Sr. Custom Graphic Designer - Apparel

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. Custom Graphic Designer - Apparel

Company: Sportiqe Apparel

Location: Tempe, Arizona, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Graphic Design / Apparel Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-13T22:41:33

Experience Level: Senior (5+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🎨 Role Summary

• Lead the creation of diverse and imaginative custom apparel graphics for a wide range of clients across industries including music, professional sports, premium destinations, corporate, and lifestyle brands.
• Leverage a strong visual sense and unique aesthetic to develop high-quality apparel concepts that resonate with B2B customers and drive re-orders.
• Apply extensive experience in screen printing techniques and the custom design process to produce production-ready art files that meet technical specifications and brand guidelines.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with the Director of Creative Services and sales teams to ensure the integrity, quality, and timely execution of graphic design projects.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

• Produce original custom artwork and fulfill regular art requests, managing the design process from initial thumbnail sketches and conceptualization through final execution and file delivery.
• Design compelling apparel graphics for high-profile brands in sports, music, and lifestyle sectors, contributing to both new business acquisition and customer re-orders through exceptional artwork.
• Manage and facilitate art requests efficiently, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality designs, communicating status updates proactively, and contributing to improved team performance and efficiency.
• Conduct thorough brand research and explore innovative concepts and ideas to elevate the design quality and aesthetic of apparel products, staying current with market trends.
• Recreate existing logos and designs accurately in vector format from various source images, ensuring scalability and production readiness for screen printing and other apparel decoration methods.
• Gather and incorporate feedback effectively, performing necessary revisions to designs while maintaining project timelines and delivering the best possible outcome for clients.
• Generate production-ready art files, adhering to specific technical requirements for screen printing and other apparel decoration processes, ensuring seamless handoff to production teams.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or a related field is typically preferred for a Senior-level design role. Equivalent professional experience demonstrating a strong portfolio and technical proficiency in apparel graphic design and screen printing may substitute for formal education.

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of professional graphic design experience is required, with a strong preference for experience within an apparel company. Significant prior experience specifically in creating designs for screen printing is mandatory.

Required Skills:

• Extensive experience in graphic design with a focus on apparel, demonstrating a strong portfolio of relevant work.
• Mandatory prior experience and technical understanding of screen printing processes, including file preparation for screen printing.
• High proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, including advanced vector illustration, logo recreation, and production file preparation.
• High proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, including image manipulation, color correction, and preparing raster graphics for apparel.
• Strong typography skills and the ability to effectively integrate text into apparel designs.
• Proven ability to manage the custom design process from brief to final production-ready art, including conceptualization, iteration, and revision based on feedback.
• Strong visual sense with a diverse range of design aesthetics adaptable to various brand identities and industries.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple design projects simultaneously with high output and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, with the ability to react nimbly to change requests and new orders while maintaining quality.

Preferred Skills:

• Strong illustration skills, adding a unique visual dimension to apparel graphics.
• Experience working with licensed properties (e.g., sports leagues, music artists, entertainment brands).
• Familiarity with other apparel decoration techniques beyond screen printing (e.g., embroidery, heat transfer, direct-to-garment).
• Experience with design system principles or maintaining graphic asset libraries for apparel.
• Knowledge of current apparel design trends and market demands across different industries.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Your portfolio must prominently feature examples of custom graphic designs specifically created for apparel, demonstrating your ability to design within the constraints and opportunities of different garment types and decoration methods.
• Include case studies or project breakdowns that clearly illustrate your design process, from understanding the client brief and initial concepts through iteration and final production-ready artwork.
• Showcase a diverse range of design aesthetics and styles, reflecting your ability to cater to clients in music, sports, corporate, and lifestyle sectors.
• Demonstrate technical proficiency in preparing files for screen printing, such as examples of color separations, simulated process designs, or other print-ready artwork.

Process Documentation:

• Detail your approach to the research and discovery phase for custom apparel projects, including how you gather client requirements, understand brand identity, and research target audiences and market trends.
• Explain your methodology for ideation and iteration, including sketching, digital concepting, and presenting multiple viable design options to clients.
• Describe your process for incorporating feedback, performing revisions efficiently, and collaborating with clients and internal teams to finalize designs.
• Show how you prepare production-ready files, including specifying colors (Pantone matching), sizing, placement, and any special instructions for screen printing or other decoration techniques.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $60,000 - $90,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and a Health Savings Account (HSA) option.
• 401K retirement plan with a 4% company match, supporting long-term financial planning.
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and sick time, including dedicated birthday PTO, promoting work-life balance.
• 11 paid holidays annually, providing scheduled breaks throughout the year.
• Opportunities for continuous learning, wellness programs, and professional development, supporting career growth and personal well-being.
• Access to free company apparel ("Free clothes!"), allowing employees to wear and represent the brand.
• Participation in team-building activities, paid volunteer hours, and other corporate events, fostering a positive and engaged company culture.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically 40 hours per week, with flexibility needed to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines inherent in custom apparel design workflows.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Retail Apparel and Fashion, specifically focusing on lifestyle apparel and custom branded merchandise for diverse markets. The industry context implies a fast-paced environment driven by trends, brand identity, and quality production for both B2B clients and direct-to-consumer channels.

Company Size: Sportiqe Apparel has 11-50 employees (LinkedIn reports 53). Working in a company of this size typically means a close-knit team environment, opportunities for broader impact, and potentially less formal processes compared to larger corporations. Designers may have more direct interaction with various departments.

Founded: 2006. With over 19 years in business, Sportiqe has established itself in the lifestyle apparel market, indicating stability and experience, particularly in comfort-focused apparel and custom branding.

Team Structure:

• This role reports to the Director of Creative Services, suggesting a structured design team with clear leadership.
• Collaboration will be essential with the sales team to understand client briefs and deliver on expectations.
• Likely close interaction with production teams to ensure designs are executable and meet quality standards for screen printing and other decoration methods.

Methodology:

• The process involves conceptualizing from design briefs, creating multiple options, gathering feedback, performing revisions, and producing production-ready art files.
• Emphasis on brand research to elevate product design and align with diverse client identities.
• Focus on delivering "awesome artwork" efficiently to drive both re-orders and new business, indicating a results-oriented design process.

Company Website: https://www.sportiqewholesale.com/ (Note: The provided link points to the wholesale site, offering insight into their B2B focus).

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: Senior Graphic Designer. This level implies a requirement for significant experience, technical expertise, the ability to work independently, mentor potentially junior staff (though not explicitly stated as a requirement), and handle complex projects from start to finish. The scope includes both creative leadership on specific projects and ensuring quality across delivered artwork.

Reporting Structure: Reporting to the Director of Creative Services. This structure suggests opportunities for mentorship, guidance, and alignment with the overall creative vision of the company. It positions the role as a key contributor within the creative department.

Design Impact: This role has a direct and significant impact on both customer satisfaction (delivering "awesome artwork" for re-orders) and business growth (attracting new clients). The quality and creativity of the custom graphics are central to Sportiqe's B2B offering and brand reputation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Potential for increased responsibility in managing larger or more complex client accounts and design projects.
• Opportunities to contribute to the evolution of the design team's processes, efficiency, and quality standards.
• Possibility of mentoring junior designers or contributing to skill development within the team as Sportiqe continues to grow.
• Advancement towards a Lead Graphic Designer or potentially a Managerial role within the Creative Services department, depending on individual performance and company structure evolution.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: On-site office environment located at the company's headquarters in Tempe, Arizona. The description mentions a "relaxed environment" while emphasizing quick and agile work, suggesting a dynamic but comfortable setting.

Office Location(s): 1505 W University Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281, US. This is the primary location where the role is based.

Design Workspace Context:

• The work environment is described as "relaxed," potentially indicating a less formal dress code and atmosphere conducive to creative work.
• Collaboration with team members, particularly the Director of Creative Services and sales team, will occur within the office setting.
• Access to necessary design software (Adobe Creative Suite) and hardware will be provided on-site.

Work Schedule: Full-time, on-site position. While the environment is relaxed, the role requires balancing multiple projects and meeting deadlines, implying a need for focus and effective time management within standard business hours.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

• Initial application submission, including resume and a mandatory portfolio link. Ensure your portfolio link is active and easily accessible for reviewers.
• Portfolio review by the hiring team, focusing on relevant apparel graphic design work, screen printing expertise, design process documentation, and aesthetic range.
• Likely one or more rounds of interviews, potentially starting with a screening call followed by interviews with the Director of Creative Services and other team members.
• Interviews may include discussions about your experience, technical skills (especially screen printing), design process, ability to handle feedback, and approach to working with diverse clients.
• A design exercise or case study presentation might be part of the process to assess problem-solving skills and ability to apply design thinking to apparel challenges.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your best and most relevant apparel graphic design projects, especially those involving screen printing.
• For each project, clearly explain the client brief, your design process, challenges faced, solutions developed, and the final outcome. Include mockups showing the design on apparel.
• Highlight your technical skills related to screen printing file preparation within your case studies.
• Showcase the breadth of your design aesthetics to demonstrate versatility for different client industries (sports, music, corporate, lifestyle).
• Ensure your portfolio is clean, well-organized, and easy to navigate. Provide context for each project.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss your approach to a design challenge, which might involve creating a graphic based on a provided brief, revising an existing design, or explaining your process for a hypothetical project.
• Practice articulating your design decisions, rationale, and how you would approach incorporating feedback or technical constraints (like screen printing limitations).
• If given a timed exercise, focus on demonstrating your core process and problem-solving skills within the constraints.

ATS Keywords: Graphic Design, Apparel Design, Screen Printing, Custom Graphics, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Typography, Illustration, Vector Graphics, Production Art, Tech Packs, Brand Identity, Creative Concepts, Design Process, Client Collaboration, Portfolio, Case Studies, Apparel Decoration, Color Separation, Licensing, B2B Design, Lifestyle Apparel, Sports Graphics, Music Merch Design, Corporate Branding, Time Management, Project Management, Creative Services, Art Direction, Print Production.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Adobe Illustrator: Essential for creating vector graphics, logos, and production-ready artwork that is scalable for different apparel sizes and decoration methods. High proficiency required for accurate file preparation for screen printing.
• Adobe Photoshop: Used for manipulating raster images, creating textures, mockups, and potentially simulated process separation for screen printing. High proficiency required for image editing and preparing graphics for apparel.

Collaboration & Handoff:

• Likely use of email and potentially project management software (not specified) for communication and tracking project status with the Director of Creative Services, sales team, and production.
• Preparation of detailed production art files ("tech packs" or similar documentation) for handoff to screen printing vendors or internal production teams, specifying colors, sizing, placement, and print techniques.

Research & Testing:

• Browser-based tools for researching client brands, market trends, and competitor apparel.
• Potentially internal systems for accessing past project files, brand guidelines, or production specifications.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

• Creativity & Imagination: The role emphasizes being "diverse, imaginative," and having a "broad range of design aesthetics" to create custom concepts that "wow" customers.
• Quality & Integrity: Working with the Director of Creative Services to ensure "quality, integrity, and execution" of graphic design projects is a core value.
• Innovation & Trend Awareness: The ideal candidate is described as "innovative" and stays "up to date on current trends," aiming to "raise the bar for the Creative Department."
• Customer Focus: Delivering "awesome artwork" that drives re-orders and new business highlights a strong focus on meeting and exceeding client expectations.

Collaboration Style:

• Collaboration with the Director of Creative Services is key for guidance and quality control.
• Close interaction with the sales team is necessary to understand client needs and briefs.
• Seeking out "feedback and input from others" is encouraged, indicating a culture of open communication and using feedback for growth and better outcomes.
• Working independently with high output is balanced with engaging with the team, suggesting a mix of autonomous work and collaborative support.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

• Balancing a high volume of custom design requests across diverse industries and brand aesthetics while maintaining quality and meeting tight deadlines.
• Translating varied client visions and brand identities into compelling apparel graphics that are both creative and technically feasible for screen printing and other decoration methods.
• Staying current with rapidly evolving apparel design trends, screen printing techniques, and client expectations in a competitive market.
• Managing feedback from multiple stakeholders (clients, sales team, Director) and iterating on designs efficiently without sacrificing the original creative vision or quality.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Opportunities for continuous learning and professional development are explicitly offered, which could include workshops, online courses, or industry events focused on apparel design, screen printing techniques, or design software advancements.
• Potential to deepen expertise in specific apparel decoration methods or explore new technologies in the print and textile industry.
• Growth in client management and communication skills through direct interaction with the sales team and potentially clients.
• Mentorship opportunities under the Director of Creative Services to refine design skills, strategic thinking, and project management.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

• Be prepared to walk through your typical design process for a custom apparel graphic project, from receiving a brief to delivering production files. Use examples from your portfolio.
• Discuss a project where you had to overcome a significant design challenge related to screen printing or other apparel decoration techniques. Explain your problem-solving approach.
• Describe how you gather and incorporate feedback from clients or internal stakeholders into your design iterations.
• Explain how you ensure your designs are production-ready and what information you include in your handoff files for screen printing.

Company Culture Questions:

• Research Sportiqe's brand, core values, and the types of clients they serve. Be ready to discuss how your design aesthetic and approach align with their focus on comfort and custom apparel.
• Ask questions about the collaboration dynamic between the design team, sales team, and production team.
• Inquire about the typical volume and variety of custom design projects the team handles and how projects are prioritized.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure your portfolio presentation around compelling case studies of your apparel design projects, focusing on the custom design process and your role in bringing the concepts to life.
• Clearly articulate your design rationale and technical considerations, particularly those related to screen printing (e.g., why you chose certain colors, how you prepared the file for a specific effect).
• Use high-quality mockups to show how your designs look on actual apparel items.
• Be prepared to discuss your ability to adapt your design style to different brand identities and target audiences.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

• Submit your application through this link.
• Ensure your resume is updated to highlight your graphic design experience, particularly in apparel, and explicitly mention your screen printing expertise.
• Prepare and include a link to your online portfolio. Double-check that the link is active and easily accessible, and that your portfolio showcases relevant apparel graphic design work and screen printing examples.
• Review your portfolio to ensure it includes case studies or process documentation that illustrates your design workflow from concept to production-ready art.
• Research Sportiqe Apparel, their brand, and the types of clients they work with to tailor your application and prepare for interviews.