Description:
This role contributes to the City’s Strategic Plan – Cambridge Connected, and supports communication strategies that reflect the vision, mission, values and strategic actions of the City. The successful candidate must be a motivated, dedicated and detail-oriented team player with strong artistic, typography, design, branding and communication skills.
Under the direction of the Manager of Communications, the Graphic Design & Multimedia Specialist may work directly with staff to receive project content and information, interpret the needs of the project, and provide creative solutions that are strategically aligned with business priorities and objectives, while often working within strict time and budget constraints.
What you will be doing
- Executes requests for creative designs, for presentations, web graphics, e-mail, marketing collateral and promotions, signs, logos, templates and other formats as needed, seeing all projects through from concept, production, completion and delivery. Designs are tailored for success in specified channels, both internally and externally.
- Presents design work at various stages to the Director/Supervisor/Communications Advisor and clients for review and final approval as appropriate. Provides regular project updates and knows when to escalate and communicate issues or concerns.
- Meets with clients or other team members to determine requirements and vision for design elements, which may include multiple strategy meetings.
- Provides multimedia support (e.g. videography, photography, graphic design, and presentation enhancements) to help engage employees and residents while communicating messages aligned with City programs and services.
- Strong photo and video editing skills. Experience in video production process. In conjunction with a Communications Advisor, assists with video storyboarding and oversees small video productions.
- Analyzes and extracts data from Word or Excel and transforms into graphically designed charts, tables, or infographics.
- Ability to create illustrations is considered an asset, either digitally or by hand using a graphics tablet.
- Manages, prioritizes and executes multiple simultaneous and often ad-hoc requests.
- Maintains print production process and relationships with external vendors, reviews print proofs, and participates in quality assurance of all externally printed materials.
- Assists with organization and management of digital multimedia inventory to ensure the communications team maximizes operational effectiveness and efficiency.
- Works with legislated content and understands and follows the City’s confidentiality practices.
Cont'd
- Ensures adherence to visual communications best practices and corporate brand standards.
- Reviews finalized materials to be sure there are no errors.
- Works with internal technology software and hardware.
- Selects fonts, colours, shapes, designs, styles, and layouts for projects.
- Demonstrates knowledge of social media platforms and required design specs for each platform.
- Regularly audits competitors and municipal peers and stay current with industry trends, developments, and technological advances.
- Brings forward emerging technologies and methods for design.