Communications Design Contractor

COMMUNICATIONS DESIGN CONTRACTOR ABOUT THE ROLE Spherical is a transdisciplinary research and design studio working to regenerate the health and integrity of Earth's living systems. We are looking for a Communications Design Contractor to join our team for a six-month engagement. This designer will work closely with Spherical's Design Director and Senior Designer on two primary tracks of work: the ongoing design and production of Neighbors: A Living Infrastructure Magazine, and a range of brand and marketing design. This is a 32-40-hour/week remote contract position reporting directly to the Design Director. ABOUT NEIGHBORS MAGAZINE Neighbors https://livinginfrastructure.org/learn/ is a collection of stories from Angelenos about the futures we are building together. Produced by Spherical for the Living Infrastructure Field Kit, , the magazine uplifts examples of living infrastructure already taking shape through non-fiction, fiction, photography, and more. Neighbors launched in June 2026 and publishes new stories every two weeks. The design of Neighbors is bold, editorial, and deeply considered. It’s rooted in a strong typographic sensibility and a commitment to immersive digital storytelling. The right candidate will be excited to help shape and evolve a publication that is just getting started. SCOPE OF WORK NEIGHBORS MAGAZINE Under the direction of the Design Director, the Communications Design Contractor will help evolve the design of Neighbors and support the production of ongoing content: - Collaborate with editors, producers, and creatives to conceptualize and design immersive digital storytelling experiences for articles published every two weeks - Iterate existing templates for recurring story formats and design new templates for new story types - Collaborate with producers to translate stories into social media content that is on-brand, distinctive, and designed to perform across platforms - Evolve and maintain the Neighbors brand guidelines and style guide BRAND AND MARKETING Working under the direction of the Design Director, this designer will: - Contribute to engagements as directed, including brand identity, marketing materials, and social media design.

• Design page layouts and produce creative assets for the studio's website, social media, and blog - Design and produce a range of communications including presentation decks, email newsletters, and marketing collateral REQUIREMENTS EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION - Formal education in graphic design or a related field is a plus, though equivalent professional experience and a strong portfolio are equally valued.
• Demonstrated professional experience designing across digital mediums and formats - A strong portfolio demonstrating work across brand identity, communications, and digital content.

Location

• Highlight proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Figma by attaching a short, annotated PDF of a multi‑page magazine spread you designed (include page‑by‑page rationale) to demonstrate you can handle the layout, typographic hierarchy, and collaborative file‑sharing workflow Spherical uses for Neighbors.
• Build a mini‑case study that mirrors Spherical’s “Living Infrastructure” theme: choose a local community‑focused story, create a one‑page article layout, and write a brief brand‑voice brief that ties the visual language to sustainability values—include this in your portfolio and reference it in your cover letter to show alignment with their mission.
• Prepare a 5‑minute video walkthrough of your most relevant magazine project, emphasizing how you coordinated with editors, managed tight production schedules, and iterated based on feedback; embed the video link in your application to give the Design Director a concrete sense of your remote collaboration style.
• Research Spherical’s recent brand assets (logo, color palette, typography) on their website and social channels; during the interview, suggest one specific, low‑effort visual tweak for the Neighbors masthead or a social‑media teaser that improves readability while staying true to their existing brand system.
• When discussing compensation, reference the typical 32‑40 hr/week freelance rates for senior communications designers in the Bay Area (≈$65–$85 USD/hr) and propose a tiered milestone payment plan aligned with the magazine’s editorial calendar to demonstrate both market awareness and project‑management foresight.