Join the hundreds of talented and innovative team members who are making an impact every day at California Times, incorporating Los Angeles Times. Whether you love to tell compelling stories or want to drive our award-winning powerhouse in new directions, the Los Angeles Times team is the place to be.
Job Description Summary
The Los Angeles Times is seeking an art director to join its news design team. The ideal candidate has experience working in digital media, commissioning and art-directing illustrations, with a portfolio that shows off high-level skills in design, typography and visual storytelling. This person will be comfortable working under the deadlines of a busy newsroom and be willing to roll up their sleeves when needed to build story layouts for our digital stories, design branding for newsletters or podcasts and create photo illustrations. We want to make the visual voice of the Los Angeles Times truly special - a creative reflection of Los Angeles - and are looking for an energetic collaborator to join our team.
Want more jobs like this?
Get Arts jobs in El Segundo, CA delivered to your inbox every week.
Job Description
In this role you will:
- Design, art-direct and coordinate projects and the digital builds of our stories using our CMS
- Collaborate with copy editors, assigning editors, reporters, website producers, graphics editors and photo/visual journalists to tell stories with impact
- Design and art-direct A1 as well as section covers and inside pages for the California, Business, Sports and Opinion sections, booking as necessary
- Commission and art-direct freelance illustrators
- Create photo illustrations for daily digital stories and social media
- Develop innovative design ideas and approaches to storytelling
- Organize and take the lead on digital design projects such as Instagram accounts or newsletters, as well as coach designers to do the same
- Create branding for new initiatives
- Seek out new illustrator portfolios to add to our inclusive database of illustrators, with an emphasis on L.A. artists
- Learn and follow style guidelines
- Work with design managers to ensure brand coherence
- Experiment with what we can do as digital designers
- A minimum of three years of experience at a comparable digital-first journalistic publication or website
- Previous experience with CCI Newsgate (CUE) or similar CMS
- Excellent time-management skills
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
- Strong editorial news judgment, impeccable journalistic instincts and an unimpeachable commitment to ethics
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment
- Demonstrated ability to design for daily digital stories and social media
- A portfolio of work that demonstrates excellence in photo editing, typography and art direction
- High energy and enthusiasm for journalism and visual storytelling
- A keen eye for current design trends and the ability to create designs in a variety of styles
- Ability to work on a tight deadline, especially in breaking news situations
- Strong working knowledge of design software such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
- Positive self-starter capable of performing under pressure and making good decisions
- Experience with animation, motion graphics or After Effects a plus
Qualified candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and portfolio to Deputy Design Director Allison Hong at the apply link. Please note, the opportunity to attach additional documents appears on the third screen and is labeled "Upload."
The L.A. Times is an equal employment opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We actively work to create an inclusive environment where all of our employees can thrive. Explore our company history, achievement, values, mission and more on our career site.
The pay scale the Company reasonably expects to pay for this position at the time of the posting is $36.82 - $45.77 and takes into account a wide range of factors including but not limited to skill set, experience, training, licenses, certifications, and other business or organizational needs. Compensation will be determined based on the above factors along with the requirements of the position. At The L.A. Times, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role. Please visit our career site to view the benefits available to our employees.
The Company is a mandatory vaccination employer for COVID-19 and its variants. The Company requires that its employees be fully vaccinated as of their start date. If you require a medical or religious accommodation, we will engage in the interactive process with you. Proof of vaccination will be required prior to start. If we make you an offer and you are not yet vaccinated, we will accommodate a delay in start date.
Thank you for your interest in joining our team at the Los Angeles Times! We look forward to reviewing your application.