Design Manager - Brand and Marketing

MAP; Chesapeake (VA); On-site; USD 77,000 - 104,000; Full time

Job summary

Map Communications is seeking a Design Manager to lead brand-forward design across digital and print. This role blends strategic brand leadership with hands-on execution, shaping visuals for multiple identities and channels.

You will mentor teams, manage workflows, and collaborate with marketing, product, and external partners to drive cohesive brand experiences and business growth.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in graphic design, brand design, visual design, or print design.
• Portfolio showcasing branding, visual identity systems, and campaign design.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign).
• Experience with Figma and collaborative design workflows.
• Strong typography, layout, visual hierarchy, color theory, and production best practices.
• Ability to operate at both strategic and executional levels of design.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with generative AI and AI-enabled/AI-enhanced workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of visual brand systems across digital and print platforms.
• Manage creative projects from concept through final production, ensuring quality, consistency, and timely delivery.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, product, leadership, developers, vendors, and external partners.
• Create and maintain brand guidelines, typography systems, color systems, and visual identity standards.
• Design high-impact marketing assets including websites, landing pages, social campaigns, presentations, and branded collateral.
• Translate brand strategy into compelling visual storytelling across campaigns and customer touchpoints.
• Mentor junior creatives and external vendors while maintaining creative direction and quality control.
• Present creative concepts and design rationale clearly to stakeholders and leadership teams.
• Balance strategic thinking with hands-on production and execution.
• Ensure all creative deliverables align with business goals, user experience principles, and brand standards.
• Manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining strong attention to detail.

Skills

Brand design

Graphic design

Visual design

Print design

Creative direction

Team leadership

UI/UX awareness

Motion graphics

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Illustrator

Photoshop

InDesign

Figma

After Effects

Job description

Design Manager – Brand & Marketing

Map Communications Full-Time | Onsite in Chesapeake, VA

Salary $90,000

About the Role

Map Communications is seeking a highly creative and strategically minded Design Manager to lead the development and execution of compelling, brand-forward visual experiences across digital and print channels.

This role combines hands-on design execution with creative leadership. The ideal candidate is both a strong visual storyteller and an organized creative lead - someone who can move seamlessly between high-level brand strategy and detailed production execution while maintaining exceptional visual standards across all brand communications. The Design Manager will serve as a pillar of the company's internal marketing agency, working across multiple brand identities and numerous channels, engaging audiences both above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL).

You will collaborate closely with marketing, leadership, developers, and external partners to create cohesive, impactful brand experiences that support business growth and customer engagement.

Our ideal candidate is a strategic, solution-oriented visual thinker with an exceptional eye for hierarchy and brand consistency. You possess strong conceptual abilities and a passion for storytelling, allowing you to seamlessly differentiate identities and creative approaches across multiple similar brands and audiences. As a collaborative and adaptable teammate, you are highly organized, bring strong project management instincts to the table, and feel entirely comfortable leading creative discussions or defending your design decisions.

To truly thrive in this role, you should have a solid familiarity with front-end design principles, UX/UI systems, or interactive experiences, ideally paired with a background in motion graphics, animation, After Effects, or video editing. Finally, you maintain a curious mindset, staying constantly engaged with emerging technologies, AI-enhanced workflows, and evolving design trends to keep our brand building at the cutting edge.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of visual brand systems across digital and print platforms
• Manage creative projects from concept through final production, ensuring quality, consistency, and timely delivery
• Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, product, leadership, developers, vendors, and external partners
• Create and maintain brand guidelines, typography systems, color systems, and visual identity standards
• Design high-impact marketing assets including websites, landing pages, social campaigns, presentations, and branded collateral
• Translate brand strategy into compelling visual storytelling across campaigns and customer touchpoints
• Mentor junior creatives and external vendors while maintaining creative direction and quality control
• Present creative concepts and design rationale clearly to stakeholders and leadership teams
• Balance strategic thinking with hands-on production and execution
• Ensure all creative deliverables align with business goals, user experience principles, and brand standards
• Manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining strong attention to detail

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in graphic design, brand design, visual design, or print design
• Previous experience leading projects, managing creative workflows, or supervising designers and freelancers
• Strong portfolio showcasing expertise in branding, visual identity systems, and campaign design
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
• Experience with Figma and collaborative design workflows
• Strong understanding of typography, layout systems, visual hierarchy, color theory, and production best practices
• Ability to operate at both strategic and executional levels of design
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience with generative AI and AI-enabled/AI-enhanced workflows

Beyond these core skills, bonus points go to candidates who bring deep experience in go-to-market strategies and integrated marketing campaigns. You are comfortable developing creative assets for complex multi-channel initiatives and thrive when collaborating closely with marketing and growth teams to align design execution with broader business goals. With a solid understanding of performance-driven creative, you have a proven track record of optimizing assets for social media advertising, email marketing, and other digital campaign efforts to maximize audience engagement and drive results.

Why Join Map Communications?

At Map, creativity and collaboration are at the center of everything we do. You'll have the opportunity to shape brand experiences that make a meaningful impact while working alongside a team that values innovation, quality, and forward-thinking design.

We're looking for someone who is excited to push creative boundaries, elevate brand storytelling, and help define the future of our visual identity.

Our team is united by a shared commitment, extensive history, and a concrete set of values. For over 30 years, we've served as an extension of businesses and organizations throughout North America, actively cultivating thriving economies and communities. Map is employee-owned and operated, meaning every team member's contributions directly affect our company's value. We take pride in maintaining a vibrant, diverse environment where all employees feel welcome and engaged in their work.

Map Communications is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.