Associate Designer

Marks is hiring an Associate Designer for our Marks Chicago studio!

Agency Overview

Marks is a brand design and experience agency constructed to meet the unique and dynamic conditions of today’s market. As a full-service agency, our expertise extends across all facets of the branding spectrum.

Born of five separate agencies within the SGSco umbrella, we are building on the expertise in brand design and design adaptation of our agency namesake and combining that with Webb deVlam’s strategic muscle and upstream capabilities, 3D contextual art creation born of Armstrong White, Traffik’s integrated experiential marketing expertise, and the delivery strength of 5Crowd. Together, we are 600 people across 12 studios and 8 countries. A super-charged brand design and experience powerhouse — ready to take on the biggest opportunities that lay ahead for our clients.

Dynamically structured, we deliver the dual perspectives of both Insider and Outsider — fluid, day-to-day brand guardianship and design leadership coupled with the game-changing provocation and fresh thinking that enables brands to uncover and calculate their next move, big or small. Combining divergent perspectives and experiences into a single seamless methodology fuels their clients to move fast, move forward, and move confidently.

The Role

This position calls for a highly collaborative team member with a creative spark, hunger to grow, and self-motivation. As Associate Designer, you will report to a Design Director, working closely with them and Creative Directors to translate a client’s brief into creative and strategic solutions that disrupt and delight.

You will be working on an array of projects that range from brand identity design to brand and product innovation, packaging design and everything in between.

Critical Skills and Behaviors

Thriving in a collaborative space

• We value culture and teamwork over egos—must work well within a team (virtually and in person)
• Actively participates and engages in internal review meetings and brainstorming sessions

Curiosity and Passion

• Lives and breathes design: gets excited to talk shop and always looking to learn
• Keeps up with trends and seeks opportunities to grow and network outside of the office

Communicates well visually and verbally

• Confidently conveys ideas and design concepts, articulating the “why” behind design choices
• Puts together succinct, clear and intuitive presentations
• Uses sketches to visually communicate potential solutions and ideas to peers

Independence and reliability

• Accountable and disciplined
• Able to get organized and excel in a fast-paced environment
• Can manage multiple projects at once
• Ability to collaborate in person with Chicago team members, as well as virtually with other studios across North America

Prerequisites

• Bachelors Degree in Graphic Design or related field
• Experience in packaging or brand design (internships and co-ops OK)
• Fluency in design software, especially Adobe Creative Cloud, Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign
• Well-rounded portfolio showcasing excellent understanding of typography, photography, Illustration, presentation skills, sketching and design methodology
• Computer literacy, including familiarity with both iOS and Windows; fluency in Keynote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Experience

• Experience in packaging or brand design (internships and co-ops OK)
• Fluency in design software, especially Adobe Creative Cloud, Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign
• Well-rounded portfolio showcasing excellent understanding of typography, photography, Illustration, presentation skills, sketching and design methodology
• Computer literacy, including familiarity with both iOS and Windows; fluency in Keynote, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

Education

• Bachelors or better

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)