Senior Designer

We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply. As an equal opportunity employer Walker Sands is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion  and welcomes everyone to our team.

In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).

If you need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.

Overview:

Walker Sands is looking for a senior designer to join our Creative team out of our Chicago office - hybrid. As a senior designer, your primary focus will be to craft and activate world-class visual brand identity systems for industry-leading B2B brands. You will also oversee and coach a talented team of 2–3 designers, collaborate cross-functionally — with creative directors, copywriters, motion designers and strategists as well as PR, digital and social media experts from across the agency — and help us continue to shape and evolve our growing creative team.

Responsibilities:

Design + Individual Contribution:

• Partner with creative directors, strategists, and copywriters to ideate, and develop award-winning brand identity systems and marketing campaigns. 
• Think conceptually and deliver strategic creative solutions based on specific brand and/or campaign goals.
• Design brand expression and activation assets that are aligned with strategy and messaging.
• Oversee production for a variety of creative deliverables (digital advertising, presentations, data visualizations, sell sheets, direct mail, and more), ensuring quality and consistency across channels. 
• Articulate and defend design decisions clearly and persuasively to facilitate the collection of feedback from design directors and other collaborators, including clients.

Creative Leadership:

• Manage a team of designers, providing mentorship and coaching focused on personal learning and development. Uphold design standards and ensure the delivery of high-quality design work that exceeds expectations.
• Mentor and collaborate with junior designers and copywriters, fostering a positive, inclusive and psychologically safe team culture.
• Critique, challenge and celebrate the work of your colleagues during weekly creative reviews.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and design best practices, bringing fresh and innovative ideas to the team.
• Maintain day-to-day administrative responsibilities (responding to emails and Trello, meeting project deadlines, providing feedback on other team member's performance, and more.

About you:

• You understand the principles of good design and are passionate about creating stunning visual experiences for screens, print, and brands.
• You are relentlessly curious and constantly pursuing opportunities to better your skills.
• You value feedback as a critical means for personal and professional growth. 
• You love grids.
• You’re a self-starter with high ambitions and higher standards. You take direction and run with it, you can confidently defend your creative decisions and you’re comfortable voicing ideas to colleagues and clients.
• You have an online portfolio that shows off your meticulous layout, color, and typographic skills.
• You have 4–5 years of experience and formal training in design.
• You’ve mastered Figma and Adobe CC staples, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.
• You want to join a collaborative team that demands excellence, celebrates ideas over egos, and likes each other as much as they enjoy their job.
• Bonus:
• You have illustration skills and experience creating storyboards.
• You can create killer PowerPoint templates and custom decks.

#LI-Hybrid