Graphic Artist - Motion - Special Projects

USA TODAY Co.

2d•$45,000 - $55,000•Remote

About The Position

USA TODAY Co., Inc. is a diversified media company with expansive reach at the national and local level dedicated to empowering and enriching communities. We seek to inspire, inform, and connect audiences as a sustainable, growth focused media and digital marketing solutions company. Through our trusted brands, including the USA TODAY NETWORK, comprised of the national publication, USA TODAY, and local media organizations, including our network of local properties, in the United States, and Newsquest, a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom, we provide essential journalism, local content, and digital experiences to audiences and businesses. We deliver high-quality, trusted content with a commitment to balanced, unbiased journalism, where and when consumers want to engage. Our digital marketing solutions brand, LocaliQ, supports small and medium-sized businesses with innovative digital marketing products and solutions. designIQ is a full-service creative, design, and pre-media group supporting internal and external partners across print, digital, social, video, branding, campaign creative, imaging, and ad production services. Our work ranges from high-volume production to agency-level creative solutions. That includes print and digital advertising, social media creative, short-form video, logos, brand identity systems, company stationery, branded materials, direct mail, billboards, packaging, product design, glossy and newsprint products, campaign assets, and other custom creative needs. We’re looking for a senior-level multimedia designer who can do more than execute a request. This person should be able to understand the business need, interpret limited direction, ask the right questions when needed, and deliver polished creative that looks professional, works across channels, and supports the client’s objective. Role Summary: The Multimedia Designer III is responsible for creating high-quality, finished creative across print, digital, social, video, branding, campaign, and multimedia channels. This role requires strong design judgment, production knowledge, creative problem-solving, and the ability to work comfortably with internal teams, sales partners, and external clients. The ideal candidate can move between quick-turn production work and more thoughtful, agency-level creative. This person should be able to design a polished print ad, create a social campaign, develop logo concepts, build branded materials, support billboard creative, prepare direct mail pieces, assist with packaging or product design, create digital campaign assets, and contribute to short-form video or motion-based creative. The Multimedia Designer III should also be comfortable using AI-assisted creative tools to improve speed, ideation, versioning, image exploration, and production efficiency while maintaining strong human judgment, originality, brand integrity, and quality standards.

Requirements

Portfolio required. Portfolio must show finished creative work across multiple media types.
Strong professional experience in graphic design, multimedia design, advertising, publishing, agency creative, in-house creative, or a related design environment.
Demonstrated ability to produce agency-level creative across print, digital, social, branding, and campaign-based work.
Experience creating logos, branded materials, corporate stationery, digital ads, print ads, direct mail, billboards, packaging, product-related creative, glossy publications, newsprint products, or similar deliverables.
Strong understanding of design fundamentals, including layout, typography, color, hierarchy, composition, branding, visual storytelling, and production accuracy.
Proven ability to create finished design work with minimal direction.
Experience designing for both print and digital platforms.
Working knowledge of social media creative, paid social formats, digital display, campaign assets, and platform-specific design requirements.
Understanding of mobile-first design, digital advertising, performance-minded creative, and audience engagement.
Exposure to video, motion graphics, animation, HTML5-style creative, or short-form content creation.
Working knowledge of AI-assisted creative tools and the ability to use them responsibly as part of a professional design workflow.
Ability to write effective prompts, refine AI-generated outputs, identify weak results, and avoid generic or low-quality AI-assisted creative.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to interact with internal teams and external clients with professionalism, confidence, and ease.
Ability to explain design choices clearly to non-design stakeholders.
Strong customer service mindset with the ability to balance client needs, creative standards, and business goals.
Strong time management, organization, and prioritization skills.
Ability to balance speed, quality, creativity, and accuracy in a high-volume environment.
Ability to receive feedback, revise work efficiently, and maintain professionalism under pressure.
Advanced working knowledge of Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator required.
Microsoft Office experience required.
Ability to learn company-specific workflow tools, ad tracking systems, production platforms, digital asset systems, and internal approval processes.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communication, digital media, advertising, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Experience working in an agency, media company, publishing environment, creative studio, or high-volume production environment.
Experience creating creative for local, regional, or national advertisers.
Experience supporting brand development, campaign concepts, product launches, promotional campaigns, or multi-channel marketing efforts.
Experience with direct mail, magazine layout, newspaper layout, outdoor advertising, signage, packaging, branded merchandise, product mockups, and vendor-ready file preparation.
Experience building scalable templates, brand systems, design libraries, modular layouts, or reusable campaign frameworks.
Experience creating campaign extensions across multiple channels, including print, digital, social, email, outdoor, and video.
Experience presenting creative ideas or explaining design decisions to clients, sales teams, or internal stakeholders.
Experience reviewing creative performance or designing with campaign outcomes in mind.
Understanding of accessibility standards, including WCAG-informed digital design practices.
Experience mentoring junior designers or helping improve design quality across a team.
Ability to contribute to creative concepting, not just execution.
Experience with Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Adobe Express, Figma, Canva, or similar creative tools preferred.
Experience with tools that support HTML5 output, digital animation, motion graphics, short-form video, social creative, or platform-ready digital assets preferred.
Familiarity with AI-assisted creative tools such as Adobe Firefly, Photoshop generative tools, Canva AI, ChatGPT, Midjourney, Runway, or similar platforms preferred.
Familiarity with digital campaign specs, print specs, prepress standards, file packaging, bleed, trim, resolution, color profiles, and vendor requirements.

Responsibilities

Create polished, effective creative for print, digital, social, video, branding, campaign, and multimedia needs.
Design print ads, digital display ads, paid social graphics, short-form video assets, animated creative, billboards, direct mailers, email graphics, presentation materials, campaign visuals, and other marketing assets.
Develop or support agency-level creative, including logos, brand identity materials, company stationery, branded collateral, packaging concepts, product design assets, signage, glossy magazine layouts, newsprint layouts, outdoor advertising, and promotional print products.
Interpret direction from clients, sales teams, customer support, and internal stakeholders, even when the brief is incomplete.
Turn limited input into finished creative that is clear, professional, on-brand, and aligned with the client’s business goal.
Use strong design judgment around typography, hierarchy, layout, color, imagery, composition, branding, messaging, and call-to-action placement.
Design with performance in mind, including audience behavior, message clarity, mobile-first layout, visual hooks, readability, and conversion-focused calls to action.
Create platform-ready social and digital creative for channels such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, display networks, email, and landing page environments.
Support motion, video, animation, and HTML5-style creative, including reels support, storyboards, video thumbnails, title cards, end cards, animated display ads, and short-form content assets.
Adapt creative across multiple formats, sizes, platforms, and media types while maintaining consistency and quality.
Create production-ready files that meet print, digital, prepress, vendor, platform, and brand requirements.
Apply print production knowledge across glossy publications, newsprint, direct mail, billboards, signage, packaging, and other printed materials.
Use AI-assisted tools to support creative ideation, image exploration, layout variation, production efficiency, versioning, and workflow improvement.
Review AI-assisted outputs carefully to ensure final work is accurate, original, brand-safe, legally appropriate, and professionally finished.
Collaborate with sales, customer support, creative leads, production teams, and external customers to clarify needs, resolve issues, and improve final creative output.
Communicate professionally and confidently with internal and external customers.
Present and explain creative decisions to internal teams, sales partners, and external clients when needed.
Manage multiple assignments in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Review creative for accuracy, quality, spelling, grammar, brand alignment, image quality, technical specs, and overall effectiveness.
Apply accessibility-minded design practices, including legibility, contrast, hierarchy, mobile readability, and inclusive digital design standards.
Stay current on design trends, digital advertising practices, social media formats, AI tools, video trends, print production standards, and evolving creative expectations.
Help raise the quality of work across the team by sharing knowledge, offering design guidance, and modeling strong creative judgment.
Contribute ideas that improve workflow, creative quality, scalability, and customer experience.