Graphic Design and Digital Communications

**People, Place, Prosperity**:
**Job Profile**:
Reporting to the Supervisor of Communications, the Graphic Design & Multimedia Specialist designs and executes creative concepts and design solutions that align with the City’s brand identity and corporate messaging. Designs and concepts will be strategically tailored to various communications mediums and channels, both internally and externally.

Under direction of the Supervisor of Communications, the Graphic Design & Multimedia Specialist may work directly with staff to receive project content and information, interpret the needs of the project, and provide creative solutions that are strategically aligned with business priorities and objectives, while often working within strict time and budget constraints.

**What you will be doing**:
- Presents design work at various stages to the Director/Supervisor/Communications Advisor and clients for review and final approval as appropriate. Provides regular project updates and knows when to escalate and communicate issues or concerns.
- Meet with clients or other team members to determine requirements and vision for design elements, which may include multiple strategy meetings.
- Provide multimedia support (e.g. videography, photography, graphic design, and presentation enhancements) to help engage employees and residents while communicating messages aligned to city programs and services.
- Strong photo and video editing skills. Experienced in video production process. In conjunction with a Communications Advisor, assist with video story boarding and oversee small video productions.
- Analyzes and extracts data from Word or Excel and transforms into graphically designed charts, tables or infographics.
- Ability to creates illustrations an asset, either digitally or by hand using a graphics tablet.
- Manage, prioritize and execute multiple simultaneous and often ad-hoc requests.
- Maintain print production process and relationships with external vendors, review print proofs and participates in quality assurance of all externally printed materials.
- Assists with organization and management of digital multimedia inventory to ensure the communications team maximizes operational effectiveness and efficiency.
- Works with legislated content and must understand and follow the City’s confidentiality practices.
- Ensures adherence to visual communications best practices and corporate brand standards
- Review finalized materials to be sure there are no errors.
- Work with internal technology software and hardware.
- Select fonts, colours, shapes, designs, styles, and layouts for projects.
- Demonstrated knowledge of social media platforms and required design specs for each platform.
- Regularly audit competitors and municipal peers and stay current with industry trends, developments, and technological advances. Bring forward emerging technologies and methods for design.

**Education**:
Must have formal training and work-related experience in designing graphic materials normally acquired by the completion of a three-year Graphic Design program at College level, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience. Considerable, professional and related experience in graphic design field is required.

**Experience and Knowledge**:
Two to Three years of work related experience in the following:
Demonstrated experience using Adobe Creative Suite with a focus on InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.
Expert knowledge in a PC environment, using laser printers, large scale plotters. Comprehensive photo acquisition, image enhancement/manipulation and colour correction using Photoshop.
Strong proficiency with using Word, PowerPoint and Excel effectively and creatively.
Demonstrated complete understanding of: colour theory, spaces (RGB, CMYK, HEX, Pantone) and relationships, typographic terms, perspective and space relationships, page composition and grid structures, print production process and knowledge of production techniques.
Strong working knowledge of file preparation, including imposition, for output (prepress) is required. Solid understanding of paper types and their influence on print quality.
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to process multiple tasks, and expectations of internal and external clients.
Excellent customer service skills required; needs to examine to understand customers’ graphic design and production needs. Ability to communicate effectively and respectably with clients about corporate brand standards.
Proven ability to both work within a team as well as work independently, multi-task and deliver a multitude of design and production solutions under fast-paced conditions, concurrent deadlines and changing priorities.
High level of artistic skill and creativity, while being able to work collaboratively within a team environment and receive constructive input from communications leads and fellow team members. Excellent interpersonal, presentation and communication skills.
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