Senior Graphic Designer

Cascadia Media Company, a Bellingham, WA based publisher, seeks an experienced Graphic Designer to serve as the company’s visual design expert and as the art director/designer for the company’s regional magazine Cascadia Daily Life. This is a key role to help evolve and maintain Cascadia Media Company’s visual identity.

The new hire will lead the visual design of our quarterly editorial magazine while creating compelling marketing materials, advertising campaigns and branded assets that support both our internal initiatives and our advertising clients.

You’ll work closely with editorial, marketing, sales and company leadership to create impactful visual design across various publishing platforms that serve readers, advertisers and our community.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment and enjoys balancing creative excellence with practical deadlines. Experience with magazine or newspaper production is important. We’re looking for a talented graphic designer who cares deeply about typography, layout, visual storytelling and brand consistency. This is not an entry-level production role. We’re seeking an experienced designer who can elevate every project they touch.

We’re looking for someone who brings both technical expertise and exceptional design judgment.

Cascadia Media Company exists to connect our community through trusted journalism, inspiring storytelling and meaningful local partnerships.

Our brands include Cascadia Daily News, Cascadia Daily Life magazine, the monthly Community Calendar, and a growing portfolio of digital products, events and custom marketing solutions for businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest region.

• Lead the layout and production design of Cascadia Daily Life magazine.
• Develop visually engaging page layouts that complement editorial storytelling.
• Maintain exceptional standards for typography, spacing, hierarchy and composition.
• Prepare press-ready files (PDF/X), managing bleeds, trim, safety margins, image resolution, and color separations for our print vendors.
• Coordinate with print vendors, review proofs, and conduct press checks to ensure color and quality standards across newsprint and coated stock.
• Collaborate with editors, photographers, writers and illustrators.

• Design marketing campaigns for subscriptions, events, products and promotions.
• Create social media graphics, digital ads, email graphics, presentation materials and promotional collateral.
• Develop print marketing materials including brochures, flyers, signage and sales materials.

• Design professional advertisements for local businesses.
• Build advertisements to publication specifications and preflight/correct client-supplied ad files for resolution, color mode, and fonts.
• Create custom sponsored content layouts and marketing materials.
• Collaborate with the sales team to understand client goals and deliver creative solutions.
• Present polished, client-ready work that reflects both the client’s brand and our publications’ standards.

• Maintain consistency across all company brands.
• Recommend improvements to templates, workflows and design systems.
• Ensure all creative work meets high editorial and production standards.

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of professional graphic design experience.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellence in editorial design, print design and branding.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite:
  InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
• Strong understanding of:
  Typography and grid systems, Color theory and production color management (CMYK separations, spot/Pantone vs. process color, ICC profiles), Print production and prepress (preflighting, press-ready PDF/X, bleed/trim/safety, packaging files with fonts and links), How design translates across presses and substrates—newsprint vs. coated magazine stock (dot gain, ink limits, registration).
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

• Experience…