Environmental Graphic Designer

Lost & Found Design is an award-winning environmental graphic design office based in Vancouver, BC, with specific expertise in strategic wayfinding and cultural exhibition design. We have an immediate opening for an exceptional designer with 1-3 years of experience. The right candidates with a combination of skills in typography, graphic design, architecture, signage design, interior design, or industrial design will be considered. This is an on-premises position at our offices at 1 West 7 Ave., Vancouver, BC.

About you

A collaborative player and conceptual thinker, you wake up excited about immersive storytelling experiences, the beauty and psychology of wayfinding and innovative use of space and materials. Meanwhile, bad kerning, Comic Sans and cheap vinyl window wraps keep you up at night. You can support and explain your concepts with the team and you’re open to feedback. You thrive on finding and combining new materials. Ideally, you have the sketching and drafting chops to execute and deliver on creative ideas. You shape detailed drawing packages that clearly explain complex ideas through diagrams, photo collages and scaled plans. You are comfortable participating in workshops, briefings and supporting client presentations. And above all, you have the ability and maturity to learn as you go. No one shows up knowing exactly all these skills, but you need to pick up the missing ones on the job with our mentorship. And, as we are a small office, excellent interpersonal skills and an interest and ability to contribute to the culture and evolution of a community of hard-working designers is a must.

Our expectations

You will work on a variety of projects and report to the principal and senior designers. Projects will include wayfinding design planning, corporate and cultural institution signage packages, signage guidelines, exhibit design and outdoor interpretive feature and monument design. The right person will bring a commitment to a rigorous design process and a collaborative, can-do attitude to new challenges and repetitive tasks alike. You are detail-oriented when it comes to written, graphic and technical quality control and possess a strong portfolio applicable to the design of environments, signage and/or exhibits. You have some comfort with reading architectural plans and drawings and are willing to research, learn and ask about the things you don’t yet know

Tasks will include

• Design: Conceptual thinking supported by research and strong communication design skills is essential from start-up through final detail problem-solving. Work includes drawing 2D and 3D elements for signage and exhibition design, ideally with some 3D modelling.
• Technical Proficiency: Accuracy and attention to detail in reviewing your own and others’ work are important.
• Conceptualization: Develop creative, strategic design concepts that tell stories, provide wayfinding clarity, relate to new and existing brands and which represent our clients and community members in the most respectful and meaningful light. Create professional presentation materials conveying conceptual information in an engaging and clear way
• Collaboration: Work closely with the Lost & Found team designers through all stages of the project. Liaise and communicate with outside experts and consultants such as architects, content developers, AV specialists, engineers and fabricators to support the design intent being executed successfully
• Client Interaction: Support the Lost & Found principal and senior designers in communicating design to clients and community groups, being open to integrating feedback and adjusting the work skillfully to retain alignment with project goals.
• Project Management: Be able to work on multiple projects simultaneously, supporting senior project managers on some projects and managing smaller projects yourself to ensure deadlines are met, budgets are respected and quality is maintained
• Research & Innovation: Stay current with design trends, materials and technologies, bringing new ideas to the table to continuously innovate the wayfinding and experiential design process

Required

• 1-3 years’ experience in an applicable design field
• Strong visual acuity for both design solutions and technical details
• Advanced Adobe Creative Suite abilities (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop)
• Ability to perform project-specific research (materials, ideas, trends, processes)
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills
• Basic abilities in MS Office

Other skills that set you apart

• Understanding of drafting principles (plan, elevation, section, scale, etc.)
• Degree in one of the following: Industrial Design, Communication Design, Architecture, Architectural Technology, Environmental Graphic Design, or similar
• 3D modelling (SketchUp, Rhino, Blender, Revit)
• Experience in wayfinding sign planning and message schedule preparation
• Understanding of materials and processes for sign or exhibit fabrication

Salary range

$57K-$73k

How to apply

Does this sound like you? Does the opportunity excite you? If so, we invite you to submit a one-page CV and concise design portfolio in a PDF file or web link to hello@lostandfoundstudio.ca. Selected applicants will be contacted by phone for a preliminary question and answer session, and subsequent in-person or virtual interviews will be conducted.