Deadline for applications: 9am, Monday 15th May 2023

Reports to: Senior Communications Manager
Location: Sage Gateshead
Working hours: 36 hours per week
Salary: SCP 27, £26,493 per annum

About Sage Gateshead

We are an international music centre based on the banks of the River Tyne. We are a unique venue where artists from across the world perform and audiences from a wide range of backgrounds come to hear, make, and enjoy all types of music.

We support local people to be creative, to develop a passion for music and put music at the heart of communities. Our artist development programme provides local artists with the opportunities they need to develop a career in music. We support young people to make music in our building and in the wider community through programmes such as In Harmony Newcastle Gateshead.

We believe our work makes life better for people in the North East. We’re building a creative, diverse, and passionate team and that’s where you come in…

About you

Are you self-motivated, happy working in a team environment and flexible enough to adapt to a changing environment? If this sounds like you, here are some specific types of experience that will help you hit the ground running.

You must have proven experience of:

• Working as a designer or in a related field
• Demonstrable graphic design skills with a strong portfolio

Skills or knowledge

• Proficiency in design software such as Adobe Creative Suite tools – Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
• Understanding of design best practices, including user experience, accessibility and responsive design
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Effective time management skills - ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Creative flair and excellent attention to detail
• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback
• Understanding of marketing, website design, corporate identity, advertisements and multi-media design

Personal attributes

• Motivated, with a positive can-do attitude and forward thinking
• Friendly, approachable and flexible
• Excellent team worker
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Self driven and a problem solver

It also helps if you have:

Experience

• Experience of working in the arts or cultural sector

Skills or knowledge

• Knowledge of the UK arts and cultural sector
• Knowledge of and interest in a wide range of musical genres

If you’re not a perfect match for the job description and criteria, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are more interested in your determination, positivity, and willingness to get stuck in.

About the role of Graphic Designer at Sage Gateshead

We’re looking for a Graphic Designer to create engaging and on-brand graphics for a variety of media.

The Graphic Designer will create visually compelling designs that engage and inspire our various target audiences across digital and print media.

This role sits within the External Relations and Strategic Development department, while working with colleagues across the organisation and collaborating with external creative agencies on specific projects. An immediate focus for this role will be to help the organisation embed a new visual identity, working with colleagues and an external creative agency to deliver this.

The post-holder’s graphics should capture the attention and build on Sage Gateshead's visual identity in line with our brand guidelines and communicate the right message. The ideal candidate is passionate about design and has a thorough understanding of design principles, user experience and the latest design trends. We are looking for an experienced self-starter with great attention to detail and a strong ability to translate requirements into design. If you’re a design enthusiast with a passion for music and creating visually stunning designs, we’d love to hear from you.

Your responsibilities:

• Develop creative concepts and visuals that align with our brand identity and business objectives.
• Create designs for various digital and traditional media including website, social media, email marketing campaigns, print and out of home campaigns.
• Contribute to campaign development, including idea generation and concept design.
• Review colleagues’ design briefs, determine their requirements and make suggestions for design, in line with brand guidelines.
• Conceptualise visuals based on requirements, prepare rough drafts and confidently present ideas.
• Edit and create videos for use on online platforms.
• Liaise with colleagues across the organisation, in particular marketing, communications and digital teams.
• Collaborate with external creative agencies on specific projects.
• Stay up-to-date with design trends, technologies and best practices to ensure designs are fresh and relevant.
• Act as brand guardian to ensure materials are consistent across all touch points.

Our commitment to your development

At Sage Gateshead, we’re always learning. Through training and support, we’ll help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to thrive in your role. This may be through gaining a qualification, on-the-job training or learning within your team.

We provide you with training in areas such as health and safety and safeguarding when you start work, and you’ll receive annual refreshers.

Every staff member is on their own training and development journey. You’ll work closely with your manager to identify what your journey will look like at Sage Gateshead. If you have a specific interest or you would like to develop your skills in a certain area, we want to hear about it.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion

At Sage Gateshead, we encourage a working environment that’s welcoming, inclusive, and diverse. Different backgrounds, views and experiences are valued so everyone can be themselves.

Our venue and programmes are for everyone, so we want to make sure this opportunity is available to everyone, no matter your background or the challenges you’ve faced.

For example, we would love to hear from you if you:

• Are D/deaf. Have a disability, learning difficulty or significant long -term health condition which affects your daily life
• Describe yourself as neurodiverse (this might include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autistic spectrum, and others)
• Grew up in a family receiving Universal Credit or state benefits
• Have ever lived in council or social housing or been on the housing register
• Have ever lived in sheltered accommodation or experienced homelessness
• Experienced being in care at any point in your life
• Have been a refugee or asylum seeker
• Are from the African, South, East and South–East Asian, Middle East, Latinx or North African diaspora, or have experienced racism
• These are some common examples of challenging circumstances but there may be others. Everyone is welcome to apply.
• We do not discriminate because of race, colour, religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation or expression, age, disability or any other protected characteristic as outlined in the Equality Act 2010.

Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expect all of those that work with us to share this commitment. We operate a robust safeguarding framework and continuous assessment and development to support safer working practice across our workforce. Our roles are subject to a safer recruitment process which includes relevant background checks and the disclosure of criminal records, sanctions, and investigations where appropriate.

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 15th May 2023

We understand that interviews can be a nerve-racking experience. We want you to feel comfortable so you can be yourself and shine!

If you have any questions about the role or the application process, please contact Lois, People Coordinator at recruitment@sagegateshead.com