Graphic Designer

Critical Playground LLC; Norton, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

Wheaton College is seeking a talented Graphic Designer to help bring our brand to life across a wide range of print and digital experiences. This role collaborates with writers, photographers, videographers, and campus partners to create visually compelling work that supports enrollment and institutional communications.

The ideal candidate blends strong design fundamentals with curiosity, collaboration, and an understanding of how great creative helps tell meaningful stories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design or related field.
• 5+ years of graphic design experience in creative environment (agency or in-house).
• Strong understanding of design principles, typography, color theory, and composition.
• Must be able to occasionally work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends, to support major campus events, admissions programs, athletics, commencement, and other institutional activities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, balancing competing priorities and deadlines in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop strategic visual communications across print, digital, web, email, environmental, and social media platforms that support Wheaton College’s marketing, enrollment, advancement, and institutional priorities.
• Collaborate with directors, copywriters, photographers, videographers, web developers, social media producers, and campus partners to translate marketing objectives into compelling, audience-focused visual storytelling while ensuring consistency with Wheaton College’s visual identity standards.
• Translate marketing objectives and messaging into compelling visual storytelling that engages prospective students, families, alumni, donors, faculty, staff, and other key audiences.
• Prepare accurate, production-ready files for print and digital distribution, maintaining exceptional attention to detail and quality throughout every stage of the creative process.
• Adapt and extend creative assets across multiple channels and formats while maintaining design excellence and campaign consistency while ensuring consistency and integrity of the Wheaton College visual identity by applying established brand standards while helping evolve the brand through thoughtful, innovative design.
• Stay current with design trends, production techniques, accessibility standards, and emerging creative technologies, including the responsible use of AI-powered design tools, to continually improve creative quality and workflow efficiency.

Skills

Adobe Creative Suite

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Express

Firefly AI

Google Workspace

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design

Tools

Branding & visual identity tools

Job description

Wheaton is a leading private, coeducational, liberal arts college of 1800 students located in Norton, MA and within easy commuting distance of Boston and Providence.

Posting Details

Posting Number: 0601314

Position Title: Graphic Designer

FLSA: Exempt

Job Type: Full-Time

Staff Term: Other

Staff Work Schedule (hours/dates): Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 4:30pm

Academic Year Schedule (dates): n/a

Position Type: Staff

Department: Design and Brand Management

Job Summary/Basic Function

Wheaton College is seeking a talented Graphic Designer to help bring our brand to life across a wide range of print and digital experiences. This role is responsible for designing thoughtful, engaging creative that supports enrollment, advancement, student engagement, institutional communications, and the overall visibility of the College.

Working as part of the Creative team in the Marketing & Communications division, the Graphic Designer collaborates closely with writers, strategists, photographers, videographers, social media producers, and campus partners to create work that is both visually compelling and strategically effective. The ideal candidate combines strong design fundamentals with intellectual curiosity, collaboration, and an understanding of how great creative helps tell meaningful stories.

• Design and develop strategic visual communications across print, digital, web, email, environmental, and social media platforms that support Wheaton College’s marketing, enrollment, advancement, and institutional priorities. Examples being a wide range of branded marketing materials, including publications, viewbooks, advertising campaigns, presentations, event collateral, signage, web assets, and other communications from concept through final production. (35%)
• Collaborate with directors, copywriters, photographers, videographers, web developers, social media producers, and campus partners to translate marketing objectives into compelling, audience-focused visual storytelling while ensuring consistency with Wheaton College’s visual identity standards. (25%)
• Translate marketing objectives and messaging into compelling visual storytelling that engages prospective students, families, alumni, donors, faculty, staff, and other key audiences. (15%)
• Prepare accurate, production-ready files for print and digital distribution, maintaining exceptional attention to detail and quality throughout every stage of the creative process. (10%)
• Adapt and extend creative assets across multiple channels and formats while maintaining design excellence and campaign consistency while ensuring consistency and integrity of the Wheaton College visual identity by applying established brand standards while helping evolve the brand through thoughtful, innovative design. (10%)
• Stay current with design trends, production techniques, accessibility standards, and emerging creative technologies, including the responsible use of AI-powered design tools, to continually improve creative quality and workflow efficiency. (5%)

Additional Responsibilities

Own the archiving of completed publications files to ensure their accessibility for future use.

• Work with external creative consultants on select projects, providing appropriate oversight and support.
• Update, create, and maintain accessible digital and print communications in accordance with ADA and WCAG accessibility standards.
• Participate in creative planning, brainstorming, and concept development, contributing fresh ideas that strengthen the college’s visual communications.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design or related field.

• 5+ years of graphic design experience in creative environment (agency or in-house).
• Strong understanding of design principles, typography, color theory, and composition.
• Must be able to occasionally work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends, to support major campus events, admissions programs, athletics, commencement, and other institutional activities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, balancing competing priorities and deadlines in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in Adobe Cloud Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop, Adobe Express, and Firefly in combination with other AI-powered tools and features.
• Experience with Google Workspace.

Compensation and Benefits

To attract and retain the most talented individuals, Wheaton College maintains a flexible and competitive staff compensation and benefits program.

When determining and establishing hiring rates or recruitment ranges for a position, the College considers a number of factors including the budget for the position, the range of the grade, the external market for the position or similar positions, level and scope of responsibilities, required education, skills and relevant experience as well as internal equity. All salary offers must have the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources.

The anticipated hiring or recruitment range for this position is $60 – $72K. The actual salary offered will be commensurate with the qualifications, education and experience of the candidate hired.

Physical Demands

Sitting for long periods, and small lifting of mailing packages.

ADA Statement

Individuals must possess these knowledges, skills and abilities or be able to explain and demonstrate that the individual can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities.

Eeo Statement

Wheaton College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate against any individual or group on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, race, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, or disability. In a continuing effort to maintain and enrich an intellectually diverse learning environment, the Department and the College actively encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented groups.

Wheaton’s core belief is that valuing diversity is pivotal to personal development, intellectual expansion, and societal equity. Our community is united by a shared dedication to equity and access that is essential to providing a transformative education in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Posting Date

08/10/2026

Closing Date

Open Until Filled

Contact(s)

Office of Human Resources

Contact Phone/Extension

508-286-8206

Contact Email

[e-mail]