Creative Media Designer - Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Job Summary

Duties & Responsibilities -

• Collaborations
  • Work with CITL marketing team to transform marketing and branding strategies into cutting-edge and imaginative creative designs tailored to specific target audiences.
  • Work with CITL course production teams to create engaging multimedia content.
  • Collaborate, advise, and assist CITL staff, students, and others with design needs.
  • Engage with faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds to ensure that designs are culturally sensitive and resonate with a diverse audience.
  • Collaborate with external vendors such as printers, freelancers, and advertising agencies to manage production and vendor relationships.
  • Collaborate with the University's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, aligning our creative work with broader institutional goals and values.
• Creative leadership and communication
  • Generate fresh and innovative concepts for brand and style executions in marketing and educational contexts.
  • Design and deliver educational, marketing and communication assets for a variety of media including print, web, instructional media, and social channels.
  • Design and Develop webpage layouts, user flows, and interactions that enhance usability, promote brand value, and achieve marketing goals.
  • Encourage an open and inclusive atmosphere during brainstorming sessions to welcome diverse ideas and perspectives, valuing each team member’s input and creativity.
  • Recommend innovative strategies and research emerging trends, processes and tools.
  • Deliver presentations in team meetings and to stakeholders for proposing new creative concepts, updating on current progress, and reviewing previous projects.
  • Advocate for the importance of diversity and inclusivity in all presentations to stakeholders, emphasizing the positive impact it has on the effectiveness and success of our creative endeavors.
  • Translate business goals and audience needs into creative solutions that deliver measurable results with key audiences.
• Project Management
  • Manage production of design projects from conception to completion, ensuring work is produced on time, to budget, and to a high standard.
  • Translate educational and marketing media needs into creative designs, ensuring consistency with project goals and the consideration of diverse voices throughout the creative process.
  • Ensure that all designs are aligned with campus brand standards and goals to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Regularly assess and measure the impact of our creative initiatives on different audiences, ensuring that we are meeting the needs of diverse communities and continually improving our approach.
• Knowledge Integration
  • Maintain high design standards for CITL marketing and instructional content, ensuring visual appeal and effective communication to the target audience.
  • Serve as an expert on CITL and University brand standards and creative guidelines.
  • Ensure that our creative strategies and solutions acknowledge and address potential biases or stereotypes that may arise in the design process.
  • Pay special attention to making all educational and marketing materials accessible to individuals with disabilities. Ensure that digital content meets ADA compliance standards and provides alternative formats to accommodate different needs.
  • Integrate best practices related to diversity and inclusion in creative industries, applying this knowledge to enhance our designs and creative processes.

Required Qualifications -

1. Any one or any combination that equals thirty-six months from the categories below:

A. credit for progressively more advanced college or art-school course work that would lead to a major in graphic/visual arts communication and/or design.

• 60 semester hours equals 12 months
• 90 semester hours equals 24 months
• 120 semester hours or a Bachelor's Degree equals 36 months

B. work experience and/or on-the-job training that provided knowledge of progressively more advanced, generally accepted principles, theories, practices, and methods used in graphic designs and their applications to visual communication problems that are/is comparable to the training provided in the program such as graphic/visual arts communication and/or design

2. Twenty-four months of graphic design experience comparable to that performed at the Graphic Designer Associate level of this series

(For more information on this series, visit https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/ViewSeries.aspx?tblCS_SeriesID=95)

Preferred Qualifications - 

• Post-baccalaureate degree in graphic design or related fields; Additional certificate or specialization in Marketing, communications, public relations related field.
• Professional work experience in marketing, public relations, communications, brand management, or a related professional area.
• Experience collaborating with educators and researchers on instructional and educational projects.
• Experience working with 3D asset creation software such as Blender or Cinema4D or Autodesk Maya/3DS Max.
• Experience working with game-engines such as Microsoft Unity and Epic Games Unreal developing interactive media.
• Experience with design prototyping tools such as Adobe XD.
• Experience with design process automation through custom techniques and scripts.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities -

• Strong conceptual and visual design skills, with the ability to create high-impact designs that resonate with diverse target audiences.
• Sound knowledge of graphic design, interactive design, and multimedia design principles and production methods with keen focus on information architecture, usability, and aesthetic judgment.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to effectively present creative concepts and ideas.
• Demonstrable ability to manage multiple design projects from concept to completion, adhering to timelines and budgets.
• Exceptional creativity, strategic thinking skills and advanced technical ability to conceptualize and create high quality, innovative ideas that fit within larger project goals.
• Strong proficiency in design software, including the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere, Acrobat Professional).
• Working knowledge of HTML, CSS and Javascript for web design.
• Understanding of accessibility standards and experience in designing materials that are accessible to individuals with disabilities, ensuring ADA compliance.
• Proven ability to successfully develop educational media content with faculty, lecturers/instructors, staff, and students.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 1006 - Graphic Designer position. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the close of the search. Salary is commensurate with experience. Work visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/default.aspx.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (CST) on November 16, 2023. Upload a cover letter, resume, contact information for three professional references, and transcripts or proof of degree(s).

Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. If required by the position, transcripts or other documentation of credentials are to be provided no later than the first day of employment. For further information about this specific position, please contact Jennifer Steiling at steiling@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1020630
Job Category: Technical
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu