Primary Role: Reporting to the Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications, the director of design and creative services is responsible for bringing Juniata College's brand strategy to life through elevated, visually compelling, accessible and dynamic design. Serving as the lead creative and publication production manager for the college, this position tells the Juniata College brand story through print and digital materials for varied audiences such as current and prospective students, donors, and alumni.
Typical Duties and Responsibilities:
Envisions, designs, and produces digital, print, and promotional materials from concept to completion, ensuring quality and accessibility for target audiences.
Leads the creative design of the college's biannual premier publication, Juniata Magazine, and the Annual Report, which are sent to alumni, donors, parents, and friends.
Coordinates design and production of environmental branding, such as campus signage, banners, and building and wall graphics.
Champions brand visual identity, serve as brand steward, and create and advance brand visual identity guidelines and style guides.
Develops, maintains, and delivers brand visual identity training and serves as the point of contact for brand questions and advising.
Works collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administrators to translate their requests into creative projects that reflect institutional brand standards and best practices in design.
Manages high-performing creative services team, prioritizes team's workload using project management system, and delegates projects appropriately.
Monitors and reports on project milestones and progress, identifies challenges to completion, and takes proactive measures to deliver projects on time and within budget.
Maintains print production calendar and project timelines.
Identifies, cultivates, and manages working relationships with a variety of vendors that support printing, photography, writing, graphic design, and promotions for the college.
Utilizes market research, creative best practices, graphic design trends and technologies, and competitor analysis to inform work and develop high-quality, effective communications.
Performs quality control reviews of publications before publishing for grammar, spelling, style, and alignment with brand.
Responsible for training, usage, and optimization of creative tools and systems used for creative design.
Conducts project debriefs and evaluations to identify lessons learned and opportunities for future improvements.
Assists with management of department's printing budget and vendor contracts.
Key Project: During the 2024 calendar year, the future director of design and creative services will work in partnership with the vice president for strategic marketing and communications on a comprehensive brand project with an external branding firm to develop a new research-driven brand, which will include a new visual identity that will require the creative director's expertise in rollout, implementation, and ongoing maintenance.
Juniata College is committed to cultivating an equity-minded and equity-engaged campus culture, one that is inclusive and supportive of its students, faculty, and staff. We believe that all members of the College community share the responsibility to value diversity, seek equity, promote a sense of belonging. We seek candidates who are sensitive to the needs of an academic community that is diverse with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or identity, disability status, and protected veteran status..…AA/EOE
Position Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in graphic design, fine art, communications, or related field required. Additional training and education in marketing and design is preferred.
At least five 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.
Working experience as a senior designer, art director, or creative director.
At least two 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.
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.
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.
Strong project management capabilities with the skill to juggle several projects at one time.
Attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality work without errors.
Juniata seeks a candidate who values an equity-minded culture and embodies respect for all individuals with whom they work. The candidate must be committed to the mission of Juniata College, its strategic plan, and its constituencies.
Supervision Required/Given:
Supervision: Reports to the Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications
Direct Reports: Graphic Designer and Print Shop Supervisor
