Senior Designer – Freelance, Project Based

Designer Brands; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 61,992 - 68,880; Full time

Job summary

Tether is seeking a Freelance Senior Designer to work on a project basis across various campaigns, developing and executing brand storytelling under the direction of the Creative Director.

This contract position is on-site in the Tether studio with a hybrid schedule (Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the studio).

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience designing CPG packaging systems, visual identities and consumer facing collateral materials.
• Experience building client-facing presentations to influence stakeholders.
• Knowledge of packaging production processes from concepts to final production files.
• Ability to solve creative challenges independently and as an active contributing team member.
• Lead strategic, conceptual and design development of multiple large-scale projects.
• Present clearly with a focus on business and design objectives, addressing internal questions.
• Able to meet deadlines and maintain a positive attitude under pressure.
• Experience with animation and motion design.
• Bachelor’s degree in design or equivalent work experience.

Responsibilities

• Drive collaborative efforts with team members across disciplines, improving creative work and processes.
• Display professional written and verbal communication skills, ensuring clarity and timely responses with clients.
• Take initiative to improve creative output while aligning with strategy.
• Review concepts against design strategy, articulate rationale and integrate feedback.
• Maintain relationships with clients across projects.
• Adhere to schedules and budgets, alerting the creative lead to potential issues.
• Stretch your creative comfort zone and provide constructive feedback within the team.
• Develop solutions delivering on business needs with copy and other disciplines.
• A plus: experience with animation and motion design.

Skills

CPG packaging design

Brand identity design

Consumer collateral design

Presentation and client-facing skills

Packaging production knowledge

Animation and motion design (plus)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in design

Job description

About Tether

At Tether, we help brands define the human need that makes what they offer truly matter, through a unique approach that elevates story over style. Tether was born in Seattle in 2008. We gave ourselves a name to reflect the enduring emotional connection we were determined to forge between brands and people, then set out to build our own creative playground, selling products we made, showing art we curated and hosting all kinds of community events and concerts. A lot has changed since those early days. Throughout it all, we’ve remained steadfastly independent and wholly committed to being the kind of place we always wanted to work and the kind of creative partner we always wanted to work with.

A bit about the role

Tether is seeking a Freelance Senior Designer to work on a project basis and across various projects. You will be responsible for the development and execution of brand storytelling across a variety of mediums. You will work under the collaborative direction of the Creative Director and/or Associate Creative Director. This is a contract position working on‑site in the Tether studio (hybrid – we are currently in the Studio on Tuesdays + Wednesdays).

Responsibilities

• Drive collaborative efforts with team members across disciplines (copy, interactive, production, account management, etc.), actively looking for ways to improve creative work and processes.
• Display professional written and verbal communication skills, emphasizing clarity, concision and timeliness of replies, ensuring successful interactions both internally and with clients.
• Take the initiative to improve creative output while working with the team to stay on target strategically and conceptually.
• With the project leads, review creative concepts against design strategy at appropriate stages, ensuring work is review‑ and presentation‑ready, taking the initiative to articulate rationale, providing solutions and integrating feedback.
• Work and help maintain successful relationships with clients across all projects, regardless of level of involvement.
• Adhere to established schedules and budgets, alerting the creative lead when potential issues arise.
• Continually stretch your creative comfort zone to produce more innovative work while initiating creative dialogues and offering constructive feedback within your team.
• Working both strategically and conceptually, develop creative solutions that consistently deliver on business needs, partnering closely with copywriters and other creative disciplines to produce award‑winning work.
• A plus, but not required: experience with animation and motion design.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience designing CPG packaging systems, visual identities and consumer facing collateral materials that deliver on the creative strategy and brief
• Experience in building client facing presentations that can influence stakeholder and help facilitate decision making.
• Knowledgeable with packaging production processes with the ability take pack concepts all the way through final production files, and then evaluate proofs and printing.
• Able to solve creative challenges in innovative ways, independently and as an actively contributing team member, while identifying resources needed to help self and others.
• Able to play a leading role in the strategic, conceptual and design development of multiple large‑scale projects, prioritizing work based on scope and deadlines.
• Able to make well prepared, articulate internal presentations with a focus on business and design objectives while also addressing any internal questions that arise.
• Able to consistently meet deadlines and maintain a positive attitude under pressure, setting an example for and helping other members of the design team do the same.
• Experience with animation and motion design.
• Bachelor’s degree in design or equivalent work experience.

Compensation

Hourly rate: $45 – $50 DOE. This range reflects a reasonable estimate of the target compensation for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. This freelance opportunity does not qualify for company benefits.