Graphic Designer

GRAPHIC DESIGNER, MARKETING AND BRANDING

Working for Equity Residential (EQR), an industry leading multi-family REIT headquartered in downtown Chicago, means being part of a community and striving to provide the best in apartment living, speaking boldly about new ideas for innovation, and inspiring creativity in the ways we work together. Our portfolio of high-quality properties in growth markets – New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, to name a few – provides homes where people most want to live. We've got the best people in the business, and our experience shows in our dedication to residents and in how much we value each other as colleagues. That’s why our employees say they are proud to work at Equity, a company that knows how to Live Remarkably.

We are currently seeking a creative, organized, and visionary Graphic Designer to join our Marketing and Branding team in our Chicago office. Under the direction of the Design Manager, you will be responsible for creating and managing creative and compelling visual communications projects from conceptualization to completion. Your projects will vary from printed pieces like signage, brochures, and ads for our uniquely branded apartment communities to conference materials to digital pieces like wireframes, webpage mockups, prototypes and web ads.

WHO YOU ARE

• Organized, Flexible, and Adaptable. You have a keen eye for detail and pride yourself on delivering quality work. You multitask well, re-prioritize accordingly, and meet deadlines consistently. You keep your cool during stressful situations, remain resilient, and quickly find solutions in order to meet the changing needs and priorities of the business.
• A Collaborator and Trusted Team Player. You enjoy partnering with others —whether internal or external— and build constructive working relationships that foster cooperation in order to get work done and deliver great results. You are united with teammates and follow through on commitments.
• A People Person. Building professional and high quality relationships with vendors and area businesses comes naturally to you.  
• Creative. You like thinking outside the box to come up with smart solutions to new challenges, and you embrace the opportunity to live in the gray.
• A Strong Communicator. Your writing and speaking skills are clear and effective, helping you connect well with others. Through your past experience, you’ve also built skills that help you effectively persuade and gain the support of others.
• Motivated. You invest extra energy to reach your goals.
• Energetic and Positive. You are an outgoing, gregarious brand ambassador who motivates and excites others to elevate their performance.

Design Strategy & Communication (15%)

• Inspire creativity and contribute to elevating the visual look and feel of the Equity Residential brand.
• Research and conduct design thought leadership and implement emerging design trends and systems.
• Understand, adhere to, and develop Equity Residential’s brand standards and style guidelines.
• Act as an ambassador of the brand. Educates colleagues on design choices and production strategy.

Design - Marketing (40%)

• Responsible for the design of marketing communication materials such as brochures, logos, posters, brochures and signage, all with a high degree of accuracy according to client needs and marketing objectives.
• Incorporate changes recommended by the clients or Design Manager into the final design.
• Responsible for accurate production, printing, and quality control of individual pieces.

Design - Digital (20%)

• Assist in creating seamless user experiences for interactive initiatives by delivering polished wireframes, website mockups and prototypes.
• Create designs for digital implementation using social media and online advertising.
• Use simple HTML to make marketing updates to EquityApartments.com.
• Create custom emails using templates.

Design - Corporate Communications  (15%)

• Responsible for design development of employee programs/campaigns.
• Responsible for concept, design and production of Investor Relations brochures and presentations.

• Provide production support including photo retouching, and manipulation.
• Use Adobe Illustrator to complete precise updates to floorplan drawings.

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design along with 3 - 5 years of progressive design experience is required.
• Advanced knowledge of design principles including typography, composition, color, imagery, etc.)
• Must display an understanding of business needs and carry out informed designs that stay on budget, on brand and align functionally with stakeholder needs.
• Basic knowledge of web-programming.
• Detail-oriented with a critical eye for proofreading and color accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to clearly express creative ideas and concepts.
• Ability to function in high-pressure, deadline-sensitive environments.
• Thorough understanding of final file preparation required.
• Ability to use software applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, Lightroom), QuarkXPress, HTML, Internet, and Google Applications required.

We recognize that everyone has different needs outside of work. That’s why, in addition to a competitive benefits package (medical, dental, vision and paid time off), we offer many unique options to employees, like adoption benefits and paid time off for community service projects. To learn more, view our Total Wellbeing page here.