Brand Design Specialist

Strategic Communications and Marketing (STRATCOM) The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has many stories to tell. From Nobel Prize-winning theories to biomedical innovations to the birthplace of special education and accessibility standards, we have a 150+ year tradition as a place where people refuse to accept “that's just how it is” as a suitable reason to stop asking hard questions. This is a university that forces the world to redefine the word “impossible” on a regular basis.

The Strategic Communications and Marketing team at Illinois leads that storytelling through many channels, including through our design and brand implementation.

Design beautiful and impactful marketing and branding communications material that strengthen the Illinois brand.

• Brand Design Service
• Work directly with Strat Com’s social media team to create engaging, timely graphics for the main university social media accounts.
• Work with Strat Com’s marketing and media management team to review and create campus advertising campaigns.
• Provide design support for marketing & communications teams across campus to strengthen the university’s brand.
• Present work to clients clearly and efficiently, helping them understand the creative response to the project’s goals and audiences.
• Collaborate with outside vendors such as video producers, photographers and printers as needed.
• Design and Problem Solving
• Work with the design team to produce branded designs for digital and print.
• Create visual interface design mockups for the web that show proof of concept and finalize them into high-quality completed screens for a front-end developer to implement.
• Work with the design team to advance university brand standards.
• Research trends in graphic design, typography, web design and more and implement in the brand and projects.

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, radio/television broadcasting, web/digital media, or a related field.
• One (1) year (12 months) of professional work experience in public relations, journalism, social media communications, newspaper reporting, radio/television broadcasting with emphasis on production, or web/digital media.
• Demonstrated experience with web/digital media that included graphic design experience.

• Two to three years graphic design experience.
• Knowledge of higher education setting.

• Advanced skills in current design software including Adobe Creative Cloud. Excellent visual design and communication skills.
• Knowledgeable in Figma or other industry-standard web design programs.
• Strong aesthetic sense with a deep understanding of how design communicates through layout, typography, color, photography and illustration.
• Ability to clearly and consistently organize, manage and present complex information.
• Working understanding of printing processes, photography and typography.
• Knowledge and ability to prepare files for print and communicate with printers.
• Outstanding conceptual design skills with experience in illustration, motion graphics or digital animation.
• Ability to use design to help audiences better understand complex concepts or ideas.
• Ability to design usable and accessible visual Interfaces for the web that leverage current visual design practices for web in desktop and mobile devices.
• Ability to collaborate seamlessly with front-end developers to ensure interface design specifications were carried out as designed.
• Understanding of best practices for accessible and responsive design in digital environments.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills along with strong organizational skills
• Ability to work independently while producing accurate work on deadline while exercising…