SUMMARY:
The mission of the Microsoft Retail Stores is to profitably showcase Microsoft technology and illuminate our innovation story, by transforming the buying and ownership experience for Microsoft devices, software and services. Microsoft Retail Stores are an extension of our product teams and the gateway to our customers. It is where shoppers should have the best first-experience of our platforms and productivity products in our ecosystem. However, products don't always speak for themselves. That's why our Microsoft Retail team needs great storytellers, first and foremost, who can help create a retail environment that engages customers functionally and emotionally.
The Microsoft Retail Store Marketing Team is looking for a Senior In-Store Signage Art Director to lead the design of all store marketing materials and artifacts - from large, backlit window displays down to printed price/spec tags, and everything in-between.
We expect you to have a stunning portfolio, and the necessary skills to excel in a fast-paced multi-disciplinary environment. We are supported by a team of agencies and studios who help turn our ideas into store executions, and share in-house design and engineering resources with the larger retail marketing team. You will get to focus on concept, design direction, and storytelling, from concept to execution and deployment. You will report to the Creative Director and will be partnering with the Digital Media and Digital Marketing design leads to conceptualize, design and execute omni-channel campaigns, product launches and events collateral. This role is a perfect blend of hands on design, as well as leadership and management of design resources and agencies.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Help drive design direction for Microsoft Retail Stores In-Store Signage
- Create and/or oversee creative from concept through production and print
- Help plan and execute creative strategies for store sets and campaigns
- Present ideas to senior-level management
- Serve as an expert consultant to program managers, marketers, and engineers to ensure that design - and therefore customers - are represented
- Lead internal design resources and agencies to create high quality design executions
- Collaborate with design leads from colleague teams to assure design consistency across all channels
- Design and guide the exploration of the range of possibilities for all dimensions of the aesthetic vision for the product/service, affinitizes options, and provides recommendations.
- Help to establish and confirm guidelines and objectives. Leads the execution, quality control, and measurement of aesthetics.
- Create and lead retail campaigns, product-line integration and cohesion within the larger product brand identity.
- Actively seeks information and tests assumptions.
- Capable to shift approach in response to the demands of a changing situation.
- Demonstrates resilience, and maintains a constructive attitude in times of change.
- Able to maintain a broader perspective, and identifies and evaluates opportunities to enhance the business through cross-group collaboration.
- Incorporates diverse perspectives to thoroughly address complex business issues.
- Develops and communicates realistic performance goals and standards.
- Builds plans that consider potential obstacles and immediate and long-term consequences.
- Solicits and acts on feedback about his or her own performance.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- BA in Design or related field
- Strong communication design and typography design skills; Illustration skills are a plus
- Experience art directing photo shots on location and in studio
- A stellar portfolio of print design for consumer electronics and services; In addition, portfolio of non-print design work is a plus
- Solid understanding of retail customer trends, environmental and space design
- 10 years of professional experience in design for retail and print, including strong communication/presentation skills.
- Awareness of Microsoft brand and the Microsoft design aesthetic often referenced as ‘Modern Design’
- Up-to-date knowledge on current trends in visual communication and retail marketing
- Uses recognized expertise within a design discipline (such as typography, illustration, or layout) to set the vision, create the concept, and set quality standards for all design assets within the design discipline to meet the needs of the campaign.
- Develops workflows for multiple projects within the studio.
- Identifies new industry tools, technologies, and techniques with significant relevance to current and future work.
- Identifies, creates, and implements scalable solutions that create efficiency across multiple projects within the studio.
- Ability to provide excellent customer service (to colleagues and other groups within Microsoft)
- Proven ability to prioritize, thrive in a dynamic creative environment, and oversee multiple projects at once
- Direct experience leading a multi-functional team to transform creative briefs into breakthrough concepts, while adhering to project and fiscal year budgets
- Experience managing creative agencies to fiscal year budgets as well as direct experience working with geographically distributed teams
- Highly organized, strong attention to detail, excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Expert knowledge of print design and print processes
- Expert knowledge of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of software, as it relates to print design
- Expertize in interactive and time-based media is a plus
- Expertize in environmental, spatial and fixture design is a plus
**When you apply to the role via the Microsoft Careers site, please include on your resume the link to your on-line portfolio.**
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected status.
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