Designer - SA Corporate Communications Agency

blacksunplc; South Africa; Hybrid; ZAR 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday per year

Discretionary bonus scheme

Personal development opportunities

Group life assurance

Group personal pension plan

Employee assistance programme

Hybrid working – 3 days in office

Fulham Palace offices

Job summary

Black Sun Global is seeking a designer with 2–3 years of professional experience to turn ideas and information into clear, engaging communications. You will work with Creative Directors, designers and account teams, contributing to projects from concept through delivery, while growing your own craft and judgement.

You will join a team that values curiosity, problem-solving and strong typography, with hybrid working and opportunities to explore motion, digital and emerging technologies as part of

Qualifications

• Two to three years of professional design experience with a strong portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Understand client goals, audience, content and purpose.
• Collaborate with directors, designers and teams to develop and refine concepts.
• Develop typography, layout and visual systems across print and digital platforms.
• Prepare files for print and digital delivery and ensure brand consistency.
• Participate in creative reviews and defend design decisions.

Skills

Graphic design

Typography

InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

Layout

Information design

Data visualization

Print design

Time management

Tools

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Job description

The role

At Black Sun, we believe great creative work starts by finding what matters.

As a Designer, you will help turn ideas, stories and complex information into clear, engaging and beautifully crafted communications for some of the world’s leading businesses.

You will work alongside designers, Creative Directors, account teams and other specialists, contributing to projects from early creative exploration through to final delivery.

This is a role for someone with strong design foundations who wants to keep developing. You should be as interested in why something is being designed as how it looks. We want you to ask questions, contribute ideas, explore different solutions and become increasingly confident in your own creative judgement.

You will have support and direction from more experienced members of the team, but we will also expect you to take ownership of your work and grow your contribution over time.

What you will do

Find what matters

• Take time to understand the client, audience, content and purpose of the work.
• Ask questions when something is unclear and start to recognise what information matters most.
• Look beyond what you have been given and bring useful references, observations and inspiration into the creative process.

Have an idea

• Develop and share ideas, sketches and visual approaches.
• Explore different ways to solve a problem rather than settling immediately on the most obvious answer.
• Understand the idea behind the work and help maintain it as the project develops.

Make complexity clear

• Use typography, hierarchy, layout, imagery and information design to help tell the story.
• Create charts, diagrams and other visualisations that make information clearer rather than simply more decorative.
• Develop your ability to recognise what should lead, what should support and what can be simplified.

Make every choice for a reason

• Apply strong design fundamentals including typography, composition, colour, imagery and layout.
• Work confidently within established brand and design systems while recognising opportunities to explore and develop them.
• Prepare accurate, well organised files and work closely with publishing and production colleagues through to delivery.
• Respond positively to creative direction and feedback, understanding why changes are being made rather than simply making them.
• Build confidence with new tools and creative possibilities, including motion, digital, AI and emerging technologies where they can strengthen the work.

Make a difference

• Be curious about whether the work is communicating effectively, not simply whether it looks good.
• Share your thinking in creative reviews and be prepared to explain the choices you have made.
• Learn from the people around you and contribute your own perspective in return.
• Look for ways to make the work stronger, clearer and more engaging.

What we are looking for

You are a designer with around two to three years' professional experience and a portfolio that demonstrates strong foundations, good ideas and an eye for detail.

We are looking for someone who is curious, ambitious about their work and wants to become a better designer.

You will bring:

• Strong graphic design and typographic foundations
• Good visual thinking and an interest in ideas
• Confidence using Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop
• An understanding of hierarchy, layout, imagery and composition
• An interest in information design and data visualisation
• Experience preparing accurate design work for print and digital use
• Good attention to detail
• The ability to organise your workload and meet deadlines
• Confidence communicating and collaborating with colleagues
• Openness to creative direction, challenge and feedback
• Curiosity about new tools, technologies and creative disciplines
• A willingness to learn, experiment and keep improving
• Experience in corporate communications, reporting or sustainability is useful, but it is not essential. We are more interested in how you think, the quality of your work and your potential to grow.

How you will work

You will collaborate closely with:

• Creative Directors and Design Directors
• Senior, midweight and junior designers
• Account Managers and wider account teams
• Publishing and production teams
• Strategy and content specialists
• Digital and other creative specialists

You will be encouraged to participate in the creative process, share your thinking and learn from people with different skills and experience.

What success looks like

You will be making a strong contribution when:

• Your work demonstrates good thinking as well as good craft
• You understand the purpose behind what you are designing
• You contribute ideas rather than simply execute instructions
• You can take increasing ownership of defined pieces of work
• Your design choices are considered and you can explain why you made them
• You respond well to feedback and your work improves because of it
• Colleagues trust you to deliver accurate, thoughtful work when you say you will
• You are developing your skills, confidence and creative judgement
• You make a positive contribution to the team

Our creative belief

Black Sun exists to illuminate potential.

We believe creativity helps reveal what others cannot yet see. The insight beneath the information. The opportunity beneath the complexity. The story beneath the strategy.

That shapes how we work:

• Find what matters.
• Have an idea.
• Make complexity clear.
• Make every choice for a reason.
• Make a difference.

For a Designer at Black Sun, that starts with one simple behaviour: Think before you make.

Interview process

Phone chat with talent acquisition manager

1st Interview (via teams) with hiring manager

2nd interview with creative director and team member , presentation of a task

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary based on skills and experience, as an employee at Black Sun, you will have access to a range of great benefits and perks, including:

• 25 days holiday per year with ‘bonus’ days for long service
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Personal development opportunities
• Group life assurance
• Group personal pension plan
• Employee assistance programme
• Access to online GP service via Health Hero
• Hybrid working- at least 3 days a week in the office
• Stunning offices in Fulham Palace
• Weekly themed breakfast, fruit and snack cupboard
• Monthly “Thirsty Thursdays”
• Regular company events

About Us :

Black Sun Global

Black Sun Global is a stakeholder advisory and engagement agency that’s been driving transformation and positive change for ambitious brands for more than 20 years. With deep expertise in disclosure and reporting, ESG, sustainability, and digital engagement, we reshape how organisations connect with customers, investors, employees, and the wider world.

We are trusted partners to some of the most influential global organisations, sparking innovation and sustainable performance through our strategic insights, partnerships, and proprietary technologies.

As founders of the Positive Change Group, we are on a mission to create a new kind of stakeholder relations partner. Our world-class specialists work closely with executive leadership teams to protect reputations, inspire trust, and promote responsible business practices - building resilience and long-term value in a rapidly changing world.

The Positive Change Group

Business is changing fast - shaped by AI, transparency and rising social expectations – and trust now decides who wins.

Positive Change Group brings together specialist agencies in reporting, culture and communications to help organisations build stronger, more connected stakeholder relationships - aligning what you say with what you do to drive performance, resilience and trust. Clients get deep specialist expertise with seamless access to wider Group capabilities as priorities evolve.

We’re trusted partners to some of the world’s leading organisations, delivering award-winning work that turns complex challenges into meaningful progress. By combining human insight with data and technology, we create intelligent stakeholder engagement that brings clarity, builds commitment and delivers measurable impact.

One partner across your stakeholders - practical, joined-up and built for what’s next.

Join the people driving positive change

Change starts with people. Our global teams bring together different disciplines, nationalities and perspectives, driven by a shared belief that business can be a force for good.

Guided by our Group Values - to learn and grow, go together, show respect, be courageous and deliver excellence - we bring these principles to life every day through our work and each other.

We call it The Changemaker Way: a culture built on trust, inclusion and doing what’s right. It’s how we learn, lead and grow - and make a difference that lasts.Visit: www.positivechangegroup.com/

We pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination. We foster a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best work and be relevant in a rapidly changing world. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply and would encourage you to let us know if there are steps we can take to ensure that your recruitment process enables you to present yourself in a way that makes you comfortable.

For more information, please visit:

www.blacksun-global.com

www.positivechangegroup.com