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Freelance Designer

Chicago

The Freelance Designer is responsible for the execution of visual design deliverables while actively contributing to the successful implementation of design solutions for marketing/communication campaigns and digital experiences that benefit people and clients. By creating design deliverables and solutions that align strategic direction and user needs, providing support to other team members, having passion for design and keeping high standards, the Visual Designer contributes to project success, client satisfaction and to strengthen our creative culture.  

You will: 

  • Creates storyboards, mood-boards, initial visual concepts, design layouts, photo-retouching, illustrations for digital, functional design solutions, site grids and UI demos under Design Lead supervision.  
  • Contributes on visual design projects in at least 3 of the following areas: UX, UI, Print, Marketing Campaign, Social Media, Motion and Illustration.  
  • Provides reliable quality assurance on all visual design deliverables. Anticipates issues and flags situations that might impact quality or delivery success.  
  • Participates in calls and client meetings, handles IM and e-mail communication. Presents work during internal presentations.  
  • Communicates effectively with design team members, project managers and design leads.  
  • Thinks creatively and justify concepts to team members and Design Leads.  
  • Understands and applies the design thinking cycle to projects when is appropriate.  
  • Balances strategic development with client objectives.  
  • Stays up to date with recent design trends and new technologies.  
  • Builds and maintains a rapport with creative team, project managers and developers. 

 

You have:

  • 2+ yrs. experience in advertising agencies, digital agencies, design agencies, and/or startups.  
  • Strong design portfolio including pieces for international clients.  
  • Experience working with design teams on at least 2 of these areas: visual design, UX/UI, digital marketing, social media, illustration and motion areas, preferably for international clients and global brands.  
  • Solid understanding of interactivity and animation principles and best practices.  
  • Solid understanding of visual design principles, trends, systems and structures.  
  • Understanding of digital marketing, online advertising and business strategy concepts. 
  • Experience creating user interfaces for digital products.  
  • Extensive knowledge of Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Sketch, Adobe XD (or any other UI design tool), and Invision.  
  • Knowledge of Keynote, PowerPoint, After Effects, Animate, HTML5 animation, Zeplin, Abstract, Principle.  
  • Understanding of productivity and remote collaboration tools: MS Office, Word, Excel, Outlook, Jira, Trello, Slack, Zoom, Acrobat, Drive, Box, Paper, Evernote.  
  • Knowledge of design systems frameworks such as Material Design and Human Interface Guidelines.  
  • Knowledge of After Effects for Motion, would be a plus for this role. 

The Talent Team at Critical Mass is focused on ensuring we provide the best training, onboarding, and employee experience possible! Our new hires & employees are the future of our organization, and we want to set you up for long-term success. In an effort to do so, we expect our team to work from an office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We do not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. If you are an individual with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please reach out to accommodations@criticalmass.com.

We are committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within our pool of candidates, with a target of achieving at least 50% representation from underrepresented communities.

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.com and us.greenhouse-mail.io. We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly.

If U.S. based: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams#avoid
If Canada based: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html
If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx 

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