Job Description

Ogilvy Johannesburg is seeking a curious, craft-driven freelance Mid-Weight Designer to join our Creative team. The role translates business challenges, audience insights and creative concepts into distinctive, effective design across integrated campaigns and brand experiences.

Working under the guidance of senior creative leadership and in partnership with art directors, copywriters, strategists, account teams and production specialists, the Mid-Weight Designer contributes ideas as well as hands-on design execution. The role is expected to apply strong visual judgement, protect brand consistency and deliver polished work across print, digital, social, motion and emerging formats.

The ideal candidate combines sound design fundamentals, cultural awareness, technical proficiency and dependable delivery. They can interpret a brief, explore more than one visual route, explain their design choices, respond constructively to feedback and manage multiple assignments with appropriate support.

Responsibilities:

1. Conceptual thinking and design development:

• Interpret creative briefs, brand strategy and audience insights to identify relevant visual opportunities and design territories.
• Contribute original ideas during brainstorms, creative reviews, pitches and proactive development sessions.
• Translate creative concepts into clear design approaches, visual systems, layouts and channel-relevant executions.
• Develop multiple visual routes that demonstrate considered problem-solving rather than relying on a single execution.
• Test design solutions for clarity, originality, cultural relevance, accessibility, brand alignment and adaptability across channels.
• Apply design thinking beyond decoration, ensuring that visual choices support the communication objective and intended audience response.

1. Visual design craft and brand stewardship

• Create high-quality design work across print, digital, social, presentation, environmental and selected motion formats.
• Apply strong typography, composition, colour, imagery, visual hierarchy and layout principles.
• Develop key visuals, design systems, templates, mock-ups and presentation-ready assets that communicate the idea convincingly.
• Interpret and apply brand guidelines consistently while identifying opportunities to keep the work fresh and relevant.
• Adapt central visual ideas across formats without reducing the work to mechanical resizing.
• Refine work for accuracy, consistency, legibility and craft before internal review or release.

1. Creative partnership and collaboration

• Work closely with art directors and copywriters so that visual and verbal thinking strengthen one another.
• Collaborate with strategy, social, experience, technology, media, account management and production teams to develop feasible, integrated solutions.
• Participate actively in work-in-progress sessions, share ideas openly and contribute constructive feedback to colleagues.
• Receive feedback professionally, ask clarifying questions where needed and translate direction into stronger design solutions.
• Work effectively with illustrators, photographers, animators, editors, developers and other specialist contributors when required.

1. Presentation and design rationale

• Prepare clear visual references, mood boards, design routes and supporting materials for internal and client presentations.
• Explain the thinking behind design decisions with reference to the brief, brand, audience and channel.
• Present work confidently in internal reviews and contribute appropriately in client meetings and pitches.
• Respond constructively to questions and feedback while maintaining the integrity of the approved idea.
• Use references, prototypes and AI-enabled outputs responsibly as development aids, not as substitutes for original design judgement.

1. Production, technical execution and delivery

• Prepare accurate, organized and production-ready artwork in line with agreed specifications and approval processes.
• Partner with production specialists to ensure creative intent is maintained through artwork, animation, development, print or post-production.
• Conduct quality checks covering copy placement, typography, colour, resolution, dimensions, file formats and brand consistency.
• Maintain clear file structures, naming conventions, version control and archiving of design assets.
• Balance creative ambition with timelines, budgets, technical requirements and production realities.
• Flag risks, missing inputs or timing concerns early and recommend practical solutions.

1. Growth, contribution and creative culture

• Manage own workload across several briefs, prioritizing effectively and delivering reliably against agreed timelines.
• Seek feedback and apply it to strengthen conceptual thinking, design craft, presentation and technical capability.
• Share relevant developments in design, culture, technology, platforms and audience behavior with the wider team.
• Support junior designers through day-to-day knowledge sharing and constructive peer feedback, without carrying formal people-management accountability.
• Contribute to an inclusive creative environment in which ideas can be challenged respectfully.
• Demonstrate curiosity, accountability, attention to detail and consistently high standards of professional conduct.

Role requirements:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in graphic design, visual communication, creative brand communication or a related field, or an equivalent portfolio of professional work.
• Recommended 3-5 years of relevant design experience in an agency, studio, in-house brand team or integrated creative environment, subject to alignment with the organization's grading framework.
• A portfolio demonstrating strong design fundamentals, visual problem-solving and versatility across more than one channel or format.
• Evidence of contributing to integrated campaigns, brand systems or multi-format creative work, not only isolated design pieces.
• Strong working knowledge of typography, composition, colour, imagery, layout, visual hierarchy and brand systems.
• Proficiency in relevant Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
• Working knowledge of motion, prototyping, presentation or digital design tools is advantageous.
• Ability to interpret briefs, develop visual routes and progress work with guidance from senior creative leadership.
• Clear communication, collaboration and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments while maintaining quality, organization and deadline discipline.
• Working knowledge of AI-enabled creative tools, with sound judgement regarding originality, intellectual property, representation, confidentiality, brand integrity and human oversight.