Position Focus:
Reporting to the Director of Public Engagement, the Head of Design develops and leads the visual identity of the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA), across all platforms, including building signage, exhibition graphics, publications, promotional materials, and digital assets. The Head of Design is part of a creative team that shapes the visitor experience, both onsite and online, through design that reflects the YCBA’s mission and engages a broad audience. Working with multiple departments in a team environment, the Head of Design creates production schedules, coordinate workflows and manages the implementation of design projects. They also liaise with campus and local vendors to ensure cost-effective and high-quality production.
Responsibilities include overseeing and implementing the design and production of all ephemeral materials—print and digital—including brochures, rack cards, flyers, posters, invitations, advertisements, labels, and banners, as well as exhibition and informational wayfinding signage both inside and outside the museum. The postholder will supervise the work of internal and/or contracted graphic designers. They also train and supervise the work undergraduate and graduate graphic design bursary students.
The Head of Design establishes and maintains the graphic identity of the YCBA’s website and e-commerce platforms. They design and conceptualize visual identities and creative marketing strategies that can be applied consistently across both print and digital environments for YCBA exhibitions, working closely with curators and senior leadership. The Head of Design manages all aspects of exhibition graphics production and installation, including title treatments, didactic panels, and other interpretive materials. They provide conceptual direction, create mock-up designs, specify type and materials, estimate costs, and develop production schedules for a wide range of projects. In consultation with museum staff, they design and prepare text and graphics for production, and coordinate with outside vendors and printers to ensure high-quality execution. They are also responsible for developing and managing the YCBA’s annual budget for graphic design.
Candidates selected for interviews will be required to submit a portfolio.
Essential Duties
1. Leads client meetings to determine parameters of projects. 2. Provides graphic design services centrally to the University community or to specific schools/departments maintaining established design standards and practices. 3. Uses considerable creative judgment regarding composition, media selection, typography, pictorial images, etc. to conceive ideas for graphic design work on assigned projects. 4. Applies a variety of traditional graphic techniques, equipment, and supplies as well as computer based graphics and/or desktop publishing software programs. 5. Effectively establishes client needs on assigned projects. 6. Produces graphics in the form of printed publications and other materials which are distributed internally and externally; electronically through the development of websites. 7. May perform other duties as assigned.
Required Education and Experience
Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design. Four year of graphic design experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Required Skill/Ability 1:
Experience and ability to develop thoughtful and effective design solutions to communicate the mission of an institution across platforms and connect with diverse audiences.
Required Skill/Ability 2:
Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (ln Design, Photoshop, Illustrator), Microsoft Office Suite for print and digital design. Experience in motion/web graphics tools (Adobe After Effects, Dreamweaver, Premier Pro or other), and knowledge of web design fundamentals (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Drupal platform) a plus.
Required Skill/Ability 3:
Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to work with and respond to internal clients/co-workers and outside vendors professionally, confidently, and cooperatively.
Required Skill/Ability 4:
Team player with project management skills and supervisory experience. Ability to work independently, be flexible, and organize assignments in a timely manner. Ability to adapt to ever-changing project types and requirements. The capacity to work closely with colleagues to achieve institution-wide and departmental objectives.
Required Skill/Ability 5:
Museum experience, including exhibition graphics.
Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:
Graduate degree in graphic design. Knowledge of art history and modernist architecture. Familiarity with British art and culture.
Weekend Hours Required?
Occasional
Evening Hours Required?
Occasional
Drug Screen
No
Health Screening
No
Background Check Requirements
All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.