Graphic Designer III

The Graphic Designer III is a senior creative who leads projects and campaigns end-to-end, from concept through print and digital production, for Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove, the leading manufacturer of luxury kitchen appliances and a longstanding, family-owned company in the Madison area. Icons of design and paragons of performance and quality, our brands are the refrigeration, cooking, and dishwashing specialists found in the world's most luxurious homes. Operating as part of Creative Services, the internal creative agency for Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove, this designer works with a high degree of autonomy and creative ownership, sets the visual bar for best-in-class work, and mentors junior designers along the way. This role serves as both a creative leader and brand steward, helping evolve the visual expression of our brands while ensuring consistency across every customer touchpoint. You'll collaborate closely with copywriters, designers, product managers, marketers, and external vendors in a fast-paced, highly creative environment, delivering distinctive, brand-right creative that drives profitable sales growth. Growth and development are important aspects of this position. Whether you aspire to be a creative leader or a technical expert, this role is designed to set you up for success. Key Responsibilities The Graphic Designer III understands company goals, marketing objectives, and the visual expectations of our brands and brand guidelines. Working with minimal oversight from the Creative Services Manager, this senior designer leads projects and full campaigns across print and digital, from concept and design through final production, while providing creative leadership and guidance that elevates the work of the entire team. Own major deliverables, including product launch campaigns, brand collateral, trade programs, and channel assets, driving them from brief to final production within deadline. Set the visual standard across campaigns, directing composition, typography, color, photography, and storytelling so every asset feels unmistakably Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove. Serve as a steward of the Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove brands, ensuring creative work consistently reflects established brand standards while thoughtfully evolving the visual expression of the brands over time. Translate complex business challenges into compelling creative solutions that support customer engagement, brand awareness, and business growth. Lead and art direct photography, video, and CG rendering projects, partnering with internal teams and external vendors to ensure all visual assets support campaign and brand objectives. Design across channels, including print, web, email, social, motion, and experiential touchpoints, ensuring a cohesive brand experience at every interaction. Build and maintain scalable design systems, templates, and brand assets that keep quality high and production efficient across the team and our partners. Lead creative meetings and reviews, sharing ideas, critiquing work, and providing constructive feedback that elevates the overall quality of the team's work. Coach and mentor junior designers through project guidance, design critique, and knowledge sharing, helping develop talent and strengthen creative capabilities across the department. Present and defend creative concepts to stakeholders and leadership, articulating the strategic rationale behind design decisions. Influence creative decisions through thoughtful recommendations and strategic perspective, helping stakeholders align on solutions that best support business and brand objectives. Partner with copywriters, team members, and clients to ensure creative execution aligns with communication strategy, campaign objectives, and project briefs. Participate in strategic briefings; prepare materials, recommendations, and discussion points for creative sessions and build engaging presentations. Design with the audience in mind, keeping work intuitive, accessible, and on-brand across formats and devices. Take smart creative risks that keep the work distinctive, innovative, and best-in-class. Production, planning & innovation Participate in project planning, discovery, and status meetings with internal and external teams, helping identify risks, opportunities, and resource needs. Develop and maintain project timelines and provide time estimates and production cost projections based on project objectives and client needs. Build strong partnerships across marketing, product management, sales, channel teams, and external agencies to ensure alignment and successful execution of creative initiatives. Bring deep print production expertise and make production recommendations based on experience, project needs, timelines, and budget considerations. Collaborate on video and motion-based creative, contributing concepts, visual direction, storyboards, and design assets that extend campaign storytelling across channels. Identify opportunities to improve creative workflows, processes, templates, and asset management systems that increase efficiency while maintaining a high standard of creative quality. Maintain and grow technical expertise through design workshops, professional publications, classes, conferences, and online learning opportunities. Champion emerging technologies, including AI-assisted design workflows (e.g., Adobe Firefly, Microsoft Copilot), to amplify creativity, create efficiencies, and inspire the team while maintaining human judgment and brand quality. Share industry trends, tools, and software updates with the team to keep creative solutions fresh, innovative, and competitive. Partner with marketing teammates to review engagement, performance, and customer data, applying insights to improve future creative effectiveness. We value our employees by providing: Competitive compensation based on skills Industry leading health, dental, and vision plans Generous 401 (K) savings and profit sharing On-site UW Health clinic, fitness center, and walking paths Education assistance and internal training programs Electric vehicle charging Maternity & paternity leave This position requires a pre-employment drug/alcohol test and background check, which will be administered after a conditional job offer is extended. A negative drug/alcohol test result is required for employment. Refusal to take the test or a positive result may disqualify a candidate from further consideration. All drug testing will be conducted in accordance with federal and state laws. Qualifications Experience Required Self-motivated with a commitment to maintaining high creative standards, seeking feedback, and continually improving craft and capabilities. Experience mentoring or providing guidance to less experienced designers. Strong print production expertise, including specifications, vendor management, and printing technologies. Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex projects from conception through final production while balancing multiple priorities. Confidence presenting ideas to stakeholders and leadership, with excellent written, verbal, and visual communication skills. Ability to connect creative solutions to business objectives through strategic thinking, customer understanding, and performance insights. Proven ability to initiate, lead, and art direct photo shoots, video productions, and CG rendering projects. Proficiency with leading design software, including current versions of Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat) and Microsoft Office. Experience with collaborative and prototyping tools such as Figma and Miro. Excellent understanding of branding systems, composition, layout, typography, color theory, visual storytelling, and photography. 5 years: 5+ years of creative industry experience, with a strong portfolio demonstrating effective, strategically grounded, brand-right work across print and digital channels. Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Interactive Design, or a related field; equivalent professional experience will be considered. Preferred Working knowledge of accessibility and usability best practices across digital experiences. Familiarity with AI-assisted creative tools and a curiosity to explore emerging capabilities and best practices in design and content creation. Experience designing for motion, video, experiential, and interactive formats in addition to static print and digital. Experience designing for premium or luxury brands with a demonstrated understanding of elevated visual storytelling and brand positioning. Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor. #J-18808-Ljbffr