senior brand designer

Creativity needs room to breathe. At Agency Habitat, we’ll give you the space. There’s no one right way to live, work, create or sell, which is why we believe in a different kind of work environment. One that is inclusive and inviting to folks from all walks of life, no matter the intersecting identities you encompass. All we ask is that you bring new experiences to the table, share your talents and insights openly and learn as much as you can from the people you meet every day. We know that collaboration, open communication, accountability and a humble spirit drive us forward in this Habitat, and we’re looking to grow with you. We need team players who want to work hard and contribute to the greater success of our clients and community. We do life together with our clients and teammates and we do it all through brand, content and media. Sound like the place for you? Keep reading.

Job Summary:

Designing for brands requires a keen eye for detail, a deep understanding of design principles and strong communication skills to collaborate effectively with team members. As part of the Agency Habitat team, our Senior Brand Designers are given autonomy and expected to fully own concepting, developing, leading and executing innovative and effective creative solutions that meet client expectations and drive results. You will work closely with Habitat’s specialty teams, including social media, influencer management, studio and interactive.

Habitat Senior Brand Designers may be required to establish and maintain working relationships with external designers, illustrators, photographers, printers, production houses and other vendors to ensure everything comes to life as efficiently and beautifully as possible. In addition to your artistic and technical skills, we’ll tap your strategic and interpersonal abilities to help develop campaign strategies, goals and timelines as needed. Above all, you’ll foster awesome creative and have fun pushing the boundaries.

Key Responsibilities:

Design Execution and Ideation

• Create innovative, attractive and technically sound designs in the print and digital space that fit within brand standards for multiple clients
  • This includes branding, logo creation, social media, content creation, OOH, packaging designs, trade show assets, websites, brochures, booklets, etc.
  • Excellent color theory, typography and hierarchy skills required
• Be able to own the execution of a project from start to finish, as well as coach others through a project from start to finish – ideation, development, refinement, execution, packaging and/or exporting of final files
• Lead the day-to-day design for medium to large accounts with minimal oversight of a creative lead
  • Take the lead on the design direction of projects while keeping the creative lead involved for additional guidance and direction
  • Make changes and edits to projects while still staying within brand guidelines
  • Be present for all kickoff meetings for the account
  • Be able to delegate and guide work to other designers in order to create a balance of execution vs. leading
• Work with account, copywriting and specialty teams to define creative needs, and help manage client expectations, budgets and project parameters to ensure effective execution
• Participate in concepting projects and be able to bring original ideas and thoughts to the table
  • Be able to lead and guide a team through a brainstorm meeting to help establish direction and goals, and home in on the strongest ideas
  • Come prepared to brainstorming meetings with ideas and research that you have done by yourself or with other team members
  • Ideate in the form of mood boards, sketches, designs, inspiration images/videos, copy ideas or storytelling
  • Bring strong, well thought-out ideas to brainstorming meetings with thoughts on how to connect the idea to the visual execution
  • Challenge and guide the conversations to further strengthen ideas from the full team
  • Have a “yes, and” attitude to build on other team members’ ideas
  • Be able to bring multiple ideas/concepts to life through mockups, mood boards, animations and other designs
  • Help guide less experienced team members through the concepting process
• Lead complex photo and video shoots of all scales
  • Lead shot list creation and finalization
  • Lead production team and give direction during planning and on set
  • Lead model selection with client
  • Give direction to the stylist and hair and makeup artist
  • Potentially help style sets and products
  • Help with agency/freelance coordination
  • Be available to answer questions and navigate client direction on set
• Weigh in on strategic projects, conversations and presentations with direction and support from an Associate Creative Director/Creative Director
  • Value creative strategy and know that strong concepts require a solid foundation to be successful
• Adhere to project briefs and create designs that accomplish the goals outlined in the briefs
• Have a thorough understanding of print processes and techniques; be able to recognize opportunities to enhance projects via creative production
• Be able to build proper print files to avoid production delays and pitfalls

General

• Expertise with the latest versions of Adobe Creative Suite and an in-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office; Keynote is a plus

• Manage workload and be able to stick to timelines
  • Be able to multi-task and prioritize the projects you have
  • Be able to learn quickly, produce in a fast-paced environment and work well under pressure
  • Be able to work on multiple pieces of a campaign or brand at the same time
  • Be able to actively work on multiple clients at the same time
• Be able to defend and present your work internally and with clients
  • Effectively explain the rationale behind why the design achieves the goal outlined in the brief, and explain why specific design decisions were made
  • Be able to think on your feet and answer client questions thoroughly
• Occasionally consult on creative and project briefs with account team members to ensure timelines and deliverables are appropriate
• Utilize critical thinking skills and have the ability to adapt as needs change and industry standards evolve
• Be willing to learn and take constructive criticism on designs and concepts
• Remain up to date on current best practices, trends and technology advancements
• Be process-focused, organized and have a strong attention to detail
• Maintain a positive attitude and a problem-solving mindset in both optimal and challenging situations
• Remain dedicated to your craft, with a strong work ethic and passion to create
• Be able to perform duties with a high level of enthusiasm, respect and initiative
• Bring a sense of humor to your everyday work life and not take yourself too seriously
• Be self-motivated to maintain a high degree of conceptual creativity
• Contribute to and foster an open, honest and supportive team environment where everyone feels valued and heard
• Be able to interact with employees at all levels – interns, other designers, design leads and managers
• Seek help and solutions while being resourceful about finding answers on your own
• Have excellent written and oral communication skills
• Perform other tasks beyond assigned duties as needed

Relationships

• Work seamlessly with Copywriters throughout the life of a project, and encourage other writers and designers to do the same
  • Connect at the beginning of a project to ensure that you and the Copywriter are aligned on direction
  • Brainstorm together and create any wireframes that are needed
  • Share design progress with the Copywriter to be able to make any optimizations together to achieve the goal
  • Continue to check in throughout if design or copy shifts the direction of the project
• Work closely with Brand Managers to have any questions answered or gain more client insights in order to keep projects moving efficiently for yourself and the team
• Keep Project Managers up to date on progress, deadline timing and workload for yourself and the team
• Report directly to an Associate Creative Director/Creative Director
  • Share regular progress on client projects, initiatives and team updates
  • Consistently participate in 1:1s for growth and development
• Collaborate heavily with other creatives from the brand, content and media teams
• Help identify vendors and be able to lead communications with those external partners
• Participate in virtual and in-person client meetings for presentations, brainstorms, workshop sessions, etc.

Leadership

• Be able to lead a team of writers and designers with a positive attitude, and establish strong, collaborative relationships with other departments
• Help manage Associate Art Directors and Art Directors
  • Provide feedback and ideas for designs to push the brand and help grow the designer
  • When leading the day-to-day designs of a brand, be able to share workload and effectively communicate needs to finish a project
  • Provide oversight and direction for other team members
  • Collaborate on large campaign/branding initiatives to keep brand consistency
  • Hold 1:1 meetings with Associate Art Directors and Art Directors for growth and development
• Help mentor and work with interns and associate copywriters
• Be an everyday leader by being someone who has a service mindset, puts the team first, helps other bring the best out in themselves and who leads by example

Other

• Formally evaluate other team members
• Experience with motion graphics and social media content creation a plus
• Front-end design experience with light HTML and CSS coding a plus

Qualifications:

• Education: A. degree in Communications, Journalism, English, Advertising, Marketing or other related discipline is a plus
• Work Experience: 5-7+ years of design experience (agency experience mandatory); portfolio demonstrating professional approach
• Work requirements: Occasional overtime and travel required. May work some odd hours

Relationships:

• Reports to:VP of Brand Creative and/or their appointees
• External relationships:Clients, Vendors and Freelancers

Location:

• Fort Worth, TX

We offer a friendly and creative work environment that fosters community, companionship and dynamic working relationships. We believe in the power of connection and collaboration, so we work mostly in our state-of-the-art office, but we understand life happens, and we have the flexibility to work from home when needed. We offer a competitive salary with potential bonus opportunities based on company and individual performance, plus benefits, 401(k), ample paid time off, a festive holiday schedule, three coffee makers, an arcade and full bar.