Contract Designer / Illustrator

This is a Full Time Job

Designer (Contract)

The Role:

The Contract Designer / Illustrator will support the development of creative assets for licensed consumer products preschool brands. This role will work closely with the CP&E Creative and Product Development teams to create brand-right, trend-relevant artwork, style guides, packaging, and graphic assets that translate successfully across a wide range of consumer product categories.

The ideal candidate is comfortable trending, designing and illustrating, understands how creative assets need to function in a licensing environment, and can take projects from concept through production-ready execution.

Experience working with kids, preschool, entertainment, character, or lifestyle brands is highly preferred.

This is a 6-month fixed term contract role.

Responsibilities:
• Support the development of seasonal, core, retail, and thematic licensed consumer products style guides.
• Create original graphics, illustrations, patterns, icons, badges, typography treatments, borders, backgrounds, and supporting design elements.
• Develop compelling character compositions and storytelling moments using approved character assets.
• Translate creative direction, seasonal trends, and brand strategy into cohesive visual collections.
• Build color palettes, graphic systems, pattern families, editorial treatments, and product-ready artwork.
• Develop artwork that can translate across multiple categories including apparel, accessories, home, toys, stationery, hardlines, and softlines.
• Prepare organized, production-ready asset packages for licensee and partner use.
• Explore multiple creative directions quickly through sketches, thumbnails, and concept development.
• Incorporate feedback from Creative, Product Development, Brand, Franchise, and Legal teams.
• Support the development and evolution of licensed packaging systems across multiple product categories.
• Work within existing brand standards while identifying opportunities to keep packaging fresh, relevant, and competitive at retail.
• Work closely with Creative Directors, Designers, Product Development, and Project Management to meet project timelines and deliverables.
• Manage multiple assignments simultaneously while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Participate in creative reviews and respond efficiently to feedback and revisions.
• Ensure artwork meets brand, legal, technical, and production requirements.
• Support special projects including retail presentations, product concepts, key art, trend boards, and partner-facing creative materials as needed.

Requirements
• 4 years of professional experience in graphic design, illustration, packaging, consumer products, entertainment, or a related creative field.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating illustration, graphic design, layout, pattern development, and packaging capabilities.
• Experience developing licensed consumer products style guides strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of designing within established brand guidelines while still bringing fresh creative thinking.
• Ability to translate a creative brief into a cohesive visual system rather than simply executing individual graphics.
• Strong understanding of color, typography, composition, hierarchy, pattern, and visual storytelling.
• Experience preparing professional production-ready files for external partners.
• Experience designing collections of digital product mock-ups
• Comfortable working within fast-moving creative environments with multiple rounds of feedback.
• Knowledge of Mac OSX, Adobe Suite Programs (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
• Ability to work across the needs of a global team