Business in the context of design is the ability to understand the market, contribute to business goals to solve problems and create tools to improve the design lifecycle. Areas of influence include branding, marketing campaigns and advertising, project management, content creation and copywriting.
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Support
Familiar with the market and company strategy.
Reads and shares articles on best practices, industry activity
Supports the design strategy for projects/campaigns
Build
Understands business goals for projects/campaigns and builds the design/creative strategy accordingly
Defines level of effort + time and coordinates resources
Able to work with stakeholders independently
Lead
Relevant industry experience
Coordinates design/creative efforts and process for projects across the company
Produces company-wide design/creative and process decisions
Finds solutions to big-picture challenges. Can envision design solutions, taking into account the medium, audience, influence from other campaigns, and competitors.
Strategize
Can envision the design/creative strategy for global campaigns in the company
Connects dots from existing project/campaigns to envisioned ones
Architect
A recognized industry expert in Design Strategy
Demonstrated success in the market
Generates significant business value for the company, in terms of new verticals, new sources or revenue, etc.
Environmental
Design that exists in the physical world, taking into consideration interaction and behavior, managing foot traffic and floorspace, tangible obstacles and limitations. Areas of influence include entire events, individual booth setups, and office environments.
See all Environmental milestones
Support
Understands designing within print specifications
Learns best practices regarding accessibility, visibility, industry activity
Supports the design for projects
Build
Understands business goals for projects, designing accordingly
Able to work with stakeholders and vendors independently
Can propose solutions to problems, and offer improvements to copy and design
Able to propose and build designs within marketing budgets
Able to design within vendor requirements
Lead
Strong communication and the ability to lead projects
Manages the design and process for multi-faceted projects
Leads discussions and proposals in cross-functional teams
Contributes to cross-functional planning and post-mortems
Strategize
An organized leader and performer who pushes convention and drives change
Identifies problem areas and streamlines process, facilitating efforts across teams
Understands the psychology of how people interact with environments
Architect
A recognized industry expert in Environmental Design
Has driven innovative efforts that uncover new value with new kinds of experiences
Successful designs in the market, creating and leading the standard, creating trends
Production
The actions and logistics of turning concepts into finished products happen here. A combination of technical and creative skills, and a variety of design programs are utilized to ensure deliverables are produced on time and executed accordingly.
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Support
Understands the difference between designing within print and digital specifications
Strong graphic design foundation: composition, visual hierarchy, typography, color theory
Able to create visual components within design systems(logos, icons, illustrations, motion, etc.)
Supports the artwork for projects
Collects, processes, and uploads files
Build
Is meticulous, has a keen eye for detail and technical know-how
Reviews final copy, layouts, and content in print and digital form
Is accurate, fast, patient, and a good listener, as responsibilities often complete the last step in a rushed process
Troubleshoots problems that may arise with a project and comes up with solutions to make sure things happen as planned
Collaborates with other designers and works with vendors to format artwork and execute pre-press production
Lead
Relevant industry experience
Has extensive knowledge of pre-press and printing standards through a variety of methods
Is an excellent communicator and collaborator in cross-functional teams
Creates art standards/guides and templates for consistency from project to project
Makes sure all designers working on the projects adhere to the same process and file organization
Strategize
Proven track record
Creates standards regarding all projects, so process is similar across the board
Has knowledge of web development languages, like Javascript and HTML, and expertise with digital interfaces
Provides non-designers with tools/guides to self serve
Architect
Expertise in the tips and tools used in graphic design
Well-known in the industry
Improves and redefines the way the company requests and processes artwork
Brand Identity
Brand Identity is the visual aspects that form part of the overall brand. Creating and maintaining this visual representation effectively results in people associating it with a high level of credibility and quality.
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Support
Understands the difference, and relationship, between brand and brand identity
Familiar with the market and company strategy
Reads and shares articles on best practices, industry activity
Strong graphic design foundation: composition, visual hierarchy, typography, color theory
Strong visual background in print or digital media, advertising, illustration, fine arts, architecture, motion, film, etc.
Creates visual elements within an established system
Familiar with the requirements and limitations of designing for print vs. digital
Understands how to illustrate a narrative
Supports the design for projects/campaigns
Build
Designs at an individual level, and is able to work with stakeholders independently
Deep understanding of the company’s brand and applying in a project
Able to synthesize business strategy with a visual direction
Contributes to asset libraries within established systems
Creating and defining new branding identities for projects
Lead
Coordinates brand identity for campaigns
Leads the visual and creative direction for campaigns in cross-functional teams
Creates and maintains style guides and resources
Trains others on best practices and methods
Strategize
Leads brand identity efforts at an organizational level
Communicates to the company, and advocates, the value of consistency in branding
Creates tools/methods to empower non-designers to do work that adheres to the company’s brand identity
Architect
A recognized industry expert in Brand Identity
Demonstrated success in the market, creating and leading the visual standard, creating trends
Media
Media in the context of design is the understanding and use of various specialized skills and technologies to support the creative vision. Such skills include illustration, photography, videography, motion graphics, 3D rendering, and fine arts, among others.
See all Media milestones
Support
A supporting-level player who is honing their craft and working to understand its use in the organizational context
Understands how to illustrate a narrative through their craft
Familiar with company and campaign strategies
Understands and uses the established design system
Reads and shares articles on best practices, industry activity/trends
Build
Able to use craft(s) to contribute to projects/campaigns
Able to expand design systems to include different media
Recognizes business goals and technical constraints
Identifies places where specific media can be effectively used to help meet business goals
Able to work with stakeholders independently
Lead
A high-level performer with ability to lead projects
Trains others to strengthen same skill(s)
Contributes to multiple projects
Expertise on the skill and process informs decisions on whether to contract out or keep it inhouse
Trains others to strengthen same skill(s)
Develops the process/approach for executing specific media in cross-functional teams
Strategize
An organized leader and performer who pushes convention and drives change
Leads and delivers successful work, meeting business goals
Initiates ideas and projects in order to enhance public engagement with the company’s communication efforts
Architect
A recognized industry expert in your craft
Demonstrated success in the market, creating and leading the visual standard, creating trends