Visual Identity Lead

Northern Trust • Chicago, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

About Northern Trust: Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889. Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service. Role/ Department: Visual Identity Lead/Digital Marketing We’re building something new — and you could lead it. Our Creative team is establishing a dedicated Visual Identity function for the first time, and we’re looking for a Visual Identity Lead to define, operationalize and elevate how our brand shows up across the enterprise. If you’re excited by the idea of crafting a practice from the ground up, building systems, and shaping how a major financial services brand is expressed across millions of interactions, this is your moment. You’ll report directly to the Head of Creative and guide Creative designers while developing the processes, standards, governance mechanisms and tools that will become the backbone of our enterprise brand system. This is an exceptional opportunity for a systems thinker with strong leadership instincts—someone who loves building frameworks, driving clarity, educating partners and shaping brand expression at scale. The key responsibilities of the role include: Shape and Build a New Function Define how the Visual Identity team operates, collaborates, and delivers value across the organization. Establish foundational processes, QA standards, and governance models that ensure brand consistency. Develop and socialize the vision for how our visual identity evolves and scales. Lead & Inspire Supervise a designer, providing coaching, direction and clear expectations. Set daily priorities, manage workloads, and ensure the work is resourced and supported. Own Our Visual Identity Serve as the primary guardian of our visual brand system—templates, guidelines, assets, iconography and digital components. Ensure all creative work reflects the company’s brand strategy, meets accessibility standards, and aligns with industry best practices for financial services. Audit creative work and partner with teams to ensure consistent and compliant brand expression. Collaborate Across the Business Work closely with Marketing, Communications, Digital, Compliance, and Product teams to create alignment and drive adoption. Educate internal partners on best practices and champion a unified visual expression across departments. Drive Operational Excellence Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, standardize workflows, and streamline design operations through technology. Troubleshoot daily issues and ensure high quality creative output.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design, Bachelor of Design or equivalent
• 7-10+ years of experience in visual design, brand systems, or identity management
• Previous supervisory or team-lead experience
• Proven ability to build, refine, or scale a design or brand governance function
• Expertise in typography, layout, color systems, and multichannel visual identity
• Strong communication and relationship building skills building skills
• A balance of strategic thinking, operational rigor, and a meticulous eye for detail
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects with tight timelines.
• A portfolio must be submitted in order to be considered for this role
• Collaborative and adaptable: able to navigate team dynamics, timelines, and client contexts while delivering exceptional design.
• Growth oriented and resilient: open to feedback, eager to iterate, and comfortable learning through experimentation and critique.
• Curious and proactive: able to generate ideas, take initiative, and contribute wherever needed, from early exploration to final delivery.

Nice To Haves

• Experience navigating complex enterprises; financial services or regulated industry experience is a plus
• Proficiency with Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud, and brand management tools
• Background in design tooling systems (Adobe Express, Adobe Assets)

Responsibilities

• Define how the Visual Identity team operates, collaborates, and delivers value across the organization.
• Establish foundational processes, QA standards, and governance models that ensure brand consistency.
• Develop and socialize the vision for how our visual identity evolves and scales.
• Supervise a designer, providing coaching, direction and clear expectations.
• Set daily priorities, manage workloads, and ensure the work is resourced and supported.
• Serve as the primary guardian of our visual brand system—templates, guidelines, assets, iconography and digital components.
• Ensure all creative work reflects the company’s brand strategy, meets accessibility standards, and aligns with industry best practices for financial services.
• Audit creative work and partner with teams to ensure consistent and compliant brand expression.
• Work closely with Marketing, Communications, Digital, Compliance, and Product teams to create alignment and drive adoption.
• Educate internal partners on best practices and champion a unified visual expression across departments.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, standardize workflows, and streamline design operations through technology.
• Troubleshoot daily issues and ensure high quality creative output.

Benefits

• Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits.
• Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees