Mid-Senior Conceptual Designer + Illustrator

The Make it Good Company; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 446,000 - 614,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Provident fund included

Creative ownership

Job summary

The Make it Good Company in Johannesburg is seeking a senior product designer with 6+ years' experience in gifting, greeting cards, stationery, or related fields. You will lead concept to production-ready artwork and shape range stories across multiple product categories.

You'll work closely with buyers and the in-house creative team, gaining exposure to trend research, storytelling, and AI-assisted ideation, with genuine creative ownership in a market-leading brand.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in product design, greeting cards, gifting or related field.
• Excellent understanding of colour, pattern design, layout and trends.
• Strong typography and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Portfolio link must be included in your CV.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualise and design gifting, stationery and celebration ranges from brief to final artwork.
• Build brand and range stories, not just designs on a page.
• Collaborate with buyers to bring briefs and collections to life.
• Design engaging in-store materials and display concepts.
• Identify new product opportunities and emerging design directions.
• Develop commercially relevant collections balancing creativity with market appeal.
• Produce artwork for multiple product applications.
• Review proofs, colour approvals and production samples.
• Collaborate with creative, buying and production teams.

Skills

Conceptual thinking

Storytelling

Illustration

Graphic design

Typography

Color theory

Print production

Adobe Creative Suite

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Location: Johannesburg South
Work model: Office based
Salary: R40 000 - R55 000 CTC (depending on level of experience)

About our client:

Our client is a leading gifting, party and celebration company dedicated to helping people mark life's special moments. Their in-house creative team designs original collections spanning gifting products, gift bags, gift wrap, greeting cards, stationery, party products, seasonal ranges, packaging and point-of-sale solutions for retail and wholesale markets across South Africa. Creativity sits at the heart of the business, with a strong focus on global trends, colour, fashion, illustration and lifestyle, all channeled into commercially successful products.

Why you'd want to work here:

Join a well-established, market-leading gifting and celebration brand with a genuinely collaborative in-house creative team Medical aid and provident fund included Real creative ownership: you'll conceptualise original collections from brief through to final artwork, not just execute someone else's vision Exposure to a huge range of product categories, from stationery and gift wrap to packaging and point-of-sale A business that's serious about trend research, storytelling and using AI creative tools to support ideation

What the job involves:

Conceptualising and designing gifting, stationery and celebration product ranges from brief to final artwork Building brand and range stories, not just designs on a page Working closely with buyers to bring their briefs and collections to life Designing engaging in-store materials and display concepts Identifying new product opportunities and emerging design directions Generating fresh, original concepts and illustrations across a variety of styles and techniques Developing commercially relevant collections that balance creativity with market appeal Producing artwork that adapts effectively across multiple product applications Researching and interpreting local and international trends across design, fashion, colour, lifestyle, homeware and gifting Presenting trends to key stakeholders Preparing accurate, print-ready artwork and production files Reviewing proofs, colour approvals and production samples Collaborating closely with creative, buying and production teams

REQUIREMENTS

What you need to be considered: 6+ years' experience in product design, greeting cards, gifting, stationery, surface pattern design, home décor, fashion or a related creative industry Exceptional conceptual thinking and a genuine storyteller's instinct Strong illustration and graphic design skills, with the ability to take original artwork from concept to production-ready files Excellent understanding of colour, pattern design, layout, composition and current design trends Strong typography skills and sharp attention to detail Confidence working across multiple creative styles and categories Solid understanding of print production processes and requirements Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment A portfolio link must be included in your CV, showcasing original artwork, illustration across styles, and evidence of collections or product ranges you've developed from concept to completion. No portfolio, no response Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop and Acrobat (Mac-based studio)

Bonus points if you:

Have experience developing collections specifically for retail environments Have designed across multiple product categories Have exposure to packaging design and point-of-sale development Have digital design experience Have used AI-powered creative tools to support concept generation, trend exploration or ideation