History Colorado's Graphic Designer and Exhibit Designer
History Colorado's Graphic Designer and Exhibit Designer position works as part of a highly successful team to create dynamic and engaging exhibits, to share the diverse stories of Colorado with History Colorado Center museum visitors and community members.
A successful designer will take complex written stories from Colorado History, and turn them into dynamic, engaging printed and digital materials. This role supports a team that creates six to eight exhibitions a year.
Work includes but is not limited to thefollowing:
Job Duty 1 - Graphic Design
- Creates dynamic graphics packages for exhibits to illustrate the stories of Coloradans in coordination with an exhibits team
- Design all two dimensional components of an exhibition: large scale murals, interpretive panels, donor panels, object labels, and interactives
- Coordinate with the Director of Exhibitions to create proofs and samples for approval from the exhibits team and leadership team
- Coordinate with publications staff for copyediting
- Coordinates with Exhibit Designer to create a cohesive look and feel for the graphics
- Collaborates with Exhibit Developers, marketing team, fabricators, contractors, vendors, project manager, and others as appropriate.
- Produces great results on time, within budget, with correct specifications, with all revisions made correctly, with little guidance under tight deadlines, while demonstrating meticulous attention to detail on every project.
- Provides specified vendors with clear and accurate specifications and details to ensure accurate files are provided on time and accurately reflect project specifications.
- Manages multiple projects simultaneously, meeting all deadlines and project management requirements including design, implementation, review, preparation, production and installation
- Designs visual identities for new exhibits, supporting the communications team
- Design multi-page editorial layouts for the quarterly publication The Colorado Magazine
- Assists the exhibitions team with exhibit installation and de-installation
- Maintains and purchases design studio equipment and supplies
Job Duty 2 - Exhibition Design
- Analyze and interpret exhibit concepts to create impactful designs that are cohesive to an exhibition's story and tone as set by an exhibit team and historians
- Design History Colorado exhibits while working on an exhibit team with project managers, developers, and educators, through all exhibit design phases: Design Concept, Schematic Design, Design Development, Procurement, fabrication and Installation.
- Prepare exhibit illustrations and renderings for Exhibit teams, community stakeholders and for the Philanthropy department.
- Prepare exhibit case drawings for the fabricator and consult on materials and build specifications.
- Prepare and present floorplans for exhibit team review and community members
- Performs other duties as assigned
Preferred Qualifications:
- A strong background in design, with a primary focus on the intersection of graphic design, 3D spatial environments, and/or museum exhibition spaces.
- Proven experience and confidence in visual storytelling, translating complex educational or historical concepts into engaging visual media.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience interfacing with multiple external vendors, contractors, and project managers.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully manage and juggle multiple project schedules and production deadlines simultaneously.
- Experience working with multiple vendors and juggling multiple projects
- An enthusiasm to explore ideas, amplify diverse voices, and help others discover what makes Colorado Colorado.
Competencies (These represent the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success in this position):
- Creative problem solver
- Excellent interpersonal, and communication.
- Project management skills: ability to multitask, problem-solve, prioritize, create systems and processes, and collaborate with and engage others.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and juggle multiple priorities, and able to react and adjust quickly to changing conditions.
- Detail oriented
- Work well under pressure.
- Responds well to criticism and feedback from colleagues and community partners
- Proactive approaches to problem-solving and with strong decision-making capability.
- Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently.
Factors to be Evaluated:
- Technical Competence – Technical experience as it relates to the duties outlined in this job announcement.
- Depth and Breadth of Experience – Experience that covers multiple areas outlined in this job announcement. Experience should be varied and not one dimensional and demonstrate a wide range of community involvement.
- Job Fit – Experience will be evaluated to determine how well your past experience aligns with and meets the business needs of this position. Current experience is preferred.
Complete Applications must include:
- Cover Letter: Required - Attached as a separate document.
- Resume: Required - Attached as a separate document.
- **Attachment or link to examples of design work or website or portfolio**
- Transcript: Required - Attached to the online application and meeting requirements as described under "College Transcripts".
This position is advertised in line with the Governor's executive order focused on skills-based hiring practices that focuses on the knowledge, skills, and abilities specific to the job and aligns the hiring process accordingly. Skills-based hiring reduces potential barriers for applicants and allows for reduced bias in the hiring process by providing a direct description of skills that are unique to the duties assigned to the position with a recognition that the applicant may have developed these skills through education, training, or past experiences.
Proven Experience, Knowledge, Skills:
- Four (4) years of professional experience in graphic design, exhibit design, interior design, 3D spatial design, or closely related visual arts work.
- Required Technical Skill: Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (specifically Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign).
OR
Education (Allowable Substitution):
- A Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. degree from an accredited institution in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Exhibit Design, Architecture, Interior Design, or a highly related field will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis:
- Associate's Degree = substitutes for two (2) years of experience. (Requires 2 years of remaining professional experience).
- Bachelor's Degree = substitutes for four (4) years of experience and meets the requirement in full.
- Note: If substituting education, you must attach a legible copy of your college transcripts to your application
This position is not part of the classified personnel system; applications will be accepted from Residents and Non-Residents of Colorado. Incumbent will be required to live in and complete work for History Colorado within Colorado.
History Colorado is committed to anti-racism practices across its institution and outlined in our grounding virtues. As such we encourage members of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) LGBTQ+ and differently abled communities to apply for this position.
Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application, but will be used to supplement information to the application. Part of the selection process for this position will involve a review of the information you submit in your application materials. Therefore, it is paramount that in the experience portion of your application, you describe the extent that you possess the education, experience and competencies outlined in the job announcement as well as the special and/or preferred qualifications. Failure to include adequate information or follow instructions may prevent you from competing in subsequent measures used to arrive at a top group of applicants.
A pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process. Felony convictions or conviction of crimes of moral turpitude or convictions of misdemeanors related to job duties may disqualify you from being considered for this position. Should your background check reveal any charges or convictions, it is your responsibility to provide Human Resources with an official disposition of any charges.
Fair Pay & Compensation: History Colorado is committed to pay equity. The posted salary range represents our good faith estimate for this role. Final offers are determined by a comprehensive salary analysis in compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, considering factors such as a candidate's relevant experience, education, work location and internal equity.
ADAAA Accommodations: History Colorado is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In accordance with the ADAAA