Senior Designer

Know History is a Canadian firm that provides historical research services to Canadian and Indigenous organizations, governments, municipalities, museums, and heritage groups. One of our defining characteristics is our ability to communicate complex information and perspectives to public audiences through impactful sensory experiences, ranging from engaging physical design to emotive graphics to leading-edge media.

About the Role

The Senior Designer works within a multidisciplinary design team on a project basis with all internal departments. Interpreted print, web, and digital projects, museum exhibitions, brand-related initiatives, and the development of diverse story-driven products are central to the role. The position involves collaborative work in a team-based, client-facing environment and across a suite of projects of varying sizes, scales, and durations. These include graphics, animation, videography, sound, print matter, and physical (three-dimensional) design. The role also oversees the creation of internal templates and external marketing materials. The Senior Designer collaborates on creative direction, maintaining design standards, and guiding the development of consistently innovative products that meet the highest quality and industry standards.

A key aspect of this role is the ability to work effectively in both physical (indoor and outdoor) and digital environments. This might mean developing museum exhibits, designing book lay-outs, and creating outdoor signage, or creating digital experiences such as websites, virtual tours, and 3D renderings that bring physical objects to life. The successful candidate will be adaptive and thrive in collaborative environments while working on multiple files simultaneously.

Key Responsibilities

· Advise clients, Department Heads, and Project Managers on possible design solutions that achieve project objectives.

· Develop design concepts, storyboards, mock-ups, wireframes, sketches, detailed shop drawings, prototypes, or comprehensive design briefs to support project visioning exercises and stakeholder communication.

· Help conceptualize and design physical experiences for built environments, including museum exhibitions, mobile projects, signage, and content-rich interactives.

· Produce and contribute to the development and oversight of high-quality media products, including print materials, book/published material lay-outs, exhibit designs, digital publications, motion graphics, animation, videos, architectural renderings, and 3D models.

· Manage and collaborate with a wide range of vendors and specialists, including architects, interpretive planners, book designers, fabricators, editors, and lighting designers as well as our Digital History team

· Provide mentorship to design team members.

· Work with the Business Development team and Project Managers to establish an hourly budget for project requests, develop proposals, provide support and feedback on design tasks.

· Work with BD team in the organization of promotional events, marketing materials, and procuring promotional assets.

Skills & Qualifications

· At least 7 years of experience in a range of multimedia and physical design areas.

· Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator).

· Exhibition development and design software (e.g., Vectorworks AutoCAD, Rhino, or similar)

· Knowledge of print, web, and physical design best practices.

· Experience using WordPress or square space.

· Experience building landing pages for BD and marketing campaigns.

· Demonstrated experience with 3D modelling, and designing exhibits for physical spaces, including experience with architectural and base building teams.

· Demonstrated experience with published material lay-out (books, booklets, etc.).

· AR/VR skills would be an asset.

· Knowledge of accessibility standards/guidelines for public spaces.

· Strong communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills.

· Knowledge of fabrication processes for the development of physical assets.

· Previous experience leading teams and or/project management would be assets.

Position Details

Hours: Full-time with flexible hours

Compensation: Salary dependent on experience, with paid vacation, paid sick leave, and health, dental & EFAP benefits

Travel required: Occasionally

Location: Calgary or Ottawa office with hybrid or remote option

How to Apply:

If you are interested in joining Know History’s team for this role, please apply on our website at www.knowhistory.ca. If you have any questions or require accessibility or cultural accommodation at any point in the application process, send us an email and we’ll work with you to make sure your needs are met.

Know History is committed to providing equal employment opportunities. We know that to understand our collective history, we need to prioritize Indigenous and diverse voices across all aspects of our organization. We strongly encourage candidates to apply and self-identify as Indigenous, members of racialized communities and visible minorities, people with disabilities, or members of the Two Spirit (2S) & LGBTQIA+ communities.