Freelance Graphic Designer

This is a Freelance Job

The dedicated freelance graphic designer on the team - accountable for the design-execution side of the graphics pipeline across social and YouTube. Leads two named areas: YouTube thumbnails (every Director of Video Content-owned upload - linear re-edits, native long-form, serialized programming, branded series) and bespoke social-first graphics across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and YouTube - tournament hype graphics, player win graphics, storyline graphics, and templated designs within Slate. Works downstream from the Social Graphics Content Specialist's concepts and briefs, and from the YouTube Editor's thumbnail direction - takes the brief, executes the design at premium quality, and hands the finished asset off for publish. Cross-team freelance role partnering with the Senior Social Media Manager and the Social Graphics Content Specialist on the social side, and with the Director of Video Content and YouTube Editor on the video side.

This freelance role is expected to be approximately 40 hours per week, with schedules aligned to tournament coverage needs. Flexibility to work weekends may be required during key tournaments and high-volume event periods. This freelance engagement is anticipated to run through December 2026, with the potential to be extended through the end of 2027 based on business needs and performance.

This is a freelance role and located onsite in Santa Monica, CA.

In this freelance role you will…

Design YouTube Thumbnails (primary lane)
• Lead YouTube thumbnail design across every Director of Video Content-owned upload - linear re-edits, YouTube-native long-form, serialized programming, branded series, and original concepts.
• Own thumbnail composition, typography, hierarchy, and brand-voice fit on every upload.
• A/B test thumbnails and titles where the YouTube Editor and Director of Video Content call for it; iterate on what's working based on CTR data.
• Maintain a thumbnail style guide that evolves with the channel - what's converting, what's tired, what tests should run next.

Create Bespoke Social-First Graphics (primary lane)
• Lead bespoke social-first graphics across IG, FB, TikTok, X, and YouTube - four named areas below.
• Tournament hype graphics - pre-tournament tentpoles, draw announcements, matchup graphics, hype frames for player return narratives, ramp-up creative across the five platforms.
• Player win graphics - match-finish graphics, title win graphics, milestone graphics (career wins, ranking moves, records broken). Fast-turn output during live tournament windows; on-shift coordinator timing.
• Storyline graphics - narrative-driven graphics for ongoing storylines (rivalries, comeback runs, milestone chases) that ship as serialized recurring posts under the Social Graphics Content Specialist's brief.
• Templated designs within Slate - own the Slate template library on behalf of the team. Build templates for recurring formats (scoreboards, match cards, schedules, score graphics), maintain them as brand voice evolves, and use them to scale fast-turn output during tournaments.
• Adapt every design across the relevant platform aspect ratios and sizing standards (1:1, 4:5, 9:16, 16:9, YouTube thumbnail, X cards) so every platform sees a native-feeling execution.

Manage the Brief-to-Execution Workflow
• Take creative briefs from the Social Graphics Content Specialist (concepts, recurring formats, campaign visuals) - execute the design at premium quality and hand off the finished asset.
• Take YouTube thumbnail direction from the YouTube Editor and the Director of Video Content - execute thumbnails per channel and upload; A/B test where the YouTube Editor calls for it.
• Hand finished assets to the on-shift coordinator publish-ready - correct file format, sizing, copy locked, and any usage notes attached.
• Close the feedback loop with brief owners on what's working and what needs adjustment.

Drive Content & Creative Direction
• Apply Tennis Channel brand voice and visual standards on every asset.
• Flag content-quality concerns up before assets go to the Senior Social Media Manager or Head of Social for final approval.
• Pitch new visual ideas (new template, new thumbnail style, new graphics format) to the Social Graphics Content Specialist and the Senior Social Media Manager.

Lead Campaign Execution
• Lead design execution for tournament tentpoles and brand campaigns - hit publish-ready deadlines on the Tournament Coverage Plan and Master Cross-Platform Content Calendar.
• Lead thumbnail design for the Director of Video Content's video campaigns and serialized programming launches.
• Lead design execution for sponsor activations and branded series in coordination with brand, ad sales, the Social Graphics Content Specialist, and the Director of Video Content.

Stay Ahead of Platform Expertise & Trends
• Stay current on platform-specific visual trends and best practices across IG, FB, TikTok, X, and YouTube - what's working in feeds, what new format features are shipping, what thumbnail styles are converting on YouTube.
• Maintain the Slate template library as the platform evolves and as brand voice shifts; refresh templates quarterly at minimum.
• Track YouTube thumbnail CTR with the YouTube Editor; iterate on what's working and surface learnings.
• Bring design ideas to the Weekly Trending Content Meeting (chaired by the Senior Social Media Manager) when a visual trend is worth jumping on.

Partner Cross-Functionally
• Partner with the Social Graphics Content Specialist on the brief-to-execution workflow - briefs come in, designs go out, feedback closes the loop.
• Partner with the YouTube Editor on YouTube thumbnail direction, A/B testing, and the channel's visual standard.
• Partner with the Director of Video Content on video-side graphics needs (thumbnails, end cards, lower-thirds standards, series art).
• Partner with the on-shift coordinator on finished-asset hand-off and publish-window timing.
• Coordinate with brand, ad sales, and PR on graphics needs for sponsor activations, branded series, and press moments.

Key Performance Indicators
• YouTube thumbnail CTR - target: 6% on most uploads, 8% on linear re-edits.
• Graphics output volume per tournament week (player win graphics fast-turn rate, hype graphics on-time delivery against the Tournament Coverage Plan).
• On-time delivery of graphics against Tournament Coverage Plan and Master Cross-Platform Content Calendar deadlines (target: 100%).
• Slate template library maintained and refreshed quarterly.
• Engagement performance on graphics-driven posts vs. brand baseline (target: positive lift quarter-over-quarter).
• Quality bar across design output (qualitative review by Senior Social Media Manager, Social Graphics Content Specialist, and Director of Video Content).
• Hand-off discipline: assets delivered to publish-ready spec with usage notes attached (target: zero rework-due-to-format incidents per quarter).

Key Qualifications
• 3-5 years in graphic design, ideally for sports, live event, or news brands.
• Strong portfolio across all four named areas: YouTube thumbnails (with CTR or growth results where available), tournament/sports graphics, player and milestone graphics, and brand-led social design.
• Hands-on fluency with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects).