ECOS Contracted Graphic Designer

Florida Atlantic University•Boca Raton, FL

20h•Onsite

About The Position

Florida Atlantic University is seeking a Contracted Graphic Designer for the School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability (ECOS) in Boca Raton, FL. ECOS serves as FAU’s hub for solution-based environmental research, training, and community engagement. Established in 2023 as a partnership between the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI), ECOS unites hundreds of researchers across six colleges to address the environmental challenges facing South Florida and beyond, and to serve as an international model for innovative environmental solutions. The graphic designer will join its team to support these initiatives.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent and two years of appropriate experience required.
Submission of a portfolio in resume is a requirement for consideration.
Familiarity with visual style guides and brand standards.
Demonstrated experience designing within established corporate identities and thematic campaign frameworks.
Experience producing high-quality print and digital graphic design assets.
Experience developing social media graphics, with an understanding of platform-specific best practices.
Strong conceptual design skills, ranging from initial sketching and mock-ups to fully realized, high quality designs.
Proven client relationship management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple units on cross-functional projects, as needed.
Ability to synthesize complex and technical copy into clear, concise, and visually compelling designs across a cohesive suite of graphics.
Ability to quickly learn, interpret, and visually represent diverse scientific themes, including topics such as Ocean and Coastal Health and Wetlands Conservation.
Openness to giving and receiving constructive design critique in service of elevating overall quality.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; including the ability to articulate and defend design decisions grounded in research.
Strong customer service, organizational, and time management skills.
Demonstrated ability to prioritize work and manage multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced, hands-on environment while meeting deadlines.
Proficiency in maintaining a well-organized, shared library of visual assets (e.g. photography of field sites, logos) that is easily accessible to other ECOS staff.
A strong portfolio that demonstrates the ability to organize dense, technical information into a clear visual hierarchy accessible to a general audience.
Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.

Nice To Haves

Experience with video and multimedia design, including Adobe Premiere Pro, is a plus.

Responsibilities

Creates graphics for social media (platform-specific), web headers and highlights, reports and presentations, print materials (flyers, handouts, brochures, bi-folds, tri-folds, etc.), event invitations and promotional materials, posters and signage, banners, newsletters, email campaigns, and related deliverables.
Translate university design standards and design themes for ECOS across the full suite of design work, from print to digital.
Design recruitment materials for a variety of opportunities and programs and for diverse audiences, including student-facing flyers and social graphics, promotional materials for community events, and materials for external audiences such as postdoctoral fellowships.
Design visual layouts and custom headers for a recurring ECOS digital newsletter and email campaigns aimed at keeping community members, resilience planners, and academic peers informed of recent "solution-driven" outcomes and achievements.
Translate complex research findings (e.g., water quality data, Everglades restoration progress, etc.) into clean, professional charts, maps, and infographics for use in reports and presentations, and community facing materials such as social media and newsletters.
Ensure FAU brand integrity and adherence to university visual guidelines.
Utilize FAU photo database and approved stock imagery.
Create templates for flyers and handouts.
Prepare files for in-house or professional printing.
Organize working and final design files within the School's digital drive.
Utilize project management, ticket systems, communications tools, employed by the School and communications team to fulfill design requests and collaborate effectively.
Learn and apply FAU branding guidelines, including proper editing, formatting, sizing and logo placement on collateral and identify errors or inconsistencies based on university visual and brand standards.