Senior Designer

Overview of the Role

The Senior Designer brings a sharp design eye and ensures a high standard of craft across a range of projects for SRW | C.A. clients in the better-for-you CPG world.

They're the go-to for elevating creative design, whether they're conceptualizing a brand identity, putting the final layer of polish on a packaging comp or contributing to the build-out of integrated campaign assets.

They juggle multiple client needs and deliverables at once, leading design on some independently and partnering closely with Creative Directors on others. Either way, they're confident presenting and selling their ideas directly to clients, from high level design rationale through executional elements.

Visually appealing, effective design aesthetics is their priority, but they don't stop at making things look pretty. The Senior Designer brings ideas to the table, contributes to creative brainstorms, and helps shape work that's as smart as it is beautiful. One moment they're using AI to generate quick comps, and the next they're participating in a branding exercise or lending an eye on set to help direct a product shoot.

Location: hybrid to Chicago, IL (3 in-office days per week)

Salary: $75,000 - $95,000 based on experience, qualifications and skills.

What You’ll Do at C.A. Fortune

• Design and execute high-quality, on-brand creative across brand identity, packaging, digital, social, print and campaign work (concept through final files)
  • Own layouts, typography, color, and overall visual execution, holding every deliverable to a high standard
• Manage design work across multiple client accounts at once, balancing priorities and deadlines with a strong sense of ownership
  • Lead design and creative execution independently on select accounts, while supporting Creative Directors on others
  • Contribute original ideas and creative territories in brainstorms and ideation sessions that ladder up to campaign strategy
  • Translate strategic briefs and audience insights into compelling visual concepts and design solutions
  • Collaborate closely with creative counterparts and cross-functional teams to bring ideas to life
  • Present creative concepts and design rationale directly to clients with clarity, confidence, and a point of view that builds trust
• Own branding and identity exercises including logo design, color palettes, typography systems, and photography style to help define how a brand looks and feels
• Lead packaging design projects from early concepts through production-ready files
• Support the execution of photo and video shoots, and be present on-set to help art direct when needed
• Use AI tools to generate comps, explore directions faster, and produce a high volume of versioned executions as needed
• Stay current on design trends, tools, pop culture, competitor brands, and best practices to keep work fresh and efficient

What You Should Bring to the Table

• 7+ years of graphic design experience, ideally within an agency setting
• A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design skills across a range of applications (packaging, print, digital, social, web, etc.)
• Experience working on CPG + brand identity, logo and packaging design required (food or better-for-you brands highly desired)
• Confidence and polish presenting creative concepts and executions directly to clients
• Ability to conceptualize ideas, not just execute them
• Comfort managing multiple projects and accounts at once, shifting gears with ease
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign)
• Working knowledge of AI design and image-generation tools (generative fill, AI comping/ideation tools) and how to use them to speed up the creative process
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative, no hubris approach

You Will Stand Out If You Have

• Motion design experience
• On-set art direction experience for photo or video shoots
• A track record of leading client-facing presentations and earning client trust
• Advanced fluency with AI tools and workflows, and a genuine interest in pushing how they're used to prioritize time for bigger creative thinking
• A point of view and the confidence to sell in ideas, paired with the flexibility to take direction and iterate

Perks

• PTO and sick days
• 11 paid company holidays 
• 1 Floating holiday
• 2 paid volunteer days per year
• 3 months fully paid parental leave (regardless of gender)
• Medical, dental, and vision
• Paid company life insurance
• 401k with company match
• Bonus eligible
• Summer hours (half day Fridays from Memorial Day thru Labor Day)
• Work from home flexibility

Come As You Are

C.A. is committed to making our company more inclusive. Diversity fuels our innovation and better connects us to our clients, our colleagues, and our communities. Based on research, we know that women and other marginalized groups tend to apply to roles only when their experience perfectly matches the job description. That said, we encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of qualifications, especially if this role aligns with your career trajectory.