Advertising Summary: The Virginia Commonwealth University
School of the Arts (VCUarts) seeks a Graphic Designer to produce
visual communications across print, digital and web platforms. As a
member of the VCUarts Office of Communications, the Graphic
Designer reports to and works in close collaboration with the Art
Director. The Graphic Designer turns concepts into finished
work—publications, direct mail, social and digital graphics and web
assets—that supports the School's recruitment, development and
communications goals for prospective and current students,
families, alumni, faculty, staff and donors.
Unit: School Of The Arts MBU
Department: Deans Office Arts
Department Summary: We’re a public, nonprofit
four-year art and design school within a major research university,
and offer 18 bachelor’s degrees and five master’s degrees. Located
in Richmond, Virginia—one of the nation’s most artistic cities,
VCUarts is a vibrant community of creators, performers and scholars
dedicated to pushing boundaries and tackling challenges far beyond
traditional arts practices.
Graphic Designer
VCU School of the Arts
Office of Communications
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts)
seeks a Graphic Designer to produce visual communications across
print, digital and web platforms. As a member of the VCUarts Office
of Communications, the Graphic Designer reports to and works in
close collaboration with the Art Director. The Graphic Designer
turns concepts into finished work—publications, direct mail, social
and digital graphics and web assets—that supports the School's
recruitment, development and communications goals for prospective
and current students, families, alumni, faculty, staff and
donors.
This position is responsible for ensuring all design work has a
consistent visual identity across all VCUarts materials.
The Graphic Designer regularly collaborates with all members of the
VCUarts Communications and Marketing team and maintains a
collaborative partnership with colleagues in the VCUarts Qatar
Office of Communications. In addition, as a communications and
marketing professional, the Graphic Designer will collaborate
closely with VCU Enterprise Marketing and Communications to align
content, storytelling and brand positioning with institutional
priorities and standards. The Graphic Designer works in concert
with and can direct the work of student workers, interns, or hourly
staff assigned to design projects.
This is a full time, position with an in-person work structure that
is based on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus in Richmond, Virginia. Pending
an assessment of performance and engagement with the Communications
and Marketing team, a hybrid schedule with a combination of
in-person work with up to two remote workdays per week could be
available.
About our Team
Our award-winning Communications team advances the image and
reputation of the School of the Arts regionally and nationally
through strategic marketing and compelling storytelling. You’ll
collaborate closely with communications team members who specialize
in web development, photography, social media, event planning,
writing, and marketing.
Members of the Communications and Marketing team partner with staff
and faculty across all offices and departments in the School of the
Arts on communications and marketing projects, with a focus on
recruitment marketing and alumni and donor engagement, raising the
visibility and awareness of the VCUarts brand, and everything in
between. We're a small team, and everyone is genuinely good at
their craft and committed to doing exceptional work. The work we do
together is to advance VCUarts.
Scope of Work
Print and Publications (40%)
- Conceptualize and design compelling and polished layouts for
magazines, viewbooks, direct mail pieces, posters, advertisements,
event materials, signage and environmental graphics.
Propose and present concepts to the creative team and/or
internal clients. Receive constructive feedback from clients and
marketing leadership.
Manage production schedules and communicate directly with
external print vendors and travel locally to meet with vendors,
review proofs and perform press checks as needed.
Prepare accurate production ready files for print and digital
output, ensuring correct formatting (color profiles, resolution,
bleed, accessibility compliance). Perform detailed proofreading and
quality checks, reviewing content, image quality, and layout
integrity before final file release.
Digital and Social (30%)
- Design graphics for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other
platforms used by VCUarts and its programs, adapting campaign
assets across formats and aspect ratios.
- Build, improve and maintain email marketing templates and
campaign graphics for recruitment, admissions, and development
communications.
- Design digital ads, signage for on-screen displays, and other
motion-adjacent graphics as needed.
- Collaborate with the VCUarts Social Media Manager to develop
graphics for static and video social media campaigns.
Web and UX (20%)
- Design and update web graphics and page layouts within the
School's content management system (WordPress).
- Create wireframes and prototypes in Figma to plan new page
layouts or web features in collaboration with the web team
- Apply responsive design and accessibility standards (WCAG
guidelines, color contrast, alt text, legible type at scale) across
all digital and web work.
Project management (10%)
- Participate in project kickoffs, brainstorms and development
processes, contributing creative design input, suggestions and
ideas.
- Use project management software (Asana) to efficiently balance
multiple concurrent projects and deadlines across offices and
departments within the School of the Arts.
- Plan and coordinate photo and video shoots with in-house and
external photographers and videographers as needed.
- Maintain an organized archive of files and past project assets
on the Communications team shared drive.
Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications or a
related field (B.F.A. preferred), or academic qualifications,
professional experience, and technical training that equates to a
Bachelor’s degree.
- 2+ years of professional design experience with demonstrated
growth in responsibility and complexity of work.
- Experience working with a creative/art director, as well as
copywriters, photographers, etc.
- Demonstrated knowledge of typography, layout, print production,
and design for web and digital platforms and an exceptional
attention to detail.
- Experience using established brand guidelines in the
development and design of projects with evidence of this experience
and skill in professional portfolio.
- Working proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign,
Illustrator, Photoshop) and Microsoft Office or Google
Workspace.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the
ability to articulate design choices to a wide audience of
stakeholders.
- Proven ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
independently in a fast-paced environment.
- Portfolio demonstrating strong design work across print,
digital and web platforms.
- Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment
of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of
faculty, staff, and students from all background and experiences,
or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU.
Preferred Qualifications
- 3–5 years of professional design experience.
- Experience with Figma or a comparable prototyping tool (e.g.,
Adobe XD, Sketch).
- Experience designing within a CMS such as WordPress.
- Experience working for a national brand.
- Experience working with a digital asset management platform
(uploading, searching, tagging and downloading photo assets).
- Experience working in higher education, an art school or
another mission-driven or creative institution.
- Experience working in a large, complex organization in a
decentralized team.
- Experience in illustration, animation, photo editing or motion
graphics.
Salary Range: $62,000 - $68,000
Benefits : All full-time university staff are eligible for
VCU’s robust
benefits
package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual
and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning
and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs,
employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities
for career development and advancement, and more.
FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
Hours per Week: 40
Restricted Position: No
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Onsite
University Job Title: 91322 - Open
Application Deadline: For best consideration, application
materials are due by Friday, October 16, 2026.
Application Process: Submit Letter of Interest, Resume, and
a document that includes a link to a portfolio showcasing relevant
print and digital design work.
Contact Information:
Contact Name: VCUarts HR
Contact Email: artshr@vcu.edu