Lead Designer

Critical Playground LLC; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Phoenix is looking for an experienced, hands‑on Lead Designer to join our creative team and help deliver and develop our visual identity across the weekly comic, marketing, merchandise, digital platforms and a growing range of IPs.

Working closely with our Art & Design Director, you’ll combine outstanding creative design with strong project management, helping ensure projects are delivered creatively, consistently and on schedule.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a senior or equivalent design role.
• Strong publishing, magazine or comparable creative experience.
• Advanced Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator skills.
• Excellent layout, typography and illustration skills.
• Strong organisation, project management and attention to detail.
• A genuine passion for comics and visual storytelling.
• Experience within children’s publishing, comics or magazines would be a particular advantage.

Responsibilities

• Delivering design across print, digital, merchandise and marketing.
• Developing and maintaining brand guidelines and design systems.
• Creating high-quality layouts, typography, illustration and visual storytelling.
• Managing multiple creative projects, assets and workflows.
• Collaborating across design, editorial, production and marketing teams.

Skills

Project management

Brand guidelines

Visual storytelling

Typography

Adobe InDesign

Photoshop

Illustrator

Tools

Adobe InDesign

Photoshop

Illustrator

Job description

The Phoenix is looking for an experienced, hands‑on Lead Designer to join our creative team and help deliver and develop our visual identity across the weekly comic, marketing, merchandise, digital platforms and a growing range of IPs.

Working closely with our Art & Design Director, you’ll combine outstanding creative design with strong project management, helping ensure projects are delivered creatively, consistently and on schedule.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering design across print, digital, merchandise and marketing.
• Developing and maintaining brand guidelines and design systems.
• Creating high-quality layouts, typography, illustration and visual storytelling.
• Managing multiple creative projects, assets and workflows.
• Collaborating across design, editorial, production and marketing teams.

About you:

• 5+ years’ experience in a senior or equivalent design role.
• Strong publishing, magazine or comparable creative experience.
• Advanced Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator skills.
• Excellent layout, typography and illustration skills.
• Strong organisation, project management and attention to detail.
• A genuine passion for comics and visual storytelling.

Experience within children’s publishing, comics or magazines would be a particular advantage.

If you’re an experienced designer looking for a varied, hands‑on creative role within the world of comics and children’s publishing, we’d love to hear from you.