At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to eliminate the back row in education – and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class digital education at scale. As the parent company of edX, the world’s leading online learning platform, 2U powers more than 4,000 online higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with more than 230 colleges, universities, and corporate partners, we are helping to unlock human potential.
What We’re Looking For:
We're seeking a passionate and motivated Graphic Designer to join our growing creative team. The Graphic Designer is responsible for conceptualizing and designing creative collateral for 2U's portfolio of products and associated brands, spanning diverse digital platforms. This position sits on the design team within the Creative Marketing Group.
The Creative Marketing Group is a full-service in-house agency supporting all marketing efforts across the 2U and edX portfolios of programs and products. As strategic partners with our marketing stakeholders, we seek collaborative solutions to elevate our creativity and drive our business.
Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:
1. Hands-on Execution
- Execute the design of visually captivating and cohesive marketing assets, including brand identity style guides, websites, advertising materials, emails, social media/digital ads, and occasionally print layouts, for 2U's diverse product portfolio and associated brands.
- Ensure visual distinctiveness by actively exploring novel visual solutions that elevate 2U's product portfolio and associated brands.
- Establish and maintain consistent visual identities for 2U's product portfolio and associated brands, ensuring their impactful application across various channels.
- Analyze creative briefs and past performance data to deliver work that aligns with the needs of marketing stakeholders.
- Efficiently manage multiple project deadlines across various programs, ensuring timely delivery and completion of all tasks.
- Present work to stakeholders with persuasive rationales that effectively communicate the creative decisions made and align them with marketing strategies.
- Participate in productive conceptual brainstorming sessions to foster and inspire innovative ideas that drive the creative process forward.
2. Collaboration and Relationship Building
- Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with the team and stakeholders, fostering collaboration and mutual trust.
- Communicate concepts, ideas, training, and processes clearly and professionally to internal and external team stakeholders.
- Collaborate with UX/UI team members and front-end developers to generate forward-thinking solutions that push the boundaries of our web designs.
- Promote a positive, collaborative relationship between designers and writers.
3. Mentorship
- Act as a mentor for less experienced designers, providing guidance and support.
- Thoroughly review work to ensure conceptual alignment, style consistency, readability/scannability, hierarchy, and adherence to design principles and best practices. Offer strategic and constructive feedback to designers during work reviews and critiques, fostering a respectful and collaborative environment that supports their growth and development.
- Stay informed of industry trends—and regularly share best practices, trends, and new technologies with the team.
Things That Should Be In Your Background:
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's Degree in a related field is required.
- 3-5 years of industry relevant experience
Technical Skills:
- Expert-level skills in Adobe Creative Suite
- Proficiency in Figma
- Solid grasp of design principles, including composition, typography, and color theory
- Familiarity with digital production techniques, such as optimizing graphics for web and mobile platforms.
- Understanding of UX/UI design principles, including wireframing, prototyping, and creating intuitive user interfaces that enhance usability and user engagement.
- Proficiency in developing and maintaining visual brand identities, adhering to style guidelines, and consistently applying brand elements across different marketing materials.
- Proficiency in working with an industry-standard project management system to ensure efficient planning, organization, and execution of multimedia projects
- Proficiency in Google Office Suite for communication, documentation, and collaboration purposes.
Other Attributes That Will Help You In This Role:
- Understanding of marketing strategies and stages of the marketing funnel
- Demonstrated breadth of experience and advanced design skills, showcased through a strong portfolio.
- Proven experience collaborating with writers, photographers, multimedia talent, and production artists, as evidenced in your portfolio.
- Confidently present creative concepts and executions to internal teams.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills for conveying design concepts, providing feedback, and collaborating.
- Proven experience in creating and implementing brand guidelines across multiple channels.
- A keen eye for branding aesthetics and meticulous attention to detail.
- Strong conceptual and problem-solving abilities.
- Future-focused and purpose-driven mindset.
- Ability to thrive under pressure, meeting tight deadlines without compromising quality.
- Skilled in collaboration, actively seeking and incorporating feedback and direction.
- Excellent prioritization, multitasking, and organizational skills.
- High emotional intelligence (EQ) to navigate and collaborate effectively within a dynamic team and diverse stakeholder environment.
Benefits & Culture
Our global employee base is a diverse collection of innovators, dreamers, and doers working together to transform lives through higher education. We believe that every employee can advance our shared purpose, and that life at 2U should be fun and meaningful. If you’re excited by the opportunity to provide over 40 million learners and counting with access to world-class online higher education, then join us – and do work that makes a difference. #NoBackRow
We offer comprehensive benefits (unique per country) and excellent work/life balance.
Full-time, ZA benefits include: