Graphic Designer

Position Title: Graphic Designer

Classification: Exempt

Reports To: Director of Creative Services

About Us:

Mid-States Distributing is the leading Farm, Ranch, and Home Retail Organization. Our 71 year old company is owned by 29 independent Farm, Ranch & Home retailers (Members) who operate approximately 700 stores across the US and Canada with combined annual sales in excess of 7.5 billion dollars. Our member/owners retail items such as agriculture parts & supplies, petroleum products, hardware & tools, pet food, lawn & garden, animal health supplies, apparel & footwear, sporting goods, and various other products for the Farm, Ranch, and Home.

We are looking for enthusiastic people who like to win! We place a tremendous amount of emphasis on creating a dynamic and positive company culture. Most of our employees will tell you that Mid-States is the best place theyve ever worked. We value high-energy people with positive mental attitudes who believe in the concept of serving to wow! Our consumers are primarily rural people raising kids, pets, cows, and crops so traditional values like God, family, and patriotism are important virtues. So, if you are enthusiastic, competitive, have a great attitude, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, like to build strong relationships, like to win, and refuse to eat meat grown in a lab Mid-States may be the place for you! If you are not, please apply with our competitors!

POSITION OVERVIEW:

This candidate will work directly with the Director of Creative Services or the Associate Creative Director in the creation and development of Private Brands and will assist with any marketing or other creative needs for the Mid-States brand. The ideal candidate is a well-rounded designer who can flex between print and digital media and has a strong background in branding, consumer packaging, digital design and print & digital production.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Apply conceptual thinking and creativity to complex design problems from conception to production for branding, packaging, websites, POP/POS, print collateral, social media and other marketing initiatives
• Present and execute innovative creative ideas that will support and grow our private brands and the Mid-States brand
• Daily collaboration with the Director of Creative Services, Private Brand Mangers, marketing, and category management teams to execute projects across all platforms
• Work efficiently to meet deadlines, follow through on commitments and effectively manage multiple priorities

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design or related field (preferred but not required)
• 3 years (flexible) of hands-on design experience
• Strong conceptual thinker with a passion for branding and consumer packaging
• Possess a well-rounded expertise in print and digital design with an eye for detail, color, typography, and composition
• Skilled in creating design systems and brand style guides
• Experience in creating assets for social media
• Well-versed in digital AND print design processes (including large and small format printing)
• Well-organized, attention to detail and solutions oriented, exceptional time management skills
• Positive attitude the ability to take constructive feedback and apply it to any given design or concept
• Self-starter with the ability to work collaboratively with a team
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proficient in Adobe CC (specifically Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat), MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint
• Proficiency with HTML and CSS a plus, but not required
• Farm & Ranch industry experience is a plus, but not required

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Generally, the job requires 80% sitting, 10% walking, and 10% standing. This job is performed in a generally clean environment. The usual and customary methods of performing the job's functions require the following physical demands: some lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling, some stooping and significant fine finger dexterity.

TRAVEL:
Some travel involved

OTHER DUTIES:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Reasonable accommodations may enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

A few words from our COO:

I have had the pleasure to work for some incredible companies during my career, but Mid-States is truly the best company I have ever worked for. Lead by our dynamic CEO, Tom Mahlke, our team strives to provide a unique, exciting, fun, and fulfilling work environment for our staff. Things like drama, laziness, and entitlement have no place in Mid-States, which makes Mid-States a refreshing place to work. We offer competitive salaries, have a fantastic benefits package, and believe in rewarding those who produce. We serve a wonderful industry, and we are financially sound and growing rapidly. If you are an enthusiastic, high-energy person with a positive attitude and the skills described above, you may have just found the last job you will ever apply for! I look forward to meeting you. Jeff Rash, COO