Senior Designer, PLAY

USA TODAY Co.

5d • $85,000 - $95,000 • 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. USA TODAY Co. open roles are featured on various external job boards. When applying to a position at USA TODAY Co., you should be completing an application on USA TODAY Co. Careers via Dayforce. Job postings directing you to complete an application on other external sites may not be valid. To connect with us, visit www.usatodayco.com
PLAY is USA TODAY’s emerging unified platform for casual entertainment, featuring puzzles, games, horoscopes, comics, quizzes, and interactive experiences. It’s a daily destination for audiences seeking smart, engaging leisure downtime. As the brand grows across digital platforms, the designer position will be essential in defining how users discover PLAY, engage with it, and form meaningful connections to the USA TODAY PLAY brand.
Job Summary
We are seeking a passionate senior designer to serve as the lead visual storyteller for our brand, PLAY. In this role, you’ll transform ideas into bold, high-impact creative that sparks curiosity and connection. You’ll define how PLAY appears across every touchpoint, crafting immersive visuals guided by our brand style guide to elevate features, highlight new game launches, and celebrate leisure as a daily essential. Your work will shape first impressions, drive lasting engagement, and keep PLAY fresh, modern, and instantly recognizable.
All applicants must have a portfolio linked in their resume or provided at the time of application to be considered
This position reports to the Creative Director of the Creative Studio under the Consumer Marketing Division.

Requirements

• An exceptional portfolio showcasing work across various platforms. All applicants must have a portfolio to be considered.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design or equivalent education or experience in a related field.
• At least 5+ years of experience as a designer in an agency or in-house team.
• Extensive knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite – Photoshop and Illustrator is a must, Adobe After Effects and Figma are a plus.
• A positive attitude and the ability to reframe challenges and feedback as opportunities and pivot accordingly.
• Impeccable attention to design detail, ability to multi-task, and execute jobs on time in a fast-paced environment.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• All-around team player with experience collaborating with product, marketing and other cross-functional teams.

Nice To Haves

• Experience designing for motion and animation, especially storyboarding for video and animated brand campaigns, is strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Outlook, Teams, and PowerPoint, Asana, and Keynote is a plus.
• Illustration skills are preferred but not mandatory.
• Experience supporting consumer-facing digital products or entertainment brands preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of multichannel creative across onsite experiences, app, social, email, and digital campaigns to introduce and reinforce PLAY’s brand identity.
• Create compelling visuals that bring PLAY’s brand, features, and value to life through clear, distinctive concepts that align with the brief.
• Collaborate closely with Creative Directors, Art Directors, Motion Designers, Copywriters, Product, and Consumer Marketing partners to align vision, consistency, execution, and the end-to-end user journey.
• Translate audience insights into creative strategy, using performance data to refine work and drive engagement, retention, and user growth.
• Adapt creative to support feature launches, new games, and tentpole initiatives, keeping PLAY fresh, relevant, and competitive.
• Guide the evolution of PLAY’s visual system as the product grows, incorporating feedback from users and cross-functional partners.
• Establish and maintain high standards of craft and brand integrity, championing a cohesive visual language and clear storytelling across every touchpoint.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level