-person studio-wide meetings every quarter. Previously, those quarterly meetings were taking place in Detroit, Michigan. Future locations may change.

Teammates are provided company hardware and software tools relevant to their roles and are expected to have reliable internet connections and the ability to appear on camera for meetings indicated as video conferences.

About Skidmore

Skidmore Studio is a strategic creative studio originally based in Detroit and now running remotely. Founded as an illustration shop in 1959, the studio helps consumer-facing organizations grow through expert brand strategy, design, packaging, website, and marketing support. The team of designers and creative strategists craft brands that get today’s consumers excited about products on shelves, online, and in their everyday lives. Skidmore works with nationally recognized brands such as Vital Essentials, Zee Zee’s, McCrea’s, Smooj, Griffin Claw, Xenith, and Lipari Foods.

Responsibilities

• The Junior Designer will clearly communicate brand strategies, elevate, and add value to the content, and produce solid, on-time work that answers the creative brief
• When met with the challenges of time constraints and limited budgets that are the norm of small studio life, the Junior Designer will use their experience, imagination, and ingenuity to deliver creative solutions
• Take design direction from the design lead, design director, or creative director for client projects
• Support senior designers to execute system-driven design work
• Develop designs that subtly and significantly vary from each other
• Use design to communicate key messages, elevate and add value to content
• Clearly articulate the rationale and strategy behind your design choices to senior team members
• Actively participate in and often lead internal design reviews with insightful contributions
• Capture and interpret feedback from teammates and clients
• Accurately estimate the time you need to complete your work and meet all deadlines, both internal and external
• Prepare designs with the proper specs for the required output
• Deliver design work that answers the creative brief, on time and on budget
• Employ a personal brainstorming process and be able to clearly communicate your brainstorm output with teammates while participating in and/or leading project brainstorms
• Research clients, audiences, and project details to inform your work
• Follow contemporary traditional and digital publications and thinkers in the design industry and share relevant information with the team

Qualifications

• 0-3 years’ experience working as a graphic designer on client work at an agency, studio, or similar environment
• Developing creative and conceptual thinker
• Technical graphic design proficiency
• Strong technical skills in other design disciplines including traditional print (and prepress), large-format, website UI/UX, wireframes, social media, and digital marketing
• Experience in branding and marketing design for consumer brands (with the portfolio to prove it)
• Demonstrated creative resourcefulness
• Experience managing self on small projects as well as contributing to larger team projects
• Deep passion for graphic design and ability to excel in at least one core design capability
• Fluent in current design industry hardware and software tools – for example, strong with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
• Degree in graphic design or experiential equivalent
• Deep passion for all things design – trends, philosophies, and technologies
• Capability to concept AND finish a project – everything from ideation to completion with special care and consideration for all the details
• Holistic thinker about your work and collaborate with writers, strategist, and other designers to make your own work- and theirs- even better
• Take a “no task too small” approach to your work; willing to work in whatever’s best for the Studio
• Ability to work entrepreneurially in shades of gray
• Adaptable and flexible with wearing “multiple hats” within our boutique studio
• Resourceful and comfortable with taking ownership of undefined work or problem solving
• Ability to bring structure to the nebulous and communicate clearly in the face of ambiguity
• Desire for excellence and to learn and grow
• Coachable, continuous learner who is vulnerable about one’s own growth
• Curious and hungry for knowledge, with a desire to excel and have meaningful impact
• High creative and service standards with a passion for continuous improvement
• Creative, innovative problem solver who cares more for collaboration than being “right,” the winner, or in charge
• Ability to capture and respond to feedback in ways that value others
• Desire to remove “not possible” from your vocabulary; substitute with “how might we…”
• Be a Sage: Bring wisdom, Add confidence, Be discerning
• Have the Zest: Bring enthusiasm, Add flavor, Be genuine

Benefits

• Paid time off: Paid vacations days, 11-13 paid holidays per calendar year, and unlimited paid sick/personal time after 60 days employment
• Medical Coverage: The Studio pays a portion of the premium for both employees and eligible family members
• Dental Coverage: 100% Studio paid for employees
• 401K Plan: Sponsored 401k retirement savings plan which includes an employer match after 90 days employment
• Wellness Reimbursement: Monthly wellness stipend
• Wireless Communication Stipend: Stipend for personal cell phone and home internet expenses
• Every Skidmorvian is supported with a customized, personal development plan with weekly and/or bi-weekly coaching sessions