Senior Designer

Job Description

Job Requisition ID: 16452

Additional Locations:

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media / BFYR / Etch seeks a Senior Designer to join the design team. The ideal candidate is creative and well organized with excellent communication skills. The Senior Designer is responsible for the design of 25 titles/year, as assigned, creating cover and interior designs that are high-concept, commercial, and iconic. They have a deep understanding of the graphic novel marketplace and their work shows versatile usage of illustration, advanced techniques with typography and fonts, mature color sensibility, flexible and explorative designed sensibility. The Senior Designer manages assignments through the various stages of development, from conceptualizing to final product, and can work independently and/or in collaboration with the Senior Creative Director.

Job Responsibilities:

• Designing primarily Young Adult and Graphic Novels
• Reading manuscripts and briefs, brainstorming concepts, finding, and pitching illustrators and/or concepts, and preparing cover, jacket, and highly designed 2 or 4-color interior files for the printer.
• Adherence to deadlines, keeping titles on schedule and budget.
• Researching and staying on top of design trends in the YR / Graphic Novel book segments
• Participating in design and interdepartmental meetings
• Working closely with illustrators. Commissioning and managing the delivery of cover and interior artwork.
• Working collaboratively with all colleagues in Books & Media, particularly the entire design team, editorial, marketing, and production departments.
• Creating special effect dies and color correcting files to prepare for the printer.

Education and Experience:

Required

• Minimum of four years of design experience. Experience in publishing is a plus.
• Excellent design skills and expert knowledge of Adobe CS: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat
• Working Knowledge in Microsoft Office
• Experience prepping files for print production and evaluating color reproduction.
• Experience handling multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent time and project management skills, including verbal and written communication skills
• Enthusiasm for managing freelance designers and illustrators.
• Ability to work collaboratively with team members, a love of books, and a passion for design.

Preferred

• BFA or BA in Graphic Design or Illustration strongly preferred

Physical Requirements:

• Might be in a stationary position for a considerable time (sitting and/or standing)
• The person in this position needs to move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer
• Must be able to collaborate with colleagues via face to face, conference calls and online meetings

ABOUT HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT TRADE PUBLISHING:
For nearly two centuries, HMH Trade Publishing has published some of the world’s most renowned novels, nonfiction, children’s books, and reference works. As part of a leading global learning company, it is uniquely positioned to offer educational and entertaining content for all audiences. Its distinguished author list includes ten Nobel Prize winners, forty-eight Pulitzer Prize winners, fifteen National Book Award winners, and more than one hundred Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Sibert Medal and Honor recipients. HMH publishes such distinguished authors as Tim O'Brien, Natasha Trethewey, Paul Theroux and Amos Oz, and a celebrated roster of children’s authors and illustrators including Kwame Alexander, Lois Lowry, and Chris Van Allsburg. HMH is also home to The Best American series®; The Whole30®, Weber Grill, Betty Crocker®, Better Homes and Gardens®, How to Cook Everything®, and other leading lifestyle properties; the Peterson Field Guides®; CliffsNotesTM; books by J.R.R. Tolkien; and many iconic children’s books and characters, including Curious George®, The Little Prince, and The Polar Express. HMH Productions, its newly launched division, develops and produces media and licensed products related to brands such as Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail.

ABOUT HMH:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (NASDAQ:HMHC) is a global learning company dedicated to changing people’s lives by fostering passionate, curious learners. As a leading provider of pre-K–12 education content, services, and cutting-edge technology solutions across a variety of media, HMH enables learning in a changing landscape. HMH is uniquely positioned to create engaging and effective educational content and experiences from early childhood to beyond the classroom. HMH serves more than 50 million students in over 150 countries worldwide, while its award-winning children's books, novels, non-fiction, and reference titles are enjoyed by readers throughout the world. For more information, visit http://careers.hmhco.com

PLEASE NOTE:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an equal employment opportunity employer and participates in E-Verify. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, or other protected group status.