Senior Associate - Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Associate - Graphic Designer Company: Only Much Louder (OML) Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Job Type: FULL_TIME Category: Creative & Media / Art & Design / Marketing Date Posted: 2025-10-03 Experience Level: 2-5 Years Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Design visually compelling graphics for diverse social media platforms to enhance brand presence and engagement.
• Collaborate with content creators and senior designers to develop innovative visual assets for campaigns and digital content.
• Adapt and refine existing designs into various formats suitable for multiple social media channels, ensuring brand consistency.
• Contribute to a dynamic creative agency environment by staying abreast of social media trends and visual storytelling techniques.
• Utilize a blend of 2D and 3D design skills to produce high-quality, impactful visual content for clients and internal projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "MO" team within OML focuses on creating cultural moments for brands, suggesting this role will be involved in highly creative, trend-driven social media content that moves beyond traditional advertising. The emphasis on 3D design and compositing indicates a need for advanced visual capabilities.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Social Media Graphic Creation: Develop eye-catching graphics for platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube, strictly adhering to established brand guidelines.
• Campaign Content Development: Support the social media and design teams by creating visual elements for campaigns, posts, banners, stories, and advertisements.
• Format Adaptation: Efficiently transform and adapt existing designs into multiple formats and sizes tailored for specific social media channels and their unique requirements.
• Trend Integration: Proactively research and incorporate current social media trends, visual styles, and platform best practices into design concepts to ensure content remains fresh and relevant.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with content writers, motion designers, and senior designers to ensure all visual outputs are cohesive, high-quality, and aligned with project objectives.
• Design Iteration & Feedback: Actively solicit and incorporate feedback from senior designers and creative leads, demonstrating the ability to iterate designs quickly while maintaining meticulous attention to detail.
• Ideation to Implementation: Contribute to design projects from the initial ideation phase through to final implementation and delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility to "adapt existing designs into multiple formats" suggests a need for efficient workflow and understanding of design systems. The requirement to "stay updated on social media trends" points towards a role that requires creativity and a proactive approach to visual communication in a fast-evolving digital landscape.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mentioned, a strong portfolio demonstrating technical skills and creative aptitude is paramount. Candidates with degrees in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or related fields may have a foundational advantage.

Experience: 2-3 years of professional graphic design experience, with a specific focus on social media content and digital design. Experience in 3D design and compositing is a key requirement.

Required Skills:

• Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for 2D graphic creation.
• Experience with Adobe InDesign for layout and design.
• Competency in Adobe After Effects for motion graphics elements.
• Strong foundational skills in 3D design and compositing.
• Experience with particle and/or shader effects.
• Ability to create engaging presentation designs, particularly using Google Slides.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple projects simultaneously with shifting priorities.
• Excellent collaboration, organization, and self-motivation skills.
• Clear and effective communication skills, preferably in English.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Houdini for advanced 3D and visual effects work.
• Familiarity with WordPress and other content management systems.
• Ability to represent the company in client conversations and receive feedback constructively.
• Capability to ask clarifying questions to clients for better project understanding.
• Experience in contributing to design projects from ideation through implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "2-3 years of industry 3D design and compositing experience" and "Competency with particle and/or shader effects. Houdini is a plus" indicates that while general graphic design is essential, a significant portion of the role will involve advanced 3D rendering and visual effects. The ability to combine 2D and 3D tasks fluidly is also a crucial differentiator.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A robust portfolio showcasing a breadth of experience in both 2D and 3D design, with a strong emphasis on social media-ready graphics.
• Demonstrated quality of craft in visual execution, including typography, color theory, and composition.
• Specific examples of 3D design work, product-oriented designs, and compositing projects.
• Visuals that highlight an understanding of social media platform aesthetics and best practices.
• Case studies or examples that illustrate the process from brief to final design, showing problem-solving and creative thinking.

Process Documentation:

• Ability to articulate the design process, from concept generation and mood boarding to execution and final delivery.
• Examples of how feedback was incorporated to iterate and improve designs.
• Understanding of workflow management for multiple projects and deadlines.
• Showcase proficiency in adapting designs for various digital formats and specifications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a portfolio demonstrating "quality of craft and breadth of experience in 3D and product oriented design" is critical. Candidates should curate their portfolios to prominently feature their 3D capabilities and any work that involved product visualization or campaign assets that required a high degree of polish and technical skill.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: For a Senior Associate Graphic Designer with 2-3 years of experience in Mumbai, India, the estimated annual salary range is INR 6,00,000 to INR 10,00,000. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific skill set, portfolio strength, and the depth of their 3D design and compositing experience.

Benefits:

• Full-time Employment: Standard benefits associated with full-time roles in India.
• Creative Work Environment: Opportunity to work in a leading creative and entertainment business network, contributing to pop culture and cultural moments.
• Professional Development: Potential for continuous learning and skill enhancement, especially in advanced design techniques and social media trends.
• Collaborative Culture: Work within a team of creative professionals, fostering a dynamic and engaging work environment.
• Brand Exposure: Opportunity to work with prominent brands and contribute to impactful campaigns.

Working Hours: The standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, aligning with industry norms. However, the fast-paced nature of the creative and social media environment may require flexibility to meet project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimation is based on industry benchmarks for graphic designers with 2-3 years of experience in Mumbai, India, considering the specialized skills in 3D design and compositing, which typically command a higher compensation. Benefits are inferred from the company's description as a leading entertainment business network.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Entertainment, Digital Media, Advertising, Artist Management, Content Production. OML operates at the intersection of these industries, creating a unique environment focused on pop culture and emerging trends.

Company Size: OML is a well-established entity that has grown significantly over two decades. While specific employee numbers aren't provided, its operations span multiple business verticals (Artist Management, Content Studio, Advertising, Branded Content) and international presence, suggesting a medium to large-sized organization with specialized teams.

Founded: Only Much Louder Entertainment was founded over two decades ago, establishing itself as a pioneer in India's independent music and comedy scene and expanding into content production and branded entertainment.

Team Structure:

• MO (Social Media) Team: This role is part of the "MO" team, described as a creative agency within OML focused on brands and cultural moments. This suggests a dedicated unit working on client-facing social media strategies and content creation.
• Reporting: The Senior Associate Graphic Designer will likely report to a Creative Lead or Senior Designer within the MO team. Collaboration will occur with content writers and motion designers.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role requires close collaboration with various internal teams, including content creators, social media managers, and potentially client servicing teams, to ensure visual content aligns with brand objectives and campaign strategies.

Methodology:

• Culture-First Approach: OML and its agency MO emphasize building ideas "inside culture, not outside it," meaning their creative process is deeply rooted in understanding current trends, audience behavior, and cultural relevance.
• Data-Informed Creativity: While creativity is paramount, the focus on social media and branded content implies an underlying need to understand performance metrics and audience engagement to inform design decisions.
• Agile & Iterative: The fast-paced nature of social media and the entertainment industry suggests an agile approach to content creation, involving rapid iteration based on feedback and evolving trends.

Company Website: https://oml.in/

📝 Enhancement Note: OML's history of building scenes from the ground up (music, comedy) and its award-winning content ("Dewarists") highlight a culture of innovation and pioneering spirit. The MO agency's mission to create "cultural moments" for brands suggests a creative, forward-thinking, and collaborative environment where visual design plays a pivotal role in shaping brand narratives.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Senior Associate," indicating an intermediate level of experience and responsibility. It suggests a designer who is beyond entry-level, capable of independent work on specific tasks, and has developed a foundational understanding of design principles and industry tools.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Associate will report to more senior members of the design or creative team (e.g., Creative Lead, Senior Designer). This structure provides mentorship and guidance while allowing the associate to take ownership of assigned design tasks.

Operations Impact: In the context of marketing and social media, this Graphic Designer's work directly impacts brand perception, audience engagement, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. High-quality, on-brand visuals are crucial for capturing attention on social media and for brands to resonate culturally. The role contributes to creating "cultural moments" for clients, a key differentiator for OML's MO agency.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Potential to deepen expertise in 3D design, animation, motion graphics, or specific visual effects techniques through hands-on experience and further training.
• Creative Leadership: Progression to a Lead Designer or Art Director role, overseeing projects and mentoring junior designers.
• Broader Creative Involvement: Opportunities to contribute to longer-form content projects or larger branded entertainment initiatives within OML.
• Client Interaction: Development of client-facing skills, potentially leading to roles with more direct client management responsibilities.
• Industry Exposure: Gaining experience with a diverse range of clients and industries within OML's portfolio, expanding professional network and portfolio diversity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior Associate" title, combined with the 2-3 years of experience and the emphasis on specific advanced skills like 3D design and compositing, suggests this is a role designed to develop specialized talent within the agency. Growth would likely involve taking on more complex projects and potentially leading design elements for campaigns.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Given the "On-site" work arrangement and the nature of a creative agency, the workspace is likely to be a vibrant, collaborative office environment designed to foster creativity and teamwork. This could include open-plan areas, dedicated design studios, and meeting spaces.

Office Location(s): The role is based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. This is a major metropolitan hub, offering access to talent, industry events, and a dynamic cultural scene that aligns with OML's focus.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: Expect a dynamic workspace where designers, content creators, and strategists work closely together. This fosters idea exchange and rapid prototyping of creative concepts.
• Tool & Technology Access: Access to industry-standard design software (Adobe Creative Suite, potentially 3D software) and hardware necessary for high-quality graphic production.
• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities for brainstorming sessions, design critiques, and project reviews with senior team members and peers. This environment is conducive to learning and professional development.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, typically implying a standard 5-day work week. However, creative agencies often operate in a project-driven manner, which may necessitate occasional flexibility in working hours to meet campaign deadlines or client demands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on OML's culture and the MO agency's mission to create "cultural moments" suggests an environment that is energetic, trend-conscious, and perhaps a bit unconventional, reflecting the entertainment and creative industries.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess technical skills, experience, and creative fit.
2. Technical Assessment/Portfolio Review: A deeper dive into the candidate's portfolio, potentially involving a discussion about specific projects, design choices, and problem-solving approaches. This stage will heavily scrutinize 3D design and compositing capabilities.
3. Creative Challenge/Task: Candidates may be asked to complete a short design task or case study relevant to social media graphics or a specific client brief to evaluate their practical skills and creative thinking under pressure.
4. Team/Manager Interview: Discussion focusing on collaboration, problem-solving, cultural fit, and understanding of social media trends. This stage will also assess communication skills and ability to handle feedback.
5. Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader, focusing on career aspirations, alignment with company values, and overall suitability for the role and OML's culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight 3D & Compositing: Ensure your portfolio prominently features your strongest 3D design, compositing, and visual effects work. Clearly label projects and detail your role and the tools used.
• Showcase Social Media Adaptability: Include examples of graphics designed specifically for different social media platforms, demonstrating your understanding of their formats and best practices.
• Detail Your Process: For key projects, briefly explain your design process, from understanding the brief to execution and iteration. Show how you handled challenges or incorporated feedback.
• Quality Over Quantity: Select a curated set of your best work that aligns with the role's requirements, rather than including everything you've ever done.
• Visual Storytelling: Present your portfolio in a clean, visually appealing, and easy-to-navigate format. Use concise descriptions that highlight your achievements and skills.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand OML's Brand & MO's Mission: Research OML, its history, and the "MO" agency's focus on creating cultural moments for brands. Understand their typical aesthetic and target audience.
• Social Media Trend Awareness: Be prepared to discuss current and emerging trends in social media visuals, design styles, and platform-specific content formats.
• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate questions about how you would approach designing for a specific brand or challenge, or how you handle tight deadlines and client feedback.
• Technical Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your proficiency with the mentioned software (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and ideally 3D tools).

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "client conversations" and "asking the right questions" suggests that candidates with strong communication and client-handling potential will be highly valued, even in a Senior Associate role. The portfolio review will be rigorous, with a specific focus on advanced 3D and compositing skills.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

• Adobe Photoshop: Essential for raster image editing, manipulation, and digital painting.
• Adobe Illustrator: Crucial for vector graphics, logos, icons, and scalable illustrations.
• Adobe InDesign: Used for layout design, particularly for multi-page documents or more complex graphical layouts.
• Adobe After Effects: Key for motion graphics, animation, and visual effects integration.
• 3D Design Software: Proficiency in 3D modeling, rendering, and compositing tools is required. While not explicitly named beyond Houdini as a plus, common industry tools include Blender, Cinema 4D, Maya, or 3ds Max.
• Google Slides: Required for presentation design, indicating a need for clear, visually appealing slide decks for internal and potentially client presentations.

Analytics & Reporting (Indirect):

• While not directly using analytics tools, understanding how designs perform on social media (e.g., engagement rates, reach) will be beneficial for informing future creative decisions.

CRM & Automation (Indirect):

• Familiarity with content management systems (CMS) like WordPress is a plus, suggesting an awareness of how creative assets are deployed on digital platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit requirement for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects, coupled with the strong emphasis on 3D design, compositing, and particle/shader effects (with Houdini as a bonus), defines the core technical toolkit for this role. Proficiency across this spectrum, especially in 3D, will be a key differentiator.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Reliability & Efficiency: OML values building opportunities through being reliable and efficient, implying a need for designers who can deliver quality work on time and manage their projects effectively.
• Honesty, Excellence & Commitment: These core values suggest a commitment to high-quality work, integrity in client dealings, and dedication to achieving success.
• Proactive & Ownership Mentality: The "It's not my job" phrase being absent highlights a culture of taking initiative, helping out where needed, and demonstrating a strong sense of ownership over tasks and projects.
• Resilience & Learning: Mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, fostering an environment where experimentation is encouraged, and continuous improvement is valued.
• Care & Wellbeing: A commitment to taking care of oneself and colleagues indicates a supportive and empathetic work environment.
• Self-Management: The value of being "our own managers" emphasizes autonomy, responsibility, and the ability to work independently and manage one's own workflow.
• Equality & Inclusion: OML is committed to equality and inclusion, as evidenced by their application process instructions. This suggests a diverse and respectful workplace.
• Environmental Consciousness: A commitment to mindful resource usage and reversing environmental impact aligns with modern corporate social responsibility.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires working closely with content writers and motion designers, indicating a highly collaborative workflow where different creative disciplines converge.
• Feedback-Oriented: The culture values constructive feedback for design iteration and growth, suggesting open communication and a willingness to learn from peers and seniors.
• Proactive Contribution: The emphasis on ownership and efficiency encourages team members to proactively contribute ideas and solutions, fostering an environment of shared creativity and problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values, particularly "we make mistakes, but only to learn from them" and "we are our own managers," point to a culture that balances accountability with autonomy and encourages a growth mindset. This is crucial for a creative role where experimentation and continuous learning are key.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Rapid Trend Cycles: Staying current with the ever-evolving visual trends and platform features on social media requires continuous learning and adaptation.
• Balancing Creativity & Brand Consistency: Effectively merging creative expression with strict brand guidelines and client objectives can be a constant challenge.
• Managing Multiple Projects: Juggling diverse projects with competing deadlines while maintaining high quality and attention to detail is inherent in agency work.
• Technical Skill Evolution: The demand for advanced skills like 3D design and compositing means continuous skill development is necessary to remain competitive.
• Client Communication Nuances: Effectively interpreting client feedback and translating it into design solutions, especially when dealing with subjective aesthetic preferences, can be demanding.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced 3D & VFX Training: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specialized 3D software (like Houdini) and advanced compositing techniques through hands-on experience and potential company-sponsored training.
• Social Media Strategy Insights: Gaining a deeper understanding of how visual design contributes to broader social media strategies and campaign success.
• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Learning from motion designers, content writers, and strategists to foster a holistic understanding of content creation.
• Client Collaboration Skills: Developing stronger communication and presentation skills through direct or indirect client interaction.
• Portfolio Enhancement: Consistently working on diverse projects for OML's clients provides ample opportunity to build a strong, varied portfolio.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge will be to consistently produce innovative and high-quality visual content that meets both OML's creative standards and client expectations within a fast-paced social media environment, while continuously upskilling in advanced 3D and compositing techniques.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design Process & Problem Solving: Be prepared to walk through your design process for key portfolio pieces, explaining your rationale, the tools used, and how you overcame any challenges. For example: "Describe a time you had to create a visually complex graphic for a social media campaign under a tight deadline. What was your approach?"
• Collaboration & Feedback: Expect questions about how you handle feedback and collaborate with teams. Example: "How do you incorporate constructive criticism from senior designers or clients into your work?" or "Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with a motion designer or content writer. What was the outcome?"
• Trend Awareness: Be ready to discuss your favorite social media design trends, why they work, and how you would apply them. Example: "What current social media visual trends excite you, and how could OML's clients benefit from them?"
• 3D & Technical Skills: Prepare to discuss your experience with 3D design, compositing, and specific software like Houdini. Example: "Can you detail a project where you utilized particle or shader effects? What was the impact?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• Alignment with Values: Research OML's values (reliability, excellence, ownership, learning from mistakes, etc.) and be ready to provide examples of how your work style and past experiences align with them. Example: "How do you demonstrate 'ownership' in your design work?"
• Understanding of OML/MO: Show you understand OML's position in the entertainment industry and MO's mission for brands. Example: "What interests you about OML's approach to creating cultural moments for brands?"
• Fast-Paced Environment: Discuss your experience working in dynamic environments and how you maintain focus and quality.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Curate for Relevance: Select projects that best showcase your social media graphic design skills, especially your 3D capabilities, compositing, and adaptability across platforms.
• Storytelling: For each project, articulate the brief, your creative solution, the tools used, your specific contribution, and the outcome or impact.
• Highlight 3D & Technical Prowess: Ensure your 3D work is clearly presented and that you can speak confidently about the technical aspects, such as rendering, texturing, and compositing.
• Concise & Engaging: Present your portfolio clearly and concisely. Be prepared for the interviewer to ask specific questions about projects, so be ready to elaborate.

Challenge Preparation:

• Practical Design Task: If a design task is given, focus on understanding the brief thoroughly. Prioritize clarity, visual appeal, and adherence to any specified brand guidelines or platform constraints.
• Time Management: Practice managing your time effectively to complete the task within the given timeframe.
• Articulation: Be ready to explain your design choices and rationale for the task, demonstrating your thought process and problem-solving skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will likely heavily weight the portfolio and practical skills, especially in 3D design and compositing. Demonstrating an understanding of social media trends and OML's unique cultural-first approach will be crucial for making a lasting impression.