Position Summary:
The Senior Graphic Designer – Girls is responsible for leading the creative development of graphics, prints, and artwork for girls’ apparel. This role combines strong illustration and typography skills with an understanding of girls’ fashion, age-appropriate trends, and licensed properties to create commercially relevant designs. The Senior Graphic Designer collaborates closely with Apparel Design, Merchandising, Licensing, Product Development, and Production to ensure artwork aligns with Mad Engine’s creative vision, retailer requirements, and quality standards.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead the development of original and licensed graphics for seasonal girls’ apparel collections across assigned categories and size ranges.
- Research and interpret girls’ fashion, pop culture, color, illustration, typography, and print trends to inform creative direction.
- Develop graphic concepts, mood boards, color palettes, placement artwork, and allover prints tailored to brand identity and retailer needs.
- Create age-appropriate artwork that complements garment silhouettes, fabrications, and seasonal themes.
- Collaborate with Apparel Design to coordinate graphics with garment styling, color stories, embellishments, and overall assortment direction.
- Adapt licensed characters, logos, and brand assets into fresh apparel graphics while following licensor style guides and approval requirements.
- Prepare production-ready artwork, including color callouts, dimensions, placement specifications, repeats, and application details.
- Recommend graphic techniques such as screen printing, specialty inks, embroidery, appliqué, and heat transfers based on design intent, fabric compatibility, and target costs.
- Partner with Licensing to prepare artwork submissions and complete revisions in response to licensor feedback.
- Review strike-offs, print samples, and embellishment samples for color accuracy, scale, placement, and execution.
- Work with Product Development and Production to resolve artwork challenges and maintain design integrity through final execution.
- Develop retailer-specific graphic assortments and incorporate feedback from Sales, Merchandising, and buyers.
- Present graphic concepts and seasonal artwork direction during internal reviews and buyer presentations.
- Mentor junior graphic designers, providing creative guidance and feedback on artwork and production files.
- Manage multiple projects and seasonal deadlines while maintaining organized artwork files and asset libraries.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Illustration, Fashion Design, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- 5+ years of apparel graphic design experience, including demonstrated experience in girls’ or children’s apparel.
- Strong portfolio showcasing girls’ apparel graphics, illustration, typography, placement designs, and allover prints.
- Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
- Strong understanding of age-appropriate design, girls’ market trends, and retailer-specific aesthetics.
- Experience developing licensed graphics and working within brand guidelines and approval processes.
- Knowledge of color separation, repeat development, artwork sizing, and production file preparation.
- Understanding of screen printing, specialty inks, embroidery, appliqué, heat transfers, and related decoration techniques.
- Ability to balance creative concepts with garment construction, fabric limitations, production feasibility, and cost objectives.
- Experience collaborating with apparel designers and cross-functional product teams.
- Experience designing for mass-market, specialty, department store, or off-price retailers preferred.
- Strong presentation, communication, and organizational skills.
- Ability to guide junior designers and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Work Environment:
- Office setting with regular collaboration across Graphic Design, Apparel Design, Merchandising, Licensing, Product Development, and Production teams.
- Standard business hours, with flexibility during seasonal development, artwork approval deadlines, and product review cycles.
- Hands-on role involving artwork reviews, color evaluation, print strike-offs, and garment samples.
