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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