Washingtonian is seeking an imaginative, collaborative, and relentlessly ambitious leader for its creative department. For 60 years, the award-winning city magazine for the Washington area has been a home for groundbreaking feature writing, essential service journalism, and arresting visual storytelling. We’re looking for someone who can help us take the magazine to the next level, leading a high-caliber team of designers, photo editors, and staff photographers.
Responsibilities:
Overall look and feel of the magazine from a visual perspective
Management of a small art and photography team
Brainstorming and designing covers
Designing features and service packages
Directing staff and freelance contributors, and managing workflow
Working with editors on visually-driven story ideas
Managing a budget
Helping plan and design ancillary publications
Helping with the design of online versions of print articles
Providing input on all aspects of the brand's visual presence
Unofficial responsibilities include: helping create a freewheeling creative environment where staffers are encouraged to cook up ambitious ideas big and small; inspiring a talented team of designers who want to step up their game and editorial folks who want to better collaborate; setting and maintaining high visual standards; and having a lot of fun while doing so.
In addition to first-class design skills, our ideal Creative Director would possess a large rolodex of artists and photographers who can help make our pages even more exciting. The Creative Director reports to the Editor-In-Chief.
Job Requirements
Qualifications:
Experienced print art director and designer with strong attention to detail and love and understanding of typography, design, illustration, and photography
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to talk through editorial ideas in a lively, collaborative, and fast-paced environment
Ability to nurture and develop an internal team of award-winning designers, art directors, and photo editors
Strong network of industry connections with illustrators, designers, and photographers
Works closely to implement designs across all brand platforms, including print, web, and video
Manages budget and allocates spending for freelance, illustrations, and photography
Proficiency in InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop required; experience with K4 a plus
Web-based graphic design experience a plus
Must have a minimum of 5 years of magazine experience, a love of typography, a keen eye for complex page design, and be a true team player
Salary: $80,000 to $120,000.
To apply: Please send your cover letter, résumé, and samples (no larger than 10MB) or a link to your online portfolio to designjobs@washingtonian.com with "Creative Director" in the subject line.