Associate, Creative & Branding

The Creative and Branding Associate is a graphic designer on ACC's Creative and Branding team within Marketing & Communications, responsible for original design and design production across print, digital, presentation, and display formats. The role requires a high level of proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite on the Macintosh platform and a working understanding of brand and visual identity systems, and operates under the day-to-day direction of the Team Leader, Creative and Branding.

The Creative and Branding Associate is a graphic designer on ACC's Creative and Branding team within Marketing & Communications, responsible for original design and design production across print, digital, presentation, and display formats. The role requires a high level of proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite on the Macintosh platform and a working understanding of brand and visual identity systems, and operates under the day-to-day direction of the Team Leader, Creative and Branding.

Key deliverables and objectives:

• Original, on-brand design work across the full range of marketing and communications formats — collateral systems, ad campaigns, newsletters, magazines, exhibits, and more

• Projects delivered on time, within budget, and to the creative and business objectives set for each assignment

• Accurate, up-to-date creative asset management (photography, fonts, software, art materials) so the team can work efficiently

• Organized, current project files and archives on shared servers per department standards

This is an individual-contributor design role with no direct reports and no departmental budget ownership. The Associate is accountable for delivering individual projects within their assigned budgets and for recommending cost-saving or efficiency solutions, in partnership with the Creative and Branding Production Manager, but does not hold budget authority.

The Associate exercises creative and technical judgment in executing design work and recommending cost or production solutions, but works within brand guidelines and accepts project assignments from the Team Leader — direction on priorities and scope comes from above, while execution and problem-solving on individual projects is largely self-directed. The role requires regular judgment calls around production feasibility, budget, and postal/printing regulations. Primary interactions are with the Team Leader and Creative and Branding team (assignment and collaboration), the Production Manager (budget and production feasibility), and marketing/communications teams and other business lines across the College (gathering input and ensuring projects reflect their needs).

• Create original graphic design and design production for marketing and communications projects, in keeping with ACC's visual and brand identity guidelines

• Partner with marketing and communications teams to ensure projects reflect the expertise and input of relevant business lines across the College

• Manage assigned projects to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery that meets creative and business objectives

• Work with the Creative and Branding Production Manager to keep projects within budget and compliant with postal regulations; recommend solutions that improve creative results and/or reduce costs

• Accept assignments from the Team Leader and collaborate with the Creative and Branding team to deliver projects from concept to completion — collateral systems, ad campaigns, newsletters, magazines, exhibits, and similar formats

• Maintain creative asset files and resources, including stock and assignment photography, fonts, software and updates, and art materials

• Manage individual project workload through the team's web-based job tracking system

• Organize project files per department standards and keep shared-server project archives current for team access

• Demonstrate ongoing personal and professional commitment to collaborating with the marketing and communications team, supporting members and business areas, and fostering creative excellence

Success measures:

• % of projects passing brand-standards QC review on first submission

• On-time, on-budget delivery rate for assigned projects

• Turnaround time on standard design requests

• Positive feedback/re-engagement from marketing & communications partners on creative quality

• Bachelor's degree in Design, Graphic Design, Digital Design, or a related field

• Minimum of 5+ years of professional graphic design experience

• High proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) on the Macintosh platform, with working knowledge of Canva; knowledge of Adobe After Effects and Premier Pro

• Thorough knowledge of visual identity systems and the graphic support needs of a high-volume, fast-paced, deadline-driven creative team in an association environment

• A technically and creatively strong portfolio demonstrating proficiency across graphic design disciplines and a solid understanding of communication design and typography principles

• Knowledge of industry standards for preparing artwork for press

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to give and receive constructive feedback within a collaborative team

• Strong commitment to completing design assignments within budget and deadline while adhering to brand standards and marketing objectives

• Attention to detail and ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative environment

• Experience in publication design

• Proficient knowledge of Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro for video editing

• Experience with photography, including basic knowledge and use of Canon cameras

• Experience in the creative services/communications department of a large association, corporation, design studio, or advertising agency

• Active membership and participation in professional graphic design societies