Join emc design as a Graphic Designer

As we reach the end of the year, it's an opportune moment to pause and reflect on what has been another great year for emc design. If you have been following our journey over the past twelve months, you will be aware of our move to a new office, or rather, return to the beloved Grade 2 listed building we affectionately call our barn. In addition to this, we’ve adopted a hybrid operational approach and expanded our team, extending a warm welcome to not one, not two, but three recent graduates who have joined our team. Alongside these exciting developments, we've also embarked on a number of exciting projects with many more in the pipeline. As we eagerly look ahead to the approaching new year, we are delighted to announce further expansion within our team.

This time we are on the lookout for a talented graphic designer to come join our team. We will talk more about the specifics of the job roles and responsibilities; but first, a little about us. Let’s start with the basics: emc design is a leading print and digital design agency for publishing based in Bedfordshire.

A little about the team at emc design?

With over three decades of experience designing educational materials that inspire learners worldwide, we are experts in design for the publishing industry. We passionately believe that exceptional design improves the quality of content, which is why we continuously invest in building a team with diverse skills to meet our client's unique needs.

Our commitment is to consistently meet and exceed our client's expectations, whether in terms of our work's technical or creative quality or our dedication to maintaining exceptional quality standards. To achieve this, we foster close collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and mutual assistance among our team members. We want to create a supportive and positive work environment that benefits not only ourselves but also our clients and valued partners. Our ethos revolves around treating everyone with honesty and professionalism, ensuring we deliver on all our promises – all while having a bit of fun along the way.

Community engagement and social responsibility are also close to our hearts. From supporting local events and charities to actively participating in our industry, we place great importance on our connections with people and organisations. We allocate company resources to support causes we are passionate about and contribute our time and expertise to assist those in need, both within our local community and our industry.

Looking ahead to the next 5-10 years, our vision is to sustainably grow emc design's position as the foremost design agency dedicated to empowering organisations responsible for educating and inspiring learners. As we head into 2024, we're eager to welcome talented individuals who can help us turn this vision into reality.

What are we looking for in our designer role?

As we enter 2024, we are actively seeking a talented graphic designer to join our team. This role calls for the application of your design skills within essential software packages to create educational materials. This diverse role includes designing a wide range of components commonly found in publishing, from entire multi-level series to cover design, marketing materials, and app design. Additional responsibilities include text formatting, page layout, and proofreading for the production of books and other materials for our publishing clients. This position requires a balanced blend of technical expertise and creativity.

The primary responsibility of this role is to contribute to our design and production workflow using Adobe Creative Cloud software. You will be an integral member of a team under the guidance of your Design Manager. Your day-to-day tasks will include:

• Formatting text into precise styles using GREP to streamline the process.
• Implementing corrections to proofs based on editorial mark-ups using standard proof correction marks.
• Crafting page layouts that seamlessly integrate photos and illustrations with text to create visually appealing and balanced pages.
• Generating 'realia' (examples of written English) with support and guidance.
• Collaborating with the team to create original solutions for books, covers, and digital materials that can serve as production templates.
• Making full use of Adobe Creative Suite, with access to all Adobe CC software through our team membership of Creative Cloud.

You will also be expected to handle other studio tasks delegated by more senior designers, especially during busy periods. In instances of tight deadlines, you may be asked to work beyond your contracted hours, with overtime compensation.

This role predominantly involves the use of InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and other relevant software. Part of your responsibility will be to maintain quality control over your work, from manuscript layout to proof corrections, ensuring accuracy and document integrity.

Our clients place a high premium on accuracy in the publishing process, and this commitment has been instrumental in our business growth, establishing us as a reputable and dependable supplier. Initially, your work will undergo review by more senior staff, and all team members, including senior designers, have their work checked by our quality control department (Publishing Services) before it is delivered to clients.

You will also be accountable for delivering work within the timescales specified by clients, managing progress within budget constraints using our comprehensive workflow management systems. Keeping an accurate record of the time spent on projects is essential, both through manual record-keeping and our studio management system.

This role is ideally suited for someone who is enthusiastic about working in a dynamic design and production environment and has a mindset geared toward continuous technical improvement and creative development.

The salary range for this role is intentionally broad, ranging from ￡21,500.00 to ￡35,000.00, plus a host of other benefits. This approach accommodates candidates with varying levels of experience and provides room for career progression within the role.?

This is a full-time position, requiring 37.5 hours per week, distributed over five days, equating to 7.5 hours per day. Initially, this role will involve a minimum of four days in the Stevington office until full training is completed and manager approval is granted for remote work.

Why choose emc design?

If you possess these skills, the graphic designer position might pique your interest – but at this point, you may wonder why emc design? What sets us apart as an employer? Beyond being a leading print and digital design agency with a positive and supportive work culture, we offer a range of attractive benefits:

1. Competitive Compensation: We provide a competitive salary based on your industry experience and proficiency in relevant software. Regular salary reviews ensure that your progress is recognised and rewarded. Our structured salary scale promotes fairness and equality. We also offer discretionary bonus schemes to incentivise employees for contributing to our shared goals. And unlike many agencies in our industry, we pay for overtime.
2. Annual Leave: You'll enjoy 20 days of annual leave, complemented by eight bank holidays. This allowance increases by one day for each full year of service, up to a maximum of 33 days, including bank holidays.
3. Hybrid Working: We embrace a hybrid working policy that allows all team members to benefit from both office and remote work options. While junior team members and new recruits initially spend four days a week in the office for training and onboarding, our policy operates on a rota basis, approximately coming in twice a month as a minimum. We also offer a hot desk booking system to optimise in-house collaboration opportunities while allowing flexibility for remote work, alongside our flexi-time policy, enabling you to balance personal and work commitments effectively.
4. Pension Scheme: We offer a contributory pension scheme with automatic enrolment. You contribute 5% of your salary toward your pension, and we match with a 3% contribution, which increases to 5% after five years. This scheme enables you to save for retirement with your own contributions, along with tax relief and employer contributions.
5. Relocation Support: If you do not live by and will need to relocate, we provide a ￡500 relocation fee, payable upon the completion of your first month with us. We can also help you in finding suitable local accommodation.
6. Private Medical Insurance: We extend private medical insurance through Vitality to all our staff. This program rewards employees for adopting healthier lifestyles while offering access to private medical treatment. You also have the option to include family members in your policy.
7. Health & Wellbeing: As part of our commitment to our employees' wellbeing, we are affiliated with Health Assured, one of the UK's top employee assistance programs. This program is designed to support your health and wellbeing at work and in your personal life. Our dedicated health and wellbeing team implements various initiatives to promote your overall wellness and serves as a friendly resource when you need support.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the graphic designer role at emc design offers an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic team of professionals in a well-established agency dedicated to producing high-quality educational materials.?

If you have a passion for design, a commitment to excellence, and a desire to contribute to the world of publishing, we invite you to consider becoming a valuable part of our team. With competitive compensation, a supportive work culture, and other attractive benefits, emc design is more than just a workplace – it's a place where you can grow your career while making a meaningful impact.

If you would like to learn more about the graphic designer role or other career opportunities at emc design, visit our website.