Designer

Washingtonian is seeking a motivated, collaborative, and detail-oriented Designer to join its creative department. For 60 years, the award-winning city magazine for the Washington area has been a home for groundbreaking feature writing, essential service journalism, and arresting visual storytelling. We’re looking for someone who can contribute fresh ideas and execute compelling visuals to help elevate the magazine’s design across print and digital platforms. The Designer will report directly to the Director of Creative and collaborate daily on all areas of brand development.

Core Responsibilities:

• Assisting in brainstorming and designing the FOB and BOB, service packages, and some features under the mentorship of the Design Director
• Supporting the management of workflow for design projects, including collaboration with staff and freelance contributors
• Working closely with editors and the Director of Creative to develop visually-driven story ideas and layouts
• Helping select cost-effective solutions for design elements and illustrations while staying within departmental budgets
• Helping execute designs across all brand platforms, including print, web, and Custom Media publications
• Perform additional tasks and projects as assigned by the Director of Creative

Additional Contributions:

• Thriving in an unrestrained creative environment, bringing insightful ideas to the table while supporting team initiatives
• Collaborating with a talented team of designers, photo editors, and staff photographers to maintain high visual standards
• Utilizing skills in typography, illustration, and photography to enhance page layouts and story-telling
• Enjoying the collaborative energy of a fast-paced magazine team
• In addition to strong design skills, our ideal Designer would show enthusiasm for growing their network of artists and photographers to support exciting visual content.

Qualifications

• Skilled print and digital designer with strong attention to detail and a passion for typography, design, illustration, and photography
• Proven ability to juggle multiple stories and sections simultaneously while maintaining meticulous organization, strong time-management skills, and consistently meeting tight deadlines
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate lively and effectively in a fast-paced environment
• 3-5 years of experience in magazine or editorial design, with a focus on complex page layouts
• Proficiency in InDesign required; experience with K4 or web-based graphic design a plus
• Experience creating quick-turnaround informational graphics, charts, maps, or small spot illustrations in-house is a strong plus
• Comfortable and enthusiastic about using generative AI tools when appropriate to speed ideation, create reference imagery, or produce in-house elements
• A true team player with a keen eye for visual storytelling and a love of editorial collaboration
• Strong network of industry connections with illustrators, designers, and photographers is a bonus

Requirements

• Type of Job: Design
• Duration: Full-Time
• Office Location: Washington DC
• Salary Range: $55,000–$65,000

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance
• 401k match
• Life/AD&D and short-term disability, plus voluntary long-term disability insurance
• Three weeks of vacation
• Five days of sick leave

Application Instructions

Please send your cover letter, résumé, and your portfolio showcasing editorial layouts (no larger than 10MB) or a link to your online portfolio to designjobs@washingtonian.com with ‘Designer’ in the subject line. Shortlisted candidates may complete a brief design test.