Director, Creative and Design Services

Please visit https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/siue and search: Director, Creative and Design Services.

Are you passionate about bringing creative visions to life and ensuring they resonate with audiences? SIUE is looking for a talented Director of Design and Creative Services to lead our dynamic graphic design team and spearhead the development of compelling digital, print, and promotional materials. In this role, you’ll work closely with our Marketing management team to craft and communicate the SIUE vision and mission, ensuring our marketing objectives are met with flair and effectiveness.

You will oversee the design process from concept to completion, ensuring quality and accessibility for our diverse audiences. As a key player in our brand evolution, you’ll collaborate with faculty, staff, and administrators to translate their ideas into creative projects that align with our institutional brand standards. You’ll also champion our brand's visual identity and help implement a comprehensive brand project featuring a fresh, research-driven brand and visual identity.

Creative Leadership:

• Envision, design, and produce high-quality digital, print, and promotional materials from start to finish.
• Ensure all materials are accessible and engaging for our target audiences.
• Manage and guide the SIUE graphic design team, prioritize projects using a project management system, and delegate tasks effectively.
• Collaborate with freelance designers as needed to complete projects on time and to high standards.

Strategic Collaboration:

• Work closely with the Marketing management team to develop policies and strategies that effectively communicate SIUE’s vision and mission.
• Partner with faculty, staff, and administrators to translate their needs into creative projects that reflect our brand’s standards and best practices in design.

Brand Stewardship:

• Champion and uphold SIUE’s brand visual identity, serving as the University’s brand steward.
• Create, advance, and enforce brand visual identity guidelines and style guides.

Key Project:

• Lead the 2024-2025 comprehensive brand project, collaborating with the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications and the Marketing Director.
• Utilize your expertise in modern design to implement a new, research-driven brand and visual identity, and manage its ongoing maintenance.

Minimum Qualifications:  

1. Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, fine art, marketing, business administration, communications, public relations, or a closely related field.
2. Based on position requirements, additional education, training, and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position, may be required:

• At least seven years of professional graphic design experience, knowledge, and skills, including demonstrated experience planning and executing complex visual designs for communications such as a magazine.
• A portfolio of creative work that showcases a wide range of successful marketing and communication publications, environmental design projects, and visual identity and branding projects is required.
• At least seven to 10 years (can be concurrent with above) working experience as a senior designer, art director, or creative director.
• At least five years of experience managing creative staff, such as graphic designers, with proven ability to lead staff, delegate responsibly, and help staff develop and grow their skills.
• Experience building and managing visual identity and creative for brands.
• Experience managing logo trademarking and licensing.
• High-level experience working with InDesign, Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft 365, and other creative communication tools.
• In-depth knowledge with various printing methods (offset, web, digital) and techniques, types of paper stocks, coatings, and inks.

Preferred Qualifications:  

• Experience implementing a brand.
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Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:  

• Experience directing and managing the work of photographers, illustrators, graphic designers, and creative artists, including internal staff and external vendors.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills.
• Superior project management capabilities with the skill to juggle several projects at one time.