SEASONAL - Sr. Graphic Designer & Illustrator
About The Position
Unrivaled is seeking a Sr. Graphic Designer and Illustrator to help define the organization’s look and feel across social media platforms during the 2026–2027 season. The engagement is expected to run from December 1, 2026, through March 30, 2027, subject to completion of the agreed scope of services. Services are expected to be performed remotely unless otherwise agreed. Applicants are asked to provide work from their professional portfolio. The role combines execution within an established brand system with original concept development and illustration. The designer will create high-volume social and real-time sports graphics, original artwork, campaign creative, player- and club-focused work, sponsor-integrated content, and creative for live events and physical spaces. The role works with Marketing, Content, and Brand Partnerships to develop visual concepts and scalable design systems while maintaining the Unrivaled brand.
Requirements
- 3–7+ years of professional design experience.
- A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional graphic design and illustration skills.
- Experience creating sports, entertainment, fashion, music, gaming, or culturally relevant creative.
- Strong command of typography, composition, color, photography, and visual hierarchy.
- Ability to create original illustration, rather than simply manipulate photography or existing assets.
- Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
- Strong understanding of Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and evolving social formats.
- Ability to work quickly in a live sports environment.
- Comfort receiving creative direction while also bringing original ideas to the table.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to craft.
- Applicants must provide work from their professional portfolio.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with motion design, After Effects, 3D, or animation.
- Familiarity with emerging AI-assisted creative tools, particularly for accelerating ideation and production rather than replacing original creative thinking.
Responsibilities
- Design high-volume, high-quality graphics for Unrivaled’s social platforms.
- Create game-day graphics, matchups, starting lineups, scores, statistics, standings, player milestones, breaking news, transactions, schedules, and results.
- Develop graphics around cultural moments, player performances, rivalries, and emerging storylines.
- Work quickly during live events while maintaining a high creative standard.
- Build adaptable templates that enable creative and social teams to work quickly without making the brand feel repetitive.
- Create original illustrations of Unrivaled players, teams, moments, and league stories.
- Develop poster-style artwork, editorial illustrations, player portraits, typography treatments, and campaign artwork.
- Translate player personalities and basketball culture into distinctive visual concepts.
- Create artwork that can extend to merchandise, apparel, posters, arena environments, and physical installations.
- Support major league campaigns, including player announcements, schedules, ticketing, tune-in, playoffs, special events, and league initiatives.
- Help evolve Unrivaled’s visual identity while maintaining consistency across platforms.
- Create key art that can serve as the foundation for larger integrated campaigns.
- Collaborate with Marketing and Content to translate strategic ideas into visual concepts.
- Help establish design systems and templates that scale across a fast-growing organization.
- Develop distinctive creative treatments for Unrivaled players and clubs.
- Create graphics celebrating player personalities, achievements, fashion, culture, and interests beyond basketball.
- Help differentiate individual team visual identities while keeping them connected to the overall Unrivaled brand.
- Create player-focused artwork that athletes are excited to share on their own platforms.
- Collaborate with the Brand Partnerships team on sponsor-integrated graphics and campaigns.
- Incorporate partner brands creatively without compromising the quality or authenticity of Unrivaled creative.
- Develop original visual concepts for partnership pitches and existing sponsorship programs.
- Adapt league creative into partner-specific deliverables across social, digital, broadcast, and live events.
- Design graphics for arena video boards, LED displays, signage, concourses, player areas, and fan experiences.
- Support creative needs for Unrivaled road events and special events.
- Consider how artwork translates from phone screens into physical environments.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
