Lead Graphic Designer

StudioXAG is a creative studio that creates bold spaces that tell big stories

We are a B Corp-certified creative studio in London and Amsterdam that believe in business as a force for good.

We create exciting experiences for some of the world's best known brands, telling stories that touch every corner of the globe. Luckily for us, we have a diverse team of conceptual thinkers, creative dreamers and inquisitive makers that help make this happen.

They're our core. They make us tick, inspire us, push us to be better.

Now we want to hear from you.

The Role:

We are looking for a Lead Graphic Designer to join our in-house design studio.

Reporting into one of our Associate Design Directors, you'll be joining a design team of 18 in a vibrant, exciting, and creative environment in our London office. You will have the opportunity to work with great brands on interesting projects; you will be responsible for delivering brilliant creative on a broad range of design projects for the business.

The Lead Designer will head up their own full-time, mini team of 2x designers to support and nurture their development, training them to the highest standards.

Parental leave has been the catalyst for StudioXAG looking for a new Lead Graphic Designer to join the team, and so we are open to a fixed-term contract or a Permanent employee to join us

Who exactly are we looking for?

We're looking for a bold, fast and fearless design leader who has a hunger for managing talented, happy teams and creating inspiring and beautiful work.

The ideal candidate will:

• Be highly creative
• Have the ability to tell stories and pull together narrative
• Be a great communicator
• Be a true team player
• Be a fantastic organiser
• Be a brilliant people manager
• Have a strong eye for detail
• Be a talented creative problem solver

Requirements

Ideal Experience:

• 9+ years experience in 2D graphic design within creative retail
• A graphic design based bachelor's degree or equivalent
• A keen creative eye with experience in generating engaging narratives and creative concepts to help reinforce brand messages and sell specific products
• Good experience preparing artwork for print
• Expert understanding of design principles across typography, colour theory, layout and composition, branding and identity.
• Ability to guide, mentor and coach other designers
• Ability to communicate a creative vision to an in-house designer or freelance designer
• People management - nurturing and developing a growing team
• Ability to train designers on design programs and design skills
• Experience working within an agency or team environment with other designers
• Expert ability to navigate and resolve complex design challenges
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to articulate complex graphic design concepts to non-design stakeholders
• Strong organisational skills
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage multiple projects with an ability to assess appropriate resources required to deliver a design project
• Leadership qualities and a hunger to deliver the best results
• Confident in coaching teams to deliver creative to the highest standards
• Great creative problem-solving skills combined with clear and thoughtful decision-making.
• A successful track record of delivering knock-out ideas to reach all audiences
• Professional presence when working with internal teams, external teams, and clients.
• An understanding of a range of materials, fabrication, and assembly processes

Skills & Responsibilities:

Creative Experience

• Creating and developing 2D / Graphic Design for exciting concept designs for window displays and retail spaces - from POS to large scale facade takeovers
• Supporting the wider design team delivering graphic design assets for multiple projects
• Supporting the artworking team preparing large format print files for window rollouts over multiple stores
• Graphic design & artworking of vector files for cut vinyl
• Building design presentations - guidelines, toolkits & specification packs for production
• Retouching images for social media and marketing purposes
• Ability to think creatively and come up with original ideas
• Keeping up-to-date with design trends and new technologies
• Meticulous eye for detail in all aspects of 2D graphic design
• Ensuring high quality, consistency, and precision across all design work
• Confidence to deliver your own complex design development process on a variety of projects.
• Highly selective and self-editing.
• Consistently ensures clarity of concept as designs develop and evolve with feedback.
• Mentors and consults with others on others design development of projects.
• Able to rationalise a design into a series of modular parts/sizes to create an impactful and efficient roll out.
• Able to scale a concept, message, and experience across varied formats from large scale immersive pop-ups and windows to consumer takeaways. Able to distil an impactful design identity into a toolkit of parts to translate across multiple retail touchpoints

Project Management & Communication

• Dissecting briefs and understanding clients' needs
• Proven ability to lead multiple projects at one time
• Proven ability to present and justify design decisions to key stakeholders within Studio XAG and to clients
• Accountable for comprehensive and complete handovers of your projects through to in-house teams or external production (when required)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to articulate design concepts clearly
• Flexibility in adapting to changes and new requirements
• Ability to prioritise and organise workload effectively
• Ability to work independently and manage time effectively
• Proven track record of meeting tight deadlines and managing priorities efficiently

Team Leadership / Training

• Responsible for the nurturing and personal development of a team of up to 2 direct reports. This will include their 121's, personal development plans, career progression, and growth plans
• Working with freelance designers and external agencies to deliver creative to the same level of quality as expected when working with in-house teams
• Ensuring the team are happy, motivated, and inspired, bringing the best out of each individual.
• Training teams on design programs, design skills, soft skills, and creative skills
• Ability to lead designers, including mentoring and developing junior, middleweight, and senior designers to deliver work to a high standard
• A proactive approach to cross-departmental working, bringing teams together when needed.
• Consistently delivering your own projects to budget
• Expert knowledge of what your designs might cost to realise across a broad scope of projects at all levels
• Able to confidently design within budget expectations

Industry Knowledge

• Excellent understanding of the world of retail and brand experience and the design and production process
• A diverse and up-to-date knowledge of brands, with knowledge of luxury, beauty, lifestyle sectors, and the wider retail industry
• A strong understanding of aesthetics / tone of voice/brand positioning/retail strategy
  

Tool Knowledge

• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite - Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
• Knowledge of Sketchup is helpful but not essential
• Knowledge of motion graphics / animation skills in After Effects (or similar video editing software).
• Strong understanding of spatial design
• Gmail / Google Drive
• Slack (or other similar communication tools)

Benefits

Location:

We currently work a hybrid model; 3 days a week from our East London studio in E10 and 2 flexible days. Our normal working hours are 9am - 6pm but flexible working hours and days are available.

Some of our benefits:

• Gross profit-related annual bonus scheme
• Workplace pension
• 25 days holiday (inc 3 days taken during Christmas closure) + Bank Holidays
• 0.5 paid days off per month to get inspired
• International research budgets and trips
• All-you-can-eat YCN creative professional learning membership
• Spill mental health support
• Flexible and remote working available

Salary: £50-60k DOE. Please state expectations on application.

Parental leave has been the catalyst for StudioXAG looking for a new Lead Graphic Designer to join the team, and so we are open to a fixed-term contract or a Permanent employee to join us

Belonging and Inclusivity at StudioXAG:

StudioXAG is a business that strives for equality for all its people. Known for our storytelling, our different perspectives make us more creative than ever.

No matter who you are, you are welcome at StudioXAG.

---