Design Action is Hiring a Production Designer!

Who are we?

Design Action Collective is:

  • A worker-owned design and communications studio, founded in 2002, based out of Oakland, California;
  • Proudly committed to providing high-quality visual communications tools to progressive, non-profit, and grassroots activist organizations;
  • A closed union shop affiliated with the Pacific Media Guild, Local 39521 Communication Workers of America (typographical sector, AFL/CIO); and,
  • Majority women / trans / gender non-conforming and people-of-color owned.

    • What’s the job role?
    We’re hiring for a Production Designer, whose main work will be layout and design for multi-page documents. Other common projects include brand/identity systems, posters, social media graphic suites, illustration, and other materials for print, presentation and web.

    Core responsibilities include:

  • Production of reports based on templates with style sheets and master pages in Adobe
    InDesign.
  • Visual design development using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
  • Participation in meetings to discuss design concepts.
  • Incorporation of client feedback and working collaboratively to complete projects.
  • Direct communication with clients to clarify requests and revisions.
  • Joining team meetings to help make decisions about the projects we want to take on and plan realistic project schedules.
  • Partnership with project managers and art director teammates to meet deadlines and solve creative challenges for our clients.
  • Juggling multiple projects and deadlines using project management tools such as Basecamp and Harvest. Communicating clearly and proactively with teammates about capacity to meet deadlines.
  • Participation in collective, department, and committee meetings and taking on internal operations work as needed to co-manage our collectively-owned and -operated business.

    • We’re an ever-growing and changing shop, so this position will have plenty of room for growth
    depending on your interests, skills, experience, and the needs of the shop.

    What are we looking for?

    The ideal candidate will have:

  • Proficiency in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, font management and other industry standard software applications;
  • Experience and/or commitment to a cooperative workplace, sharing of shop management duties and becoming a principal worker-owner in a cooperative;
  • The ability to juggle multiple projects (3-4) while staying on deadline and within scope, orcommunicating any obstacles to teammates in a timely manner;
  • Interest and involvement in progressive social change work;
  • Interest and/or experience with business ownership (this position is on a path of collective ownership of our business); and,
  • Full agreement with our Points of Unity.

    What are the pay and benefits like?
    The position is full time (37.5 hrs/week) at $31/hr*, beginning as a remote position.
    Our starting benefits include:

  • 10 days of paid wellness/sick time each year;
  • 10 days of paid vacation time each year, with increase after the first two years;
  • 18 paid holidays each year;
  • Full health, dental, and vision insurance; and,
  • Flex Spending Accounts (FSA) for medical expenses, dependent care, and
    transportation.

    More benefits come when you become an owner after 9 months of candidacy.As a new employee, you will be eligible for an ownership position after completing a 9-month candidacy period with three evaluations. You will have both a “buddy” and a “supervisor” who will facilitate evaluations, support your growth, and orient you on what it means to be an owner of Design Action. You will be expected to fulfill certain collective duties, including attending a weekly Collective Meeting and regular all-staff trainings, in order to become an owner. One of the biggest pluses of being at Design Action is the rare opportunity to be a worker/owner at a design & tech business that is explicitly committed to social justice. Our democratic workplace structure (no bosses!) allows us to put our political values into action. In addition, many of our members are rooted in community activism and organizing on issues such as anti-imperialism, prison abolition, tenant & housing rights, anti-racism, gender equity, and environmental justice. We also hold regular anti-oppression trainings as well as annual staff and department retreats where we can build our camaraderie with one another and strategize on ways to keep our business bold, radical, and thriving.

    * While pay rates are not negotiable (all employees receive the same pay rate), DAC is
    committed to increasing compensation regularly so that we may provide a thriving wage.
    To apply, please send the following to jobs@designaction.org:
    1. Resume / CV;
    2. Brief cover letter that includes how you heard about us; and,
    3. Portfolio of 6-8 relevant work samples, with a line or two about your role in each project.

    Please include a range that reflects this job role, including two examples of a multi-page
    project (ex: report, book, editorial layout), as well as samples of brand/identity systems,
    posters, social media graphic suites, illustration, and/or presentation design (slide
    decks).**

    BIPOC (BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND PEOPLE OF COLOR), WOMEN, GENDER NON-CONFORMING PEOPLE, AND LGBTQAI++ PEOPLE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.
    **We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications, especially if you are a woman, trans or non-binary, BIPOC, disabled, or from another marginalized group.