Designers within the Crain Design Hub create compelling, audience-focused visual experiences that strengthen Crain's brands and support business objectives across digital, print, and emerging platforms. Through thoughtful design, they translate ideas into engaging creative solutions while developing their craft and contributing to high-quality creative work across the organization.
Working within a centralized creative organization, this role primarily partners with the Corporate Marketing team to design and deliver integrated marketing campaigns across digital, email, social media, web, print, and experiential channels. Designers collaborate closely with marketing strategists, designers, and cross-functional partners to execute creative solutions while contributing to the Design Hub's collaborative culture and creative standards.
Responsibilities
● Design creative assets for integrated marketing campaigns across digital, email, social media, web, print, and experiential channels.
● Execute projects that align with established creative direction, brand standards, and campaign objectives.
● Translate marketing objectives into compelling visual solutions that engage target audiences.
● Collaborate with marketing stakeholders and Design Hub team members to deliver high-quality creative work.
● Maintain consistency across templates, brand systems, and creative assets.
● Manage multiple projects while meeting deadlines and maintaining attention to detail.
● Present design work, incorporate feedback, and refine creative solutions.
● Participate in creative critiques and contribute ideas that strengthen the team's work.
● Stay current on design trends, creative tools, and AI-assisted workflows.
Qualifications
● Bachelor's degree in graphic design, visual communication, or a related field.
● 2+ years of professional design experience in marketing, agency, publishing, media, or related creative environments.
● Strong portfolio demonstrating creative work across digital and print.
● Understanding of typography, layout, color, visual hierarchy, and brand systems.
● Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, including InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
● Strong organizational, communication, and collaboration skills.
● Eagerness to learn, grow, and continuously develop as a designer.
Preferred qualifications
● Experience creating motion graphics, social media assets, or multimedia content that supports audience engagement.
● Familiarity with collaborative design tools such as Figma and Canva.
● Experience supporting marketing, branding, or campaign initiatives in a creative, agency, publishing, or media environment.
● Experience working within established brand guidelines while adapting creative across multiple channels and audiences.
● Curiosity for emerging creative technologies, including AI-assisted design tools, with a willingness to continuously learn and develop new skills.
Pay Transparency Disclosure:
The estimated salary range for this position is $65,000 to $85,000.
The final salary offering will take into account a wide range of factors, including experience, accomplishments and location. The salary range provided should not be considered as a salary limit or cap. In addition to base salary, Crain also offers competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities based on individual and company performance.
This position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay.
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About Crain Communications:
Crain Communications is a leading business news and information company with a portfolio of 24 media brands that provide indispensable coverage and data for professionals globally and across sectors, including advertising, automotive, finance, healthcare, staffing, and workforce solutions. Many of Crain’s brands are the most influential media properties in the industries and communities they serve, including Ad Age, Automotive News, Pensions & Investments, Modern Healthcare, Staffing Industry Analysts, as well as Crain’s regional business brands. For more than a century, our dedication to deep sector expertise and journalistic integrity has enabled us to provide trusted insights across all our platforms, empowering today’s business leaders to make industry-shaping decisions. To learn more about Crain Communications, visit crain.com.
Environmental Demands
Where you work matters. The job posting will provide specific information on where and when your amazing work would be performed. Employee work location is determined by the needs of the specific team and may include on-site, hybrid or remote. Employee work location is subject to change.
- An “in-office” role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
- A “remote” role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
- A “hybrid” role would be a mix of in-office and remote work. There may be a specified schedule for coming into the office or it could be at the discretion of the employee with the manager’s approval, subject to change.
- Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance from a Crain office are expected to work on-site 3 days per week.
Many positions will also include work done in “the field.” Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews, attending work-related events, meeting with sources or clients. Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves. Employees may be exposed to adverse environmental conditions, specifically during field work. Other typical job functions are performed under conditions such as those found in general office work.
Travel to cover news stories/events, meetings with clients, and to our geographically separated offices may be required. It is the nature of many positions to experience non-standard working hours and be on-call when needed for responding to email, meeting with clients, attending work-related events, story development or breaking news. Most employees perform work Monday through Friday, although early-morning, evening or weekend shifts may be required. Work schedule and travel requirements are subject to change as a role and needs evolve over time.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of many Crain jobs and are subject to change.
Physical activities will include frequent in-person or virtual interactions. For most positions, it is essential to be able to remain at a desk/computer workstation for prolonged periods, perform computer-related tasks, and create/maintain documents within filing systems. Must have close visual acuity to perform an activity, such as preparing and analyzing reports and information, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, or extensive reading. The typical physical requirements are light work—exerting up to 25lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 10lbs of force frequently and may include climbing, pushing, standing, hearing, walking, reaching, grasping, kneeling, stooping, and repetitive motion. Some positions will have additional physical requirements, including exerting up to 50lbs of force to move and/or carry equipment, supplies, files, or other materials as the role requires.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions and meet the environmental and physical demands of the role.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
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