"Head of Visual Design- Peabody Museum"

Overview

The Head of Visual Design will lead design and graphic production for the Peabody across exhibitions, marketing, website, programming, and other areas. Reporting to the Associate Director of Exhibitions, this position will maintain, refine, template, apply, and build upon the visual approach established for the museum’s 2024 reopening. Clear, accessible, and engaging visuals are essential to the Peabody’s storytelling strategy, whether in a social media post or an exhibition’s environmental graphics. This position manages a staff member, oversees vendors, and may instruct and manage students.

Essential Duties

• Provide creative direction, design, and cohesion for the Peabody’s visual material needs, including those for exhibitions, marketing, social media, website, programming, visitor experience, internal communications, and other collateral.
• Follow, refine, systematize, and build upon existing visual standards for the Peabody, including templates and style guides.
• Engage in an iterative review process from design concept sketches through proofing that is flexible and responsive to the needs of stakeholders.
• Ensure visual products meet or exceed industry accessibility standards.
• Produce visual materials for fabrication in-house and oversee production of materials fabricated externally, including budgeting, bidding and contracting, production files, sampling and proofing, fabrication, and delivery. Provide advice and guidance on the most effective approach to be adopted.
• Manage 3D exhibition designer and ensure cohesion of design direction throughout each project.
• Instruct students in the visual design process and techniques and oversee student participation in exhibitions, communications, and other museum activities.
• Create and oversee annual and project-based graphic design budgets.
• Operate and maintain all pertinent production equipment. Maintain, share, and archive graphic resources.
• Other duties as assigned.

Please submit a cover letter and resume with link(s) to a portfolio of your visual design work, particularly in exhibitions and displays, as part of your application. Portfolio should include concept sketches and examples of installed work(s).

Required Skills and Abilities

1. High proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. Working knowledge of CAD and 3D design software.
2. Proven ability to communicate clearly and incorporate feedback from multiple stakeholders in collaborative design development processes.
3. Proven ability to work creatively within high-level project parameters.
4. Proven ability to think strategically about storytelling, institutional messaging, and shared vision.
5. Demonstrated dedication to keeping abreast of industry trends, tools, and best practices.

Physical Requirements

Ability to lift 40 lbs.

Preferred Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree in graphic design, art or a related field. 4 years of visual design experience, including 2 years of marketing/communications experience and/or 2 years of museum exhibition graphic design experience which may be concurrent. Significant experience in all aspects of project management with complex workflows. Demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

Designing bilingual graphics

Student instruction and supervision

Management of staff engaged in a creative process

Graphic production processes, both internal and involving external vendors

Principal Responsibilities

1. Leads client meetings to determine parameters of projects.
2. Provides graphic design services centrally to the University community or to specific schools/departments maintaining established design standards and practices.
3. Uses considerable creative judgment regarding composition, media selection, typography, pictorial images, etc. to conceive ideas for graphic design work on assigned projects.
4. Applies a variety of traditional graphic techniques, equipment, and supplies as well as computer based graphics and/or desktop publishing software programs.
5. Effectively establishes client needs on assigned projects.
6. Produces graphics in the form of printed publications and other materials which are distributed internally and externally; electronically through the development of websites.
7. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design. Four year of graphic design experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.