Company Description: Instinct® is a rapidly growing, family-owned marketer and manufacturer of science based 100% natural pet food for dogs and cats. Instinct® is the Raw Brand, with a mission to get more raw nutrition into every bowl of dogs and cats, for proven healthier and happier long lives. Our company mission is to Empower people to transform the lives of pets. We are committed to hiring and developing a team of passionate, performance-oriented professionals who live by our 4 values of championing raw, empowered to make a difference, collaborating as one team, and striving for excellence through continuous learning and improvement. Our home office is located in St. Louis, Missouri with our Center of Excellence Raw Food kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Instinct® is part of the family-owned group, Agrolimen, who owns leading pet food and human food businesses in the US, China, Europe, and Africa.
Position Summary:
Instinct is looking for a full-time Graphic Designer to join our dynamic, multi-functional Creative Team. This position will work collaboratively alongside our talented Creative Team members as well as cross-functionally within the Marketing Department to help bring the Instinct brand to life.
Reporting to the Creative Manager, the Graphic Designer will be a key member of the Instinct Creative Team and will be responsible for concepting and executing creative design solutions for packaging concepts and packaging line extensions, in-store signage and POP displays, flyers, brochures, digital media, tradeshow graphics, sell sheets, and more.
To be successful, this person must be a highly adaptable team player with a meticulous and accurate eye for detail, a solid understanding of print and digital design, and the ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Primary Job Responsibilities:
- Design and develop creative solutions that support the Instinct brand, including but not limited to: packaging concepts and packaging line extensions, in-store signage and POP displays, flyers, brochures, digital media, tradeshow graphics, sell sheets and swag
- Creation of new packaging design concepts, graphics, and visuals
- Update existing packaging artwork files with edits on font, color, messaging, key information, etc.
- Lead packaging line extensions as it relates to new SKU development or translating artwork into different dielines
- Responsible for reviewing packaging proofs and providing feedback
- Collaborate cross-functionally to evolve existing collateral and develop new visuals across multiple mediums (packaging, print, digital) that support brand strategies and sales goals.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to obtain key information critical to the success of the project; able to push back on feedback or direction that does not align to visual strategy or brand objectives
- Communicate with external partners such as printers, vendors, pre-press agencies, and photographers on deliverables, deadlines, and direction, while documenting and sharing or necessary information to key internal project stakeholders
- Prepare production-ready files to the appropriate design specifications while ensuring that project directives and brand guidelines are strictly followed
- Provide professional-quality photo editing and image manipulation
- Support the build-out of our Digital Asset Management platform by preparing, optimizing, organizing, and migrating files
- Responsible for executing a consistent brand voice across all consumer-facing and internal creative touch points
- Drive high-quality work in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment
- Shape the visual identity of our brand as the company evolves
Qualifications
- Proven packaging experience; comfortable working within dielines, creating packaging artwork, and preparing packaging files for print
- Experience translating written creative briefs into compelling visual solutions
- A solid understanding of prepress, printing, and digital processes (ex: Pantone vs. CMYK vs. RGB)
- Strong portfolio of design work demonstrating solid understanding of graphic design principles such as branding, typography, color theory, and composition, as well as proven effective solutions for consumer-facing brands
- Ability to effectively manage priorities and work well against multiple competing deadlines
- Able to manage creative projects from ideation to execution
- Able to work independently and collaboratively with cross functional partners and vendors in a fast-paced environment
- Up-to-date on industry design trends
- Strong work ethic and personal accountability
- Comfortable wearing many “hats” and working with ambiguity
- “Pixel-perfect” attention to detail
Technical Competencies
- Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud
- Expert level proficiency with InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
- Apple/Mac user
Preferred Experience
- Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design or related field, or equivalent experience
- 3+ years graphic design experience in a retail, e-comm, brand or agency environment
- Experience crafting consumer-facing design solutions for established brands
Travel Requirements:
Requires travel to Saint Louis office on a quarterly basis (at week at a time) along with 1-2 additional trips
Compensation and Benefits
Highly competitive compensation package includes health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, short and long-term disability, paid time off, Purpose Days off for company partner volunteer opportunities, and 401k with company match.
Our Instinct is to CHAMPION Diversity
At Instinct, we are as passionate about our people as we are about the pets we call family. We are committed to inclusion, empowerment, and respect. We believe that just like our pets, what sets us apart unleashes our greatest strengths. We thrive on the ability to not only empower people to transform the lives of pets through raw nutrition, but also to empower each other to inspire a culture that celebrates our differences. Our unique approach to pet food is what makes us who we are as a company, and our individual identities are what makes us a successful, innovative, authentic team.