Graphic Designer, University Relations

University of Denver•Quinte West, ON

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The University Relations division at the University of Denver aims to advance the university's brand with four goals: promoting and protecting DU's reputation, inspiring student enrollment and engagement, increasing inclusion, and strengthening the University. They strive to enhance DU’s strategic position locally, regionally, and nationally through data-driven storytelling across multiple channels, focusing on academics and research, enrollment and admissions, athletics, and advancement. University Relations drives results through various methods including public relations, digital strategies, social media, print, podcast, crisis management, community relations, and thought leadership. The team fosters collaborative problem-solving, creativity, and innovation by understanding and connecting with diverse audiences. With guidance from creative leadership, the graphic designer will utilize their creativity, technical skills, and design expertise to craft and execute design concepts supporting university marketing and communications goals. Their work will encompass print, digital, and multimedia channels, often under tight deadlines. This role is crucial in evolving the university’s brand expression and brand kit, involving the creation of design templates, branded assets, and visual tools. The graphic designer will act as a key brand advocate for the entire DU campus. As part of a collaborative marketing team, they will work closely with division leadership, other creatives, and marketing and communications colleagues daily. This position is ideal for a designer who thrives in an integrated creative team environment and is expected to engage in proactive planning and provide recommendations to team leadership to ensure smooth project execution.

Requirements

Demonstrated design success, with a supporting design portfolio that highlights both conceptual thinking and strong execution.
2-4 years’ experience in graphic and visual design, both in print and digital platforms.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education, experience, and/or military training in graphic design, digital design, or related field. Candidates with an associate degree and relevant professional experience are encouraged to apply.
Proficiency with photo editing.
Ability to work in various media, including digital, print, photo, and video.
Excellent design skills and meticulous attention to detail.
Ability to generate creative ideas and lead execution of these ideas.
Competency in industry standard design software, including Adobe Creative Cloud design programs, Figma, and Canva.
Competency with Microsoft Office products, including Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
Ability to take feedback constructively and iterate on designs and ideas from multiple stakeholders with differing opinions.
Ability to work in a fast-paced collaborative environment, juggling multiple deadlines at once.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues across different levels of the organization.
Excellent communication skills, both verbally and in writing.

Nice To Haves

Experience creating design templates, ideally in Canva, for use by a wide range of skill levels across a complex organization.
Experience in motion graphics and video editing.
Experience in photo capture.

Responsibilities

Execute design concepts through images, layouts, motion, and other design elements across a variety of media, including digital, print, photo and video, including making revisions and optimizations based on performance.
Generate and present design concepts under the supervision of creative leadership.
Serve as a brand steward, consultant and advocate, holding established visual standards while continuing to work with division leadership to maintain and optimize the brand.
Use division-wide project management system for all projects, related files, and time tracking, including providing timely status updates.
Create and maintain brand kit assets in support of the entire DU campus, including design templates, branded assets, and training/documentation.
Stay updated on industry trends and integrate innovative ideas into projects.