Working/Functional Title

Graphic Designer

Position Summary

As a Graphic Designer in University Communications and Marketing, you will create and coordinate production of dynamic, brand-aligned designs for a range of marketing and communications efforts. You will play a vital role as a member of an award-winning team working to support and achieve strategic goals for Michigan State University. You contribute to visual leadership for the MSU brand by designing official brand elements, integrating the university’s brand identity across projects and creating resources such as templates and tutorials. You provide creative direction or assistance to enhance visual storytelling and collaborate on content development for owned, social, paid and earned channels. This includes creating designs, creative products and visual approaches for websites, social media, email, advertising, print pieces, signage and other products. You stay ahead of trends and technologies influencing designs for marketing, bringing guidance and new ideas to our work. This job requires strong partnership across and beyond campus, and problem-solving skills to deliver innovative and versatile designs that achieve key outcomes with priority audiences.

About University Communications and Marketing

University Communications and Marketing increases awareness of and appreciation for Michigan State University, its people and its impact as a leading global public research university, builds trust and inspires connection to cultivate support and make MSU a preferred choice.  

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

• Creates and produces original, brand-aligned designs for a range of university-level marketing and communications efforts to help achieve strategic goals
• Contributes to visual storytelling and content development for owned, social, paid and earned channels and products and provides creative direction for assigned initiatives, projects and campaigns
• Prepares digital graphics and visual assets for websites, stories, social media, email and advertising campaigns
• Meets design needs for various print materials, digital properties, occasions and events, presentations and reports
• Develops and maintains knowledge of accessibility requirements and helps ensure content and projects meet accessibility standards
• Works across teams (within University Communications and Marketing, with others on campus and outside agencies) to provide design consulting and collaborate on projects
• Helps design, define and evolve university brand identity elements and standards, provides guidance on visual brand standards to colleagues across campus, creates templates and tutorials, helps with partnership and cobranding identity systems
• May supervise design intern(s)
• Learns and uses university systems that support content development and management, including for content operations, web content management system (CMS), and digital asset management (DAM)
• Assists with content development in the university CMS, and works within and helps maintain digital asset management system for storing and organizing design files and assets
• Explores and understands the role that AI and other emerging technologies can bring to graphic design to enhance capabilities and increase efficiency

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Commercial Art, Graphic Design or a related field; five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in commercial or graphic art including marketing and supervision, print production, graphic techniques and procedures, computer graphics, web page design software; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge equivalent to that which would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree in graphic design, advertising, commercial art, digital media arts and technology or a related field 
• Five to eight years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work in graphic design, including web sites and digital executions
• Mastery or very strong skills with the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, including Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop
• Experience in Microsoft Office, including Word and PowerPoint
• Knowledge of and experience in design and layout principles, including typography
• Experience with logo design and visual identity system development 
• Demonstrated understanding of marketing and branding principles 
• Knowledge and experience in meeting accessibility standards
• Demonstrated ability to balance creativity and detail-oriented work in a deadline-driven environment, to quickly produce high-quality work meeting the needs of multiple digital channels, to learn new skills quickly and to collaborate effectively as part of a team
• Exceptional creative thinking skills and the ability to adapt to new technology or communications avenues
• Demonstrated strong written and verbal communication skills 
• Strong digital portfolio of design work for review 
• Demonstrated ability to create original creative concepts across multiple digital and print media
• Knowledge of or experience working in foundational arts, illustration, photography, print design and PowerPoint
• Strong knowledge of digital content trends (social, web, etc.), including evolving use of artificial intelligence, and understanding of how graphics work and interplay across all platforms 
• Some background or proficiency in HTML and CSS and experience creating responsive website designs 
• Some background or proficiency in elements/manipulation of photo, video, animation
• Experience working in marketing or advertising environments and/or in higher education or other service-oriented environments 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

• Cover letter
• Resume
• 3 professional references
• Portfolio of design work

Special Instructions

Remote Work Statement

University Communications and Marketing supports a hybrid schedule allowing for both in-office and remote work opportunities. Our in-office time is used primarily for team meetings along with formal and informal collaboration. We support our employees to do their best work by providing technology to support both remote collaboration and in-office collaboration, as well as intentional strategies to foster a positive work culture. Remote work and hybrid schedules are reviewed annually and may be subject to change based on the needs of the organization.

Work Hours

STANDARD 8-5

Website

https://comms.msu.edu/

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Bidding eligibility ends January 14, 2025 at 11:55 P.M.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

Connections working at Michigan State University