Creative Content Designer

CONVIVIAL BRANDS ELC INC
Full-timeβ€’$55k-65k/year (USD)β€’Grand Rapids, United States

πŸ“ Job Overview

Job Title: Creative Content Designer

Company: CONVIVIAL BRANDS ELC INC

Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Marketing & Design Operations

Date Posted: November 4, 2025

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: On-site

πŸš€ Role Summary

  • Develops and executes creative, branded assets across multi-channel marketing campaigns, integrating visual storytelling with brand strategy to drive consumer and retailer engagement.

  • Collaborates cross-functionally with Creative, Marketing, and Sales departments to conceptualize and produce high-impact visual content that enhances brand awareness, drives traffic, and supports revenue objectives.

  • Ensures brand consistency and adherence to standards across all visual materials, from digital platforms and social media to print, catalog, and event designs.

  • Leverages a strong understanding of design principles, current market trends, and digital media to create innovative and compelling content that resonates with target audiences.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: This role, while titled "Creative Content Designer," sits at the intersection of creative execution and operational marketing strategy. The responsibilities emphasize not just artistic creation but also strategic application of design to achieve business goals, aligning it with a Marketing Operations or Go-To-Market (GTM) support function focused on visual asset generation and brand consistency. The emphasis on "driving consumer and retailer engagement" and "ultimately, revenue" highlights its direct impact on business outcomes, a key characteristic of roles within the operations umbrella.

πŸ“ˆ Primary Responsibilities

  • Brand Asset Development: Conceptualize, design, and produce a wide range of branded visual assets for integrated marketing campaigns, including digital ads, social media graphics, website banners, email templates, catalog layouts, print advertisements, event signage, and packaging mockups.

  • Brand Stewardship: Act as a brand champion, ensuring all creative output adheres to established brand guidelines, style guides, and composition standards to maximize customer conversion and maintain brand integrity across all Convivial Brands entities.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Creative team members, Marketing managers, Sales representatives, and other stakeholders to plan, conceptualize, develop, analyze, and execute assigned creative projects, ensuring alignment with overall marketing strategies and business objectives.

  • Content Strategy Integration: Participate actively in brainstorms and strategic planning sessions to develop innovative content concepts that are brand-appropriate and support marketing initiatives aimed at meeting retailer and consumer needs.

  • Trend Analysis & Application: Stay current with emerging trends in copy, design, illustration, typography, color theory, and digital media (social media, website UX, digital advertising platforms, etc.) to inform and enhance creative concepts.

  • Visual Concept Illustration: Translate marketing objectives and brand messaging into compelling visual concepts, creating rough layouts and detailed designs that effectively communicate ideas and captivate target audiences.

  • Workflow Management & Prioritization: Proactively manage and prioritize multiple projects, campaigns, and assignments from the content calendar, ensuring timely completion within budget and adherence to deadlines, with little to no supervision.

  • Process Improvement Identification: Utilize knowledge of internal databases and marketing funnel execution to identify potential bottlenecks or inefficiencies within content creation and asset distribution processes, suggesting improvements.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The "Principal Duties and Responsibilities" section details a comprehensive set of tasks that extend beyond pure graphic design. The emphasis on "brand strategy," "customer conversion," "marketing strategies," "consumer and retailer engagement," and "revenue" strongly indicates that this role requires an understanding of how design directly impacts business outcomes. This elevates it beyond a standard design role to one that contributes to the operational efficiency of marketing efforts.

πŸŽ“ Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s Degree or Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, or a closely related field is required.

Experience: Minimum of 3+ years of professional experience working within a marketing firm, advertising agency, design firm, or an in-house creative team environment.

Required Skills:

  • Graphic Design Proficiency: Demonstrated expertise in graphic design principles, including typography, layout, composition, color theory, and visual hierarchy.

  • Adobe Creative Suite Mastery: Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, specifically InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

  • Brand Development: Proven ability to develop and champion branding strategies while maintaining strict brand standards and composition.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with creative, marketing, and sales teams.

  • Content Creation: Experience in creating diverse visual content for multi-channel marketing campaigns (digital, social media, print, catalog).

  • Project Management: Ability to proactively prioritize, manage, and execute multiple projects, meeting deadlines and staying within budget.

  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to producing high-quality, error-free design content.

  • Conceptual Thinking: Strong conceptual skills to translate ideas into compelling visual designs that inspire, inform, or captivate an audience.

Preferred Skills:

  • Motion Design & 3D Tools: Experience with motion design software (e.g., After Effects) or 3D design tools is a significant plus.

  • Digital Media Trends: Foundational knowledge of current digital media trends, including social media best practices, website development, and digital advertising formats.

  • Copywriting & Editing: Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills to ensure clarity and consistency in accompanying text.

  • Hashtag Research: Foundational knowledge of hashtag research and content creation tailored for end consumers and retailers.

  • Workflow Optimization: Ability to recognize and propose improvements for bottlenecks or inefficiencies in content creation and marketing funnels.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The "Qualifications" section clearly outlines the core competencies expected. The inclusion of "Proficiency in workflow of Convivial Brands, searching internal data bases, marketing-funnel execution. Has the ability to recognize bottlenecks, and chinks in a process, to be able to improve it" is a critical indicator of operations-level thinking required for this design role, suggesting a need to understand and optimize the asset lifecycle.

πŸ“Š Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Demonstrated Brand Application: Showcase a portfolio that clearly illustrates your ability to develop and maintain brand consistency across diverse visual assets and marketing channels for multiple brands.

  • Campaign Execution Examples: Include case studies or examples of completed marketing campaigns where your design work contributed to specific objectives like consumer engagement, brand awareness, or traffic generation.

  • Software Proficiency Showcase: Highlight projects that demonstrate mastery of Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and any other relevant design software.

  • Process Understanding: Present work that reflects an understanding of project workflows, from concept and design to final delivery, potentially including examples of how you managed competing priorities or tight deadlines.

  • Originality & Conceptual Strength: Showcase strong conceptual thinking, originality, and the ability to apply design principles effectively to solve marketing challenges.

Process Documentation:

  • Workflow Design & Optimization: While not explicitly stated as a requirement for submission, be prepared to discuss how you approach designing and optimizing workflows for content creation and asset management.

  • Implementation & Automation: Be ready to articulate your experience with implementing creative assets into various platforms (digital, print, etc.) and discuss any familiarity with automation tools or processes that streamline creative delivery.

  • Measurement & Performance: Prepare to discuss how you would measure the effectiveness of your designs or how past designs have contributed to measurable outcomes (e.g., engagement rates, conversion metrics).

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The requirement for a "strong portfolio" is standard for design roles. However, the context of this position within a company focused on brand and marketing operations suggests the portfolio should emphasize not just aesthetic quality but also strategic impact and operational efficiency in creative production. The mention of "workflow of Convivial Brands" and "marketing-funnel execution" implies a portfolio that can demonstrate an understanding of how design fits into broader GTM processes.

πŸ’΅ Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $55,000 - $65,000 per year.

Benefits:

  • Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.

  • Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days, sick leave, and paid holidays.

  • Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with potential company match.

  • Professional Development: Opportunities for training, workshops, and continuing education in design and marketing trends.

  • Employee Assistance Program: Support services for personal and professional well-being.

  • Product Discounts: Potential for discounts on Convivial Brands' product lines.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours, typically 40 hours per week. The role is based on-site at the Grand Rapids, MI headquarters.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is typical for a mid-level Creative Content Designer in a mid-sized market like Grand Rapids, MI. The "working hours" note reflects the "full-time" employment type and the "on-site" work arrangement. Benefits are inferred based on standard offerings for full-time positions in US-based companies of this size and industry.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏒 Company Culture

Industry: Consumer Goods, Home Decor, Giftware, Paper Products (e.g., cards, tableware, packaging). Convivial Brands operates across multiple consumer product categories, requiring a versatile approach to branding and marketing.

Company Size: The provided data does not specify company size, but the existence of a corporate HQ and multiple departments (Creative, Marketing, Sales) suggests a medium to large organization.

Founded: The founding date is not provided, but the company's diverse brand portfolio implies a history of growth and potential acquisitions or organic expansion.

Team Structure:

  • Creative Team: Likely comprises designers, copywriters, and possibly art directors, working collaboratively on brand assets.

  • Marketing Department: A central hub for campaign strategy, digital marketing, content planning, and brand management.

  • Sales Department: Works closely with marketing to understand and leverage brand assets for retailer and consumer engagement.

  • Reporting: This role likely reports to a Creative Director or a Marketing Manager, with close collaboration across various departments.

Methodology:

  • Data-Driven Creativity: A blend of artistic creativity and data-informed decision-making to ensure designs resonate with target audiences and achieve marketing objectives.

  • Brand Consistency Focus: A strong emphasis on maintaining unified brand identities across all touchpoints and product lines.

  • Agile Workflow: Adaptability to changing market trends and project requirements, with an emphasis on efficient workflow management.

Company Website: convivialbrands.com

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The company's description as "CONVIVIAL BRANDS ELC INC" and its diverse product categories suggest a multi-brand strategy. This implies the designer will need to adapt to and manage distinct brand identities, which is a key operational challenge in a portfolio company. The emphasis on "consumer and retailer engagement" points to a GTM focus.

πŸ“ˆ Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level contributor within the creative and marketing operations function. It requires independent execution of design tasks and a solid understanding of brand strategy and marketing campaign objectives. The expectation to identify process improvements suggests a growing operational mindset.

Reporting Structure: The role likely reports to a Creative Director or a Marketing Manager, with significant collaboration with peers in Marketing, Sales, and potentially Product Development.

Operations Impact: The designer's work directly influences brand perception, consumer engagement, and retailer adoption of marketing materials. By creating effective visual assets, they contribute to lead generation, customer acquisition, and ultimately, revenue growth for the various brands under the Convivial Brands umbrella.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Senior Designer/Art Director: Progression to more senior design roles with increased creative direction and project ownership.

  • Brand Management: Potential to move into roles focused on specific brand strategy and management, leveraging design expertise.

  • Marketing Operations Specialist: Opportunity to deepen involvement in the operational aspects of marketing, focusing on asset management, workflow optimization, and campaign execution efficiency.

  • Specialization: Develop expertise in specific areas like motion graphics, digital advertising creative, or packaging design.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of identifying "bottlenecks" and "chinks in a process" in the original description is a strong indicator that growth opportunities may lie in operations management, process improvement, or specialized areas within marketing operations, beyond traditional design progression.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based on-site at the Convivial Brands Corporate HQ in Grand Rapids, MI. This suggests a traditional office environment with dedicated workspace for creative professionals.

Office Location(s): Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. This location offers a balance of urban amenities and a potentially lower cost of living compared to major coastal cities.

Workspace Context:

  • Collaborative Hub: The office environment is likely designed to foster collaboration between the creative team, marketing, and sales departments, encouraging idea sharing and cross-functional project support.

  • Tooling: Access to industry-standard design software (Adobe Creative Suite) and potentially other project management or asset management tools.

  • Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and project reviews with colleagues.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is likely Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, totaling 40 hours per week, with the expectation of on-site presence to facilitate collaboration and workflow.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is typical for roles requiring significant collaboration and access to specific hardware/software, common in creative and operations environments. The mention of "Convivial Brands Corporate HQ" implies a central hub where key strategic and creative operations are managed.

πŸ“„ Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Application Screening: Review of resume and portfolio against stated qualifications.

  • Portfolio Review & Discussion: A dedicated session to walk through selected portfolio pieces, focusing on design process, conceptual thinking, and problem-solving. Be prepared to discuss how your designs align with brand strategy and marketing objectives.

  • Skills Assessment/Creative Challenge: Potential for a practical design exercise or a case study to evaluate design skills, speed, and ability to meet specific creative briefs under timed conditions. This may involve creating a sample asset for a hypothetical campaign.

  • Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with potential collaborators from Marketing, Sales, or other Creative team members to assess communication style, teamwork, and cultural fit.

  • Final Interview: Likely with the hiring manager or department head to discuss role expectations, career growth, and overall fit within the organization.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Curate Strategically: Select 5-8 of your strongest projects that best represent your skills in brand design, multi-channel asset creation, and strategic thinking. Tailor selections to highlight experience with consumer goods or similar industries if possible.

  • Showcase Process: For each project, clearly articulate the brief, your role, the conceptual ideation process, design challenges faced, and the final solution. Use visuals to illustrate key stages.

  • Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics or results that demonstrate the effectiveness of your designs (e.g., increased engagement, improved conversion rates, successful campaign launch).

  • Highlight Collaboration: Be ready to discuss how you collaborated with teams, received feedback, and incorporated it into your work.

  • Demonstrate Brand Fluency: Show examples of how you've successfully adapted designs to fit different brand identities or marketing contexts.

Challenge Preparation:

  • Understand the Brief: Carefully read and analyze any creative brief provided for a design challenge. Ask clarifying questions if needed.

  • Time Management: Allocate your time wisely between conceptualization, design, and refinement.

  • Brand Alignment: Ensure your solution strictly adheres to the specified brand guidelines or, if creating for a hypothetical scenario, establish clear brand principles.

  • Presentation Ready: Prepare to present your work concisely, explaining your rationale and design choices.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The emphasis in the original description on "marketing-funnel execution" and "recognize bottlenecks" suggests that interviewers may probe into how the candidate's design process contributes to operational efficiency and overall marketing effectiveness, not just aesthetic quality.

πŸ›  Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Adobe Creative Suite:

    • Adobe InDesign: Essential for layout design in catalogs, print materials, and multi-page documents.
    • Adobe Illustrator: Critical for creating vector graphics, logos, icons, and illustrations used across various platforms.
    • Adobe Photoshop: Fundamental for image editing, manipulation, and creating raster-based graphics for digital and print.
  • Microsoft Office Suite: Proficiency in Word (for copy integration), PowerPoint (for presentations and mockups), and Excel (for data understanding and potential asset tracking).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

Other Potential Tools (Preferred):

  • Motion Design Software: Adobe After Effects, Apple Motion.

  • 3D Design Software: Blender, Cinema 4D, or similar.

  • Project Management Tools: Asana, Trello, Monday.com (for workflow tracking).

  • Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems: Familiarity with DAM principles or specific systems.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The "Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop)" is a core requirement. The mention of "motion design and 3D tools a plus" indicates areas where candidates can differentiate themselves. The implicit need to understand "workflow of Convivial Brands" and "marketing-funnel execution" suggests that familiarity with workflow and asset management tools would be advantageous.

πŸ‘₯ Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • Brand Integrity: A deep commitment to upholding and elevating brand standards across all creative outputs.

  • Collaboration & Teamwork: Valuing open communication, constructive feedback, and mutual support within the creative and cross-functional teams.

  • Innovation & Adaptability: Encouraging fresh ideas and the flexibility to adapt to evolving market trends and business needs.

  • Efficiency & Effectiveness: A focus on delivering high-quality work on time and within budget, contributing to the overall efficiency of marketing operations.

  • Customer-Centricity: Designing with the end consumer and retailer in mind, aiming to drive engagement and achieve business goals.

Collaboration Style:

  • Proactive Communication: Encouraging open dialogue and proactive updates on project status and potential challenges.

  • Constructive Feedback Culture: A willingness to both give and receive respectful, constructive feedback to improve creative outcomes and processes.

  • Cross-Functional Integration: Working seamlessly with Marketing, Sales, and other departments to ensure creative assets align with broader business strategies.

  • Flexible and Adaptable: Embracing changes in project scope or direction to ensure the best outcome for the organization and its brands.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The company's stated values ("Adheres to all Convivial Brands Policies and Procedures," "Conducts self in a manner consistent with Convivial Brands’ Core Values," "Maintains a positive and respectful attitude") combined with the role's responsibilities emphasize a culture that balances creative freedom with operational discipline and a strong focus on business objectives.

⚑ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Multi-Brand Management: Effectively managing and creating distinct visual identities for multiple brands within the Convivial Brands portfolio, ensuring consistency while allowing for brand-specific nuances.

  • Balancing Creativity with ROI: Translating creative vision into assets that demonstrably contribute to marketing and sales objectives, requiring an understanding of conversion-focused design.

  • Rapid Trend Adaptation: Staying ahead of fast-paced digital and design trends to ensure content remains relevant and engaging for diverse audiences.

  • Workflow Bottlenecks: Identifying and helping to resolve inefficiencies in the content creation and distribution pipeline, a potential operational challenge.

  • Feedback Integration: Navigating diverse stakeholder feedback to produce designs that satisfy multiple perspectives while maintaining strategic integrity.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunities to deepen skills in motion graphics, 3D design, or advanced digital illustration.

  • Marketing Strategy Exposure: Gaining a deeper understanding of go-to-market strategies, campaign planning, and the role of creative assets in driving business outcomes.

  • Operations Process Improvement: Developing skills in workflow analysis, asset management, and process optimization within a marketing context.

  • Industry Conferences & Workshops: Potential to attend industry events focused on design, marketing, and consumer trends.

  • Cross-Training: Opportunities to learn about different product categories and their specific marketing needs.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: The challenges listed are specific to a designer operating within a marketing and brand operations framework, requiring not just creative talent but also strategic thinking and an awareness of operational efficiency.

πŸ’‘ Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • "Describe a time you had to develop creative assets for multiple brands with distinct identities. How did you ensure brand consistency while also differentiating each brand?" (Focus on your process, brand guidelines understanding, and strategic approach).

  • "How do you balance creative execution with marketing objectives and deadlines? Can you provide an example where your design directly contributed to a business goal like consumer engagement or conversion?" (Highlight your understanding of results-driven design and project management).

Company & Culture Questions:

  • "What do you know about Convivial Brands and our product categories? How would you approach designing for brands in the home decor and giftware space?" (Research the company's brands and market positioning).

  • "How do you approach receiving and giving constructive feedback from team members and stakeholders?" (Emphasize your collaborative spirit and openness to different perspectives).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Narrative Arc: For each project, tell a story: the challenge, your solution, and the outcome.

  • Highlight Operations: Point out where your design process involved efficiency, collaboration, or contributed to a larger marketing operation.

  • Showcase Versatility: Demonstrate your ability to create assets for different channels (digital, print, social) and for different brand needs.

  • Quantify if Possible: If you have metrics on engagement, click-through rates, or campaign success tied to your designs, be ready to share them.

  • Be Prepared for Technical Questions: Discuss your proficiency with specific Adobe Creative Suite tools and any other relevant software.

πŸ“ Enhancement Note: Interview questions will likely assess not only design skills but also the candidate's understanding of marketing strategy, operational efficiency, and their ability to integrate creative work into broader business objectives.

πŸ“Œ Application Steps

To apply for this Creative Content Designer position:

  • Submit your application through the provided link on Paycom.

  • Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to showcase projects that demonstrate your ability to manage multiple brands, create multi-channel assets, and understand the strategic impact of design on marketing goals. Include examples illustrating your workflow and problem-solving approach.

  • Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly highlights your 3+ years of experience, proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, experience in a marketing/design firm, and any contributions to brand strategy or workflow improvement. Use keywords from the job description.

  • Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, collaborative experiences, and how your work drives business results. Prepare specific examples for behavioral and situational interview questions.

  • Company Research: Thoroughly research Convivial Brands, its various product lines, and its market presence to demonstrate genuine interest and understanding during the interview process.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

Application Requirements

A Bachelor's Degree in Graphic Design or a related field is required, along with 3+ years of experience in a creative team environment. Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and strong design skills are essential.