WORK LOCATION HOURS:

Office hours are generally 8:30am–5:30pm. Open Book’s hybrid work model prioritizes staff working in our Minneapolis office at least 3 days/week. Occasional travel may be required.

ABOUT OPEN BOOK:

Open Book Communications is a Minneapolis-based team of doers, thinkers, and makers serving clients nationwide with communications and creative leadership. Our focus is creating storytelling that changes lives and organizations through work that cracks the code of how to show and tell an organization’s core story in compounding ways. We specialize in partnering with leaders driven by strong convictions and a vision for positive change who are wrestling with how to get their organizations to the next level. Our team culture is grounded by five core values: 1) drive toward outcomes, 2) big heart, no ego, 3) invite the challenge, 4) say it, do it, learn from it, 5) help others succeed.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

We are currently seeking a Design Director / Project Lead who will play a pivotal role in facilitating the forward momentum of company and client priorities by driving creative vision for our creative work. This role is expected to be a leader in multiple projects and will be relied on to provide clear and service-oriented communication to Open Book clients throughout project duration. In this role you will generate lead direction for brands and visual storytelling that will solve communication challenges and give unique voice to the visions our clients are pursuing. The ideal candidate is a compelling designer and thinker who also thrives on working collaboratively within a cross-disciplinary creative team– including designers, animators, and digital developers– so as to craft stories and communication strategies that integrate art and copy. This role reports to the Senior Creative Director.

REQUIRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strong and confident leadership
• Experience in stakeholder/client engagement
• Skilled designer and design-thinker
• Portfolio of strong design solutions that demonstrate creativity, concept development, and strategic problem-solving
• Self-starter and self-director who functions effectively within ambiguity
• Confident and clear communicator, both verbally and in writing
• Understands principles of graphic design, layout design, copywriting, and production
• Deep understanding of both print production and interactive digital experiences
• Fluent in Adobe Creative Suite and industry trends
• Resilience and the ability to accept constructive feedback
• Growth mindset

PREFERRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS:

5 years of industry experience

Experience supervising and developing other designers beneficial, but not required

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Consult with clients

• Gain a deep understanding of an organization through researching and reviewing diverse inputs and information, actively listening and asking purposeful questions in client interactions and work sessions, and distilling and documenting key findings into coherent ideas and visual concepts
• Be a consistent navigator within projects for our clients; this includes proactively communicating about the status, needs, and opportunities of a client project
• Package creative concepts in ways that help a client clearly understand project direction and delivered work

Devise project strategy

• Provide strategic insight to identify a client’s core distinctives, needs, and brand challenges
• Use both intelligence and blank-slate imagination to conceive of core story concepts that visualize a simple and profound idea, pave the way for a visual brand language, and offer strategic connections
• Provide creative and strategic direction, for one’s own work and for the creative team, that aligns with project goals and tells a story that is authentic to the client and engaging to target audiences
• Offer vision and creative solutions that “crack the code” for how an organization “shows” its story
• Clearly and compellingly communicate strategies and concepts through cogent design, writing, and verbal communication

Create, collaborate, and direct

• Give voice to an organization’s unique vision through creative, beautiful design that clients recognize themselves in
• Tailor visual tone, style, and approach based on different arenas and audiences
• Develop brand systems (logos and visual elements) that bring distinction, cohesion, and flexibility to how an organization “shows” its story through its brand
• Design within existing brand systems in ways that preserve an organization’s signature brand identity while continually elevating how the brand is expressed through creative imagination
• Collaborate with the creative team to execute branded content across multiple platforms; this will include designing narrative storybooks, websites, video storyboards, environmental graphics, and more
• Present work and constructively engage with ideas and feedback in internal work sessions and client meetings
• Equip and activate the creative team to take creative direction forward
• Collaborate with the creative team to ensure design and messaging integrate and support each other

Ensure project quality

• Serve as a trusted voice and through-line during a project, internally and externally
• Proactively communicate with clients and the Open Book team to ensure that all parties know relevant information, updates, and expectations on a timely basis
• Facilitate forward momentum within the creative team by reviewing work, troubleshooting, and providing constructive feedback

Lead and manage other creatives

• Provide regular leadership, feedback, and direction to members of the Open Book creative team and any outside collaborators, as relevant
• Seek learning and growth opportunities that support creative development and flourishing of direct report(s)