Graphic Designer

Job Type: Full-time, one-year fixed-term employment contract (40 hours per week)

Location: Remote, Ontario-based

Compensation: $67,200 annually, plus a $1,000 Health Spending Account

Position Description

The Art Canada Institute (ACI) is seeking a talented, versatile, and detail-oriented Graphic Designer to create visual materials for its print and digital publications, website, educational resources, and communications. Reporting to the Digital and Creative Manager and working closely with editors, image researchers, educators, the event team, and external suppliers, the Graphic Designer will take projects from initial concept through design, proofing, and final delivery.

The successful candidate will combine strong design skills with excellent typography, careful image handling, and a meticulous approach to accuracy and quality control. They will be comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously, establishing priorities, and meeting deadlines across several teams. A collaborative approach is essential, as is the ability to interpret feedback, propose clear design solutions, and follow projects through to completion. The candidate will be committed to ensuring that every ACI publication and communication meets the organization’s editorial and visual standards, and will bring an interest in Canadian art and in presenting art scholarship in ways that are accessible and engaging.

About the Art Canada Institute

The Art Canada Institute (ACI) is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to making Canadian art history a contemporary, multi-vocal conversation. We promote the study of an inclusive Canadian art history to as broad an audience as possible.

Through digital and print publications, educational initiatives, and public programming, ACI celebrates the artists and artworks that have shaped Canada’s cultural landscape. The Graphic Designer plays a central role in advancing this mandate by shaping how ACI’s scholarship and programs are presented to readers. Designing across online art books, the website, newsletters, social media, and print materials, the Graphic Designer ensures that artworks are reproduced with care, that content is clear and accessible, and that the organization’s visual identity is applied consistently. Through this work, the Graphic Designer helps ensure that Canadian art history reaches audiences across Canada and around the world in a form that reflects its quality.

Key Responsibilities of the Role

Design and Production

• Design layouts, graphics, and image treatments for online art books, web pages, and educational resources.
• Produce print materials, including books, reports, brochures, invitations, event signage, and donor materials.
• Design social media graphics and templates, Mailchimp email newsletters, and assets for digital campaigns.
• Prepare and optimize images of artworks for web and print, with attention to colour accuracy, resolution, and reproduction quality.
• Conduct final quality-control reviews of designed materials before release.

Brand, Editorial, and Image Coordination

• Apply and maintain ACI’s visual identity across all print and digital channels.
• Work closely with editors throughout layout and proofing to ensure editorial requirements are reflected and corrections are properly implemented.
• Work with the image research team to ensure image files, captions, and credits are complete and correctly placed.
• Design English- and French-language versions of materials, ensuring visual consistency while accommodating differences in text length.
• Ensure digital and print materials meet accessibility standards (AODA and WCAG), including colour contrast, legibility, and alternative text.
• Work with ACI’s digital and technology teams to improve the UX/UI design and reader experience of the website and online art books.

Project Administration

• Maintain organized design files, image assets, templates, and version histories for all projects.
• Participate in regular team meetings, providing clear updates on project status, upcoming deadlines, and outstanding materials.
• Anticipate scheduling conflicts, flag potential delays promptly, and recommend practical solutions to keep projects on schedule.
• Brief and coordinate freelance designers as needed.
• Help develop and maintain design templates, brand guidelines, and file-management practices to support efficient and consistent production across the organization.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will possess:

• At least 5 years of professional graphic design experience, with a portfolio demonstrating work across print and digital media.
• A degree or diploma in graphic design, visual communication, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• Fluency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator), Figma, Canva, and Mailchimp.
• Strong typography, layout, and image-handling skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, contributors, and overlapping deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to receive and apply feedback.
• Experience preparing files for commercial printing and for web publication.
• Working knowledge of WordPress and other content-management systems.
• Experience in UX/UI design for websites and digital platforms.
• Basic HTML and CSS skills are considered an asset.
• Experience with motion graphics or basic video editing.
• Experience designing art books, museum catalogues, exhibition materials, magazines, or digital publications is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of accessible design practices is considered an asset.
• Experience working in a bilingual (English/French) publishing or cultural environment.

Why Work with ACI?

This is a remote, full-time position offering flexibility within a collaborative work environment. The position offers the opportunity to contribute to nationally significant publishing projects that make Canadian art accessible to audiences across Canada and around the world.

Working as part of ACI’s Digital and Creative team, the Graphic Designer will play a central role in shaping the look of the organization’s publications, website, and communications. This is an opportunity to work with outstanding artworks and archival images while collaborating with Canada’s foremost scholars, editors, museums, galleries, and cultural institutions.

ACI is committed to supporting the ongoing professional development of its staff. The successful candidate will have opportunities to deepen their expertise in publication and digital design, build relationships across Canada’s cultural and publishing sectors, and participate in relevant professional learning opportunities.

Application Submission

Please submit your CV, cover letter, and portfolio (or a link to an online portfolio) in a single PDF document to jobs@artcanada.com with the position title “Graphic Designer” in the subject line. Please also paste your cover letter into the body of your email. Applications that do not follow this format will be considered incomplete.

Review of applications will begin after November 4, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.