Community is foundational to Queens and a shared responsibility within our residential campus. All who work at Queens should demonstrate an understanding of and engagement with Queens’ foundational commitment to relationships, mentoring and collaboration in a close-knit residential community. We embrace the shared responsibility to foster inclusive excellence within a strong residential community. Accordingly, employees are expected to join together and build connections in activities that foster an active and engaged campus environment and engage in professional development to support the shared responsibility of enriching diversity, equity, and inclusion through meaningful relationships and mentoring at Queens. Employees are encouraged to, for example, attend or participate in campus activities such as campus cultural events, athletic events, continuing education, professional development opportunities and trainings, employee resource groups and other university-sponsored activities to demonstrate an active commitment to the Queens community.
Minimum Required Education and Experience
✓Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, visual communications, art, marketing communications or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
✓Minimum five years of professional experience in graphic design, with demonstrated ability to manage projects and collaborate with cross-functional teams.
✓A strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual and production skills across platforms is required and might be used as substitute of education to assess appropriate skill mastery and esthetic qualities.
✓Experience in higher education, an agency, an in-house creative team or another complex organization serving multiple internal clients.
✓Experience providing visual identity or brand standards consultation within an established organizational brand system.
✓Experience with motion graphics, environmental design, digital advertising or other complementary creative disciplines.
✓Experience working across multiple locations, business units or organizational identities.
✓Significant professional experience in graphic design and visual communications, with a portfolio demonstrating sophisticated creative thinking and strong execution across print and digital media.
✓Demonstrated experience working within established visual identity systems and applying brand standards across a variety of communications.
✓Advanced proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud applications and other tools relevant to professional design and production.
✓Strong understanding of typography, layout, color, imagery, print production and digital design.
✓Ability to move comfortably between routine production work and more complex, concept-driven assignments.
✓Demonstrated ability to exercise sound independent judgment while working effectively within a collaborative creative team.
✓Excellent interpersonal, consultation and communication skills, including the ability to explain creative and brand decisions to colleagues who are not communications professionals.
✓Ability to manage one's own workload, balance multiple assignments and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
✓Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy, quality and consistency.
✓Creative Services and Design Execution
Serve as the primary Creative Services resource for communications and marketing requests originating from Charlotte, providing design support across a broad range of needs and levels of complexity.
✓Conceptualize, design and produce high-quality visual communications for print, digital and other platforms, including publications, marketing collateral, advertising, event materials, presentations, environmental graphics, social media assets and other communications.
✓Manage creative assignments from concept through final production, ensuring work is accurate, visually compelling, audience-centered and aligned with communications objectives.
✓Develop original creative concepts as well as adapt established visual systems, campaigns and templates to meet specific needs.
✓Translate communications and marketing goals, key messages and audience needs into effective visual solutions.
✓Maintain a high level of craftsmanship and attention to typography, imagery, composition, accessibility, production requirements and other design details.
✓Prepare files and specifications for print, digital publication and other forms of production, working with university colleagues and outside vendors as appropriate.
✓Support Charlotte-based needs while also contributing to university-wide Creative Services projects when needed.
✓Work within established University Communications workflows, priorities and schedules to ensure the timely execution of assigned creative work.
✓Brand Identity Stewardship and Consultation
Serve as a day-to-day resource for brand identity questions in Charlotte, helping university colleagues appropriately apply established Elon and Queens visual identities and standards.
✓Provide consultation on the appropriate use of institutional marks, typography, color, imagery, visual systems and other brand elements.
✓Review communications and creative materials for alignment with established visual identity standards and recommend adjustments when needed.
✓Help university partners determine the appropriate visual approaches for communications needs while maintaining consistency across university touchpoints.
✓Educate colleagues about available brand resources, templates, standards and processes and help increase understanding and adoption of those resources.
✓Identify recurring brand questions, gaps or emerging brand identity needs in Charlotte and bring them to University Communications leadership for consideration.
✓Recognize issues that extend beyond established guidance and elevate questions of brand strategy, architecture, naming or policy to the appropriate University Communications leaders.
✓Contribute observations and recommendations that support the continued implementation and evolution of university visual identity systems.
✓Creative Leadership and Collaboration
Work closely with the Director of Creative Services and other members of the Creative Services team to maintain a consistent level of creative quality across all Elon campuses.
✓Contribute ideas and creative perspectives to major communications and marketing initiatives and participate in collaborative concept development.
✓Build strong working relationships with colleagues across University Communications and with university partners in Charlotte.
✓Provide informed creative counsel to clients, helping them understand how design and brand decisions support communications objectives.
✓Collaborate with writers, photographers, videographers, web professionals, marketers and other communications colleagues to develop integrated work.
✓Share expertise, best practices and emerging design trends with Creative Services colleagues and contribute to the ongoing development of the team’s creative capabilities.
✓Provide creative guidance to student workers, freelancers, vendors or other contributors as appropriate.