Graphic Designer - Motorsports

Posted Jun 23

Description

Are you a motorsports enthusiast with an eye for creating visually stunning and on-brand assets? Are you a talented graphic designer stuck in a boring industry? Do you want to tell the story of a brand that’s leading the charge in differentiating real performance wheels against wanna-be brands that can’t deliver? If so, Apex has an exciting new opportunity for you.

Apex is a leading provider of high-performance automotive wheels and accessories, catering to the motorsport and performance car enthusiast community. Our mission is to provide wheels that deliver real and measurable performance and to protect consumers from a misleading industry full of fashion-focused wheels. 

On the back of our recent rebranding and in preparation for additional growth, we’re ready to bring on board our own full-time, direct hire, Graphic Designer. As our only resident Graphic Designer (for now), you’ll collaborate with our rapidly expanding Creative and Marketing teams to ensure that all new product launches, social media campaigns and other initiatives have the right mix of story-telling assets that are on-brand, visually appealing, and meet the needs of each project. 

This role does not currently exist within Apex. Up until now, we have been relying on outside agencies and our multi-talented creative team members for our graphics. Now, we’ll look to you as a groundbreaker - someone who will set the tone as to what it means to be an excellent Graphic Designer for Apex. If and when bandwidth calls for it, we’ll ask for your support in onboarding more Graphic Designers and sharing what you’ve learned about the Apex brand. You’ll work under the direction of an incoming Creative Director to ensure that all of the assets you create are firmly in line with our new POV and style guidelines. 

In addition to designing, your skills in editing photography and videos will help you make quick work of our new and existing assets. This role is all about getting the brand message right while keeping up with the quick turnaround that some of our projects will require. Your expertise in using the tools of the trade will help you meet the quality and productivity standards necessary to be our first and best Graphic Designer.

How to apply: In your cover letter, tell us how your passion for automotive/motorsports will enable you to create content that our audience will love. Then, briefly tell us about your experience working within brand guidelines for another project or organization.

Please note that before we extend a formal offer, as a final-assessment and real-world test of skills and fit, we will engage our top candidates in a brief very short-term assignment on a contract basis. We're not looking for freebies - these gigs will be executed at an agreed-upon hourly rate.

Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate, brainstorm and strategize with multiple teams on a wide range of materials that may include web pages, presentations, programming collateral, signage, internal communications, newsletters and marketing materials.
  • Create visually engaging designs that effectively communicate our brand message and resonate with our target audience.
  • Produce high-quality graphics, illustrations, and layouts using industry-standard design software such as Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.).
  • Create static and animated (html 5 skills are a plus!) display ads, social ads and many additional ad assets
  • Collaborate with the marketing team to develop creative concepts and design solutions for a range of projects including branding, marketing collateral, social media graphics, website assets, presentations and more.
  • Ensure all designs adhere to brand guidelines and maintain consistency across all platforms and mediums.
  • Stay up-to-date with design trends, tools and techniques to continually enhance the quality and creativity of our visual assets.
  • Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand project requirements, provide creative input and deliver designs that meet or exceed expectations.
  • Manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Participate in brainstorming sessions and contribute innovative ideas to drive creative excellence within the team.

Requirements

  • 3+ years of experience in professional graphic design, preferably with a creative or marketing agency
  • Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in graphic design, art, or related discipline is preferred
  • 4+ years of experience (academic and professional) with design software, including Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
  • Being a motorsports enthusiast will give you a very heavy advantage in this role since you will understand our customers within the motorsports community
  • Ability to interpret and implement brand guidelines within work, receive feedback and continuously improve brand adherence within our graphic design. Self-govern adherence to brand guidelines
  • Exceptional creativity and innovative design skills
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills
  • Organizational and time-management skills for meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment
  • Familiarity with 3D animation is preferred
  • Ability to design display ads using html5 is preferred

Benefits

  • $22 - $30 base hourly rate, but some wiggle for a rockstar. This is a full-time position and is eligible for overtime.
  • 100% Apex paid employee medical, dental, and vision benefits with buy-up options
  • Robust company contributions towards dependent medical benefits
  • 401k with employer matching
  • 2 weeks of paid vacation leave - earn more over time AND earn more as you grow
  • A flexible working environment where work/life integration is encouraged
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Paid Holidays
  • Support your track addiction with reimbursements for HPDE and autocross event registration fees
  • Eligibility for the SEMA college grant and loan forgiveness program
  • Casual in-office dress environment where T-shirts, jeans, and shorts are welcome
  • Employee discounts and freebies on Apex products and swag
  • Participate in company activities including karting, spectating at races, track days, and more