Junior Graphic Designer – JGD5917

R.W. Mercer Co.; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

R.W. Mercer Co. in Washington, DC seeks a junior graphic designer on a full-time contract to support marketing and branding across digital and print initiatives.

The ideal candidate has a strong portfolio, foundational design skills, and a willingness to learn under senior creatives. You will contribute to visual assets for websites, emails, brochures, and campaigns while collaborating with cross-functional teams and meeting deadlines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent education in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Digital Media, Fine Arts, or related discipline preferred.
• 0–2 years of experience in graphic design or related field.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating creativity and design fundamentals across digital and print materials.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Foundational understanding of typography, color theory, composition, spacing, visual hierarchy, branding, and layout principles.
• Familiarity with creating content for websites, social media, email marketing, presentations, advertisements, and other digital channels.
• Strong attention to detail and willingness to learn and improve design skills.
• Ability to interpret briefs, project requirements, and stakeholder feedback into design assignments.
• Good written, verbal communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Assist in developing creative concepts and original graphics for marketing, branding, and digital initiatives.
• Design and update brochures, flyers, presentations, ads, social graphics, newsletters, and branded collateral.
• Create visual assets for websites, email campaigns, and digital platforms.
• Collaborate with marketing, communications, product, sales, and business teams to understand requirements.
• Translate briefs into effective visual solutions while maintaining brand standards.
• Prepare production-ready files for digital publishing and print production.
• Manage multiple projects and adhere to deadlines.
• Incorporate feedback from senior designers and stakeholders.

Skills

Portfolio

Attention to detail

Time management

Communication

Independent working

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Job description

We are seeking a creative, motivated, and detail-oriented Junior Graphic Designer to join our team on a full-time contract basis. The Junior Graphic Designer will support the development of visually engaging and brand-aligned design materials for marketing, communications, digital initiatives, and organizational projects across a variety of platforms.

The ideal candidate will bring strong creative thinking, a willingness to learn, and foundational technical design skills. This individual should be able to interpret creative briefs, written concepts, and business requirements and translate them into polished, professional, and engaging visual materials under the guidance of senior creative team members.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in developing creative visual concepts and original graphics for marketing, branding, communications, digital, and print initiatives.
• Design and update brochures, flyers, presentations, advertisements, social media graphics, newsletters, promotional materials, and branded collateral.
• Create visual assets for websites, email campaigns, online platforms, internal communications, and digital marketing initiatives.
• Collaborate with marketing, communications, product, sales, and business teams to understand creative requirements and project objectives.
• Translate written messaging, campaign concepts, business requirements, and creative briefs into effective visual solutions.
• Apply established brand standards, including typography, color palettes, imagery, layouts, icons, and other visual elements.
• Edit, enhance, crop, resize, retouch, and optimize photographs, illustrations, and graphic assets for various applications.
• Assist with the development of templates and reusable design assets that promote consistency and efficiency.
• Prepare accurate, production-ready files for digital publishing, presentations, advertising, and print production.
• Manage multiple assigned design projects while maintaining organization, quality, and adherence to deadlines.
• Participate in design reviews and incorporate feedback from senior designers, managers, and internal stakeholders.
• Maintain organized source files, creative assets, templates, brand resources, and project documentation.
• Research current design trends, creative techniques, emerging tools, and industry best practices.
• Support basic motion graphics, animation, video editing, interactive content, and multimedia projects when required.
• Assist with coordination involving printers, production vendors, freelancers, and external creative partners.
• Review completed designs for accuracy, consistency, formatting, accessibility, and alignment with project requirements.
• Contribute ideas for improving creative workflows, templates, production processes, and design efficiency.
• Ensure visual deliverables are consistent with established brand guidelines and communication objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent education in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Digital Media, Fine Arts, or a related discipline preferred.
• 0–2 years of professional, internship, academic, freelance, or equivalent experience in graphic design, visual communications, marketing design, or a related creative field.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating creativity, design fundamentals, and examples of digital, print, branding, marketing, or communication materials.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud, particularly Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Foundational understanding of typography, color theory, composition, spacing, visual hierarchy, branding, and layout principles.
• Familiarity with creating content for websites, social media, email marketing, presentations, advertisements, and other digital channels.
• Strong attention to detail and a willingness to learn and improve design skills.
• Ability to understand creative briefs, project requirements, and stakeholder feedback and incorporate them into design assignments.
• Good written, verbal, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Strong organizational and time-management abilities with the ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work independently on assigned tasks while contributing effectively within a collaborative creative environment.
• Familiarity with Figma, Canva, After Effects, Premiere Pro, or comparable creative applications is a plus.
• Exposure to motion graphics, animation, UX/UI design, video production, or interactive media is an advantage.
• Basic knowledge of digital accessibility and design best practices is preferred.
• A positive attitude, creative curiosity, and eagerness to develop professionally in a fast-paced design environment.

Compensation & Contract Details

Annual Contract Rate: $80,000 – $105,000 per year, commensurate with experience, qualifications, creative skills, and scope of responsibility.

Employment Type: Full-time Contract.

Schedule: Approximately 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday.

Contract Term: Initial contract assignment with potential for extension or renewal based on business needs, project requirements, and performance.

Work Arrangement: Remote or hybrid, depending on organizational and project requirements.

Professional Development: Opportunities for creative training, software development, design workshops, industry learning, and professional certification support.

Creative Environment: Collaborative environment providing opportunities to contribute to marketing, branding, communications, and digital design initiatives while learning from experienced creative professionals.

Growth Opportunities: Opportunities to expand design responsibilities, contribute to larger creative projects and campaigns, develop specialized design skills, and progress toward mid-level or senior design responsibilities.

Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.