Freelance Senior Production Designer

VSA’s purpose is to design for a better human experience. As a strategy and design agency, we blend consumer insights and data with human-centered design to activate meaningful, motivating and measurable experiences in an increasingly noisy world. With offices in Chicago, New York and San Francisco, VSA offers a full range of fully integrated capabilities—branding, advertising, data science and technology—all under one roof. VSA is also a proud member of Meet The People, an international family of unified and independent agencies. For more than 40 years, we have delivered solutions for business and creative leaders at some of the world’s most respected brands and forward-thinking organizations, including Google, Nike and IBM. 

VSA’s Design Practice applies design thinking, visualization and experience to take on problems and bring life to our clients’ stories, visions and voices. We bring together multidisciplinary talent to make the most sophisticated ideas tangible and meaningful for the audiences that matter most. The Director, Production Design is responsible for the execution and/or the oversight of the execution of assignments. This person is accountable for the quality level their work and/or all work produced by the team and the overall success of teams assigned projects.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Create and oversee the production of design elements for marketing campaigns and projects, including digital, print, and other media.

• Collaborate with creative directors, art directors, and other designers to develop to execute concepts that meet the needs of clients and their target audiences.

• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of brand guidelines and apply them to all design work.

• Manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring that deadlines are met and projects are completed to the highest standard.

• Develop and maintain relationships with printers, vendors, and other external partners to ensure that production processes are efficient and cost-effective.

• Develop and maintain an organized system for archiving and managing design files, ensuring that they are easily accessible to team members and clients as needed.

• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior designers, helping them to develop their skills and grow in their roles.

• Additional responsibilities as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in corporate/agency/design firm or similar.
• Possession of an undergraduate degree in related field.
• Expertise in Adobe Creative suite with an emphasis in InDesign and Illustrator.
• Ability to articulate VSA's Creative Services team capabilities.
• Excellent ability to find creative solutions in the face of technical challenges.
• Ability to quickly grasp and apply design intent.
• An organized, detailed problem solver.
• Extreme attention to detail.
• Adept at preemptively identifying problems and devising solutions.
• Excellent design, color and typographic skills.
• Excellent time and resource leadership skills.
• Ability to interact at all levels of the company and with external parties in a professional manner maintaining effective communication, both written and spoken.
• A dedication to high quality work.
• Ability to maintain positive and productive relationships with all - clients, team members, peers, and managers.
• Skills in sophisticated problem solving, judgment, critical thinking and decision-making.
• Ability to be versatile and balance multiple projects, coordinate information, prioritize, have attention to detail, accurately follow procedures, maintain self-motivation and to work independently.