Graphic Designer

Description

Position: Graphic Designer

Manager: Director of Communications and Marketing

Department: Communications

Status: Exempt

Date Updated: June 2025

F/T Monday-Friday

Job Summary:

The Historic New Orleans Collection seeks a dynamic and highly skilled Graphic Designer. This role is responsible for conceiving, developing, and executing a wide range of visual communications across various media (print and digital) that support the Collection’s exhibitions, public programs, communications and marketing, publications, and institutional initiatives. The Graphic Designer will manage multiple concurrent projects from concept through production, ensuring all work aligns with HNOC’s visual standards and communicates effectively to diverse audiences. This position plays a vital role in cross-functional collaboration. The Graphic Designer position should have extensive knowledge of graphic design, technology, and production techniques with experience producing dynamic and successful marketing campaigns. This position will work collaboratively with internal clients to understand creative goals and positioning and translate that into compelling visual storytelling that supports HNOC’s mission. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The below duties and responsibilities are essential core functions of this position. Other duties may be assigned as needed.

Creative Design & Production

• Possess an acute vision, heightened ability to understand and deploy elements of visual design like typography, color, layout, and composition to create effective communications.
• Collaborate, brainstorm, and strategize with communications staff and other HNOC departments on a wide range of materials that may include advertising, programming collateral, presentations, digital graphics, signage, and marketing materials, among others.
• Design compelling visual materials including marketing campaigns and advertisements, promotional materials, social media assets, web graphics, signage, publications, brochures, internal and external presentations, and invitations.
• Ensure all designs are accessible, on-brand, stay within budget, and meet institutional guidelines and aesthetic quality.
• Translate complex exhibition narratives and scholarly content into clear, engaging visual formats.
• Prepare press-ready files and manage the production of printed materials and environmental graphics.
• Ensure design software is up to date by completing regular preventative diagnostic maintenance. 
• Participate in on-going professional development by attending continuing education/professional conferences, subscribing/reading industry publications, joining professional groups (American Institute of Graphic Arts, AIGA) or other related associations. 

Project Management

• Oversee multiple design projects simultaneously, from initial brief to final delivery, meeting deadlines and maintaining high-quality standards.
• Develop project timelines, manage production schedules, and track milestones.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders to gather content, feedback, and approvals at each phase of development.
• Work closely with external collaborators, vendors, printers, and fabricators to ensure successful execution of deliverables.

Interdepartmental Collaboration

• Serve as a creative partner to a variety of departments across the institution.
• Participate in project planning meetings and design reviews.
• Communicate design rationale clearly to both creative and non-creative teams through multiple presentations.
• Receive and synthesize critical feedback
• Adapt design strategies based on feedback from interdepartmental collaborators. 

Requirements

Job Qualifications:

Below are the minimum requirements necessary for this position.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or related field. 
• If a candidate does not have a degree in Graphic Design or Visual Communication, the candidate should elaborate in the Letter of Intent and demonstrate relevant experience in the PDF portfolio. 

Experience:

• 4–6 years of professional experience in a museum, cultural institution, or design studio/agency and the ability to provide a professional portfolio with work samples

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Strong portfolio showcasing a variety of work, including print, environmental, and digital design.
• Experience with signage, wayfinding, and exhibition graphics is highly desirable.
• Experience working with Editors and the editorial process.
• Excellent organizational, time management, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong ability to work as part of a team and collaborate with others as well as demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines 
• Strong typographic skills and attention to detail.
• Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat); familiarity with Figma and project management tools (e.g., Asana, Trello, Wrike, Airtable, and Dropbox) preferred.
• Knowledge of or interest in history, culture, art, art history, and HNOC’s mission.

Working Conditions:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.