Graphic Designer

Overview
We are seeking an experienced designer to join our Design & Communications team on a freelance basis. As a freelance designer, you’ll be working closely with our team to supply creative strategies/design solutions to various collateral, office environments, digital collateral (social media, emails, etc.), presentations, photo/video direction and event communications.

The Graphic Designer role will deliver to the highest level of design and production standards, guidelines and processes. You will show a solid understanding of measuring project successes to develop standard practices for future projects. You are tech savvy, keep current with various design and office software, and demonstrate a high level of proficiency with these software/tools. Strong communication and interpersonal skills will be key to success in this role.

This position reports to the Chief of Staff and is responsible for providing graphic design, ideas and solutions for presentations, physical environments, digital assets and marketing projects as they pertain to building and growing a memorable and positive impression of the Cleveland Avenue brand and affiliates.

Your core responsibilities:

• Producing quality design or creative solutions for Cleveland Avenue’s Communications & Corporate Affairs division and for units throughout the organization.

Includes:

• Designing print collateral, digital campaigns, environmental design, PowerPoint presentations, digital design, editable templates, etc.
• Brand management representative in maintaining identity system and champion for proper usage of brand assets across all users of brand, internally and externally
• Work closely with stakeholders on all jobs and prioritize independently
• Actively participates in meetings
• On-going training to stay up to date with the latest design trends, tools and software
• Facilitate working sessions with creative and strategic partners
• Provide insight to the division in areas of technical and creative development
• Present creative and creative rationale to stakeholders concerning design
• Prioritizes work based on project needs, job requirements, etc.
• Work closely with the design team to maintain studio/agency level quality regarding design trends and technologies

Adaptability, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within the design team. Inclusion, collaboration and cultural sensitivity are valued competencies at Cleveland Avenue. Therefore, we are in search of a designer who is able to effectively interact with a varied population of diverse audiences. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the organization through their work.

You should demonstrate:

• Exceptional written and oral communications skills
• Excellent researching and analytical skills
• Strong reasoning and problem-solving skills
• Excellent organizational skills

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field.
• 7-10 years of professional graphic design experience.
• Technical expertise in Adobe creative Cloud (InDesign, photoshop, illustrator required).
• Working knowledge of Figma and collaborative design workflows.
• Working knowledge of Webflow or similar website builders/CMS platforms.
• Video editing experience (Premiere Pro or equivalent).
• Motion graphics fundamentals (After Effects or similar).
• Working knowledge of 3D tools (e.g., Blender) highly preferred.
• Comfortable with presentation design (PowerPoint).
• Interest in leveraging AI tools (e.g., Midjourney) as part of the creative process.
• Proven talent for creating fresh, unique, and professional designs.
• Experience with videography or photography a plus.
• Communicates effectively and professionally.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Exceptional creativity and innovation with a strong online portfolio.

Pay: $50.00 - $60.00 per hour

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chicago, IL 60606