EXPERIENCED GRAPHIC DESIGNER - ATHLETICS & ECOMMERCE

Full-Time | Corvallis, Oregon19.50-22.00/hour Design merchandise people actually wear. Corvallis Custom is looking for an experienced graphic designer to join our team and help create apparel and merchandise for collegiate athletic brands, student-athletes, organizations, and ecommerce partners. This is a hands-on creative position where you'll have the opportunity to take products from concept to launch. You'll create original merchandise designs, develop product artwork and mockups, work within collegiate licensing and brand requirements, prepare production-ready files, and help turn your designs into finished products sold through our ecommerce stores. We're especially interested in designers with experience in athletic apparel, collegiate merchandise, sports graphics, licensed merchandise, streetwear, or retail product design. Previous experience creating licensed collegiate merchandise or working with collegiate licensing is a major advantage. This is not an entry-level design position. We're looking for someone with the experience and judgment to independently produce professional creative work. However, we don't expect you to already know our ecommerce platforms and internal systems—we can teach those.

ABOUT CORVALLIS CUSTOM

Corvallis Custom is an established Oregon printing and merchandise company producing custom apparel, print, signage, promotional products, and ecommerce merchandise. We work with collegiate athletic programs, student-athletes, organizations, businesses, and other partners to create products and branded ecommerce experiences. We're a small team, which means this position offers something that's harder to find in a large creative department: ownership. You won't simply create a graphic and hand it to another department. You'll have the opportunity to see your work move from an idea on your screen through approval, production, ecommerce, and ultimately onto products people purchase and wear.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Merchandise & Athletic Design A major part of this position is creating merchandise.

You'll:

Create original apparel and merchandise designs for collegiate athletic brands, student-athletes, organizations, and ecommerce partners. Develop concepts based on brand guidelines, customer direction, current merchandise trends, and the intended audience. Design within established athletic and collegiate brand systems while still creating fresh, original products. Create collections and groups of products that work together visually. Adapt designs appropriately across garments, colors, print locations, and product types. Create professional product mockups and presentation graphics. Revise designs based on athlete, partner, customer, and licensing feedback. Help continually improve the quality and commercial appeal of the products we offer. We're looking for someone who understands that designing merchandise is different from simply creating a good-looking graphic. The finished design has to work on the product, meet production requirements, represent the brand correctly, and ultimately be something customers want to purchase. Product Development & Production Artwork You'll help take your designs from concept to something we can actually manufacture.

Responsibilities include:

Preparing production-ready artwork. Working with vector and raster artwork appropriately. Managing colors, typography, placement, sizing, and artwork specifications. Designing with screen printing and other production processes in mind. Preparing artwork for different garment colors and product configurations. Creating and maintaining organized working and production files. Creating product imagery and ecommerce-ready mockups. Following established file naming, organization, and production standards. Reviewing final artwork before it moves into production. Experience designing specifically for screen printing, apparel decoration, or merchandise production is highly desirable. Collegiate Licensing & Brand Compliance Many of the products we create are officially licensed. You'll help manage designs through the licensing and approval process, including: Designing within collegiate brand and licensing requirements. Reviewing artwork for brand compliance before submission. Submitting designs through CLC and other required approval processes. Communicating with license holders when necessary. Responding to requested revisions or rejected designs. Tracking design approvals. Maintaining accurate approval records. Ensuring licensed products have received the appropriate approval before publication or production. Helping manage periodic licensing renewals and resubmissions. Previous experience with CLC, collegiate licensing, or licensed merchandise is a major advantage, but we can train an experienced designer on our specific submission processes. Ecommerce Products & Stores Once products are approved, you'll help bring them to market. You'll work across our ecommerce brands to: Create new ecommerce products. Build and update product listings. Upload product imagery and mockups. Configure product options such as sizes and colors. Create and maintain product categories and collections. Build graphics and visual assets for ecommerce stores. Help set up new athlete, organization, partner, and merchandise stores. Review products and stores before launch. Maintain visual consistency and quality across our ecommerce properties. Troubleshoot routine product and store issues. Previous ecommerce experience is helpful but is not required. We can train the right designer on our ecommerce platform and internal systems. Marketing & Launch Creative You'll also create supporting graphics used to launch and promote the products you develop.

This may include:

Product-launch graphics. Social media graphics. Athlete merchandise announcements. Ecommerce banners and headers. Collection graphics. Promotional graphics. Reusable creative templates. Many of these workflows already have established templates and processes, allowing you to focus more of your creative time on product and merchandise design. Creative Leadership & Collaboration We're a small team, so you'll work closely with project managers, ecommerce staff, athlete marketing staff, production staff, and company leadership. You'll also occasionally provide creative direction to interns or junior team members.

This may include:

Delegating appropriate template-based or production-design projects. Reviewing work for quality and brand consistency. Providing clear creative feedback. Helping maintain and improve design templates. Documenting repeatable creative processes. Helping improve our design and product-development systems over time. Formal management experience is not required.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We're looking for an experienced designer with strong creative judgment who can take ownership of projects rather than requiring constant creative direction.

A strong candidate will have:

Professional graphic design experience. A strong portfolio demonstrating excellent design fundamentals. Advanced proficiency with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Strong typography, composition, color, and layout skills. Experience creating artwork intended for physical products. An understanding of vector and raster artwork and production file preparation. Strong attention to detail. The ability to work within established brand standards. The ability to manage several projects and deadlines simultaneously. Strong organizational and file-management habits. The ability to receive feedback and translate it into effective revisions. The ability to work independently while collaborating with a small team. A degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field is welcome, but equivalent professional experience and a strong portfolio are equally valuable.

EXPERIENCE WE ESPECIALLY VALUE

We're particularly interested in candidates with experience in one or more of the following: Collegiate athletics Licensed collegiate merchandise CLC licensing Athletic apparel Sports graphics Screen-print apparel design Streetwear Retail merchandise Ecommerce product development Apparel or promotional-products companies Collegiate bookstores or athletic departments You do not need experience in every area on this list. If you're a strong merchandise designer, we can teach you our ecommerce, licensing, and internal systems.

PORTFOLIO REQUIRED

Your portfolio will be an important part of our hiring decision. We're especially interested in seeing examples of: Apparel graphics Athletic or sports-related design Merchandise collections Licensed or brand-controlled work Typography-driven merchandise Finished products or product mockups Designs created within established brand guidelines If you have collegiate or professional sports merchandise in your portfolio, please identify the work you personally created and your role in the project. We value demonstrated design ability and relevant experience more than credentials alone.

COMPENSATION 19.00-22.00

per hour, full-time Starting compensation will be based on portfolio quality, relevant professional experience, apparel and merchandise experience, and the candidate's ability to independently manage the design-to-product workflow. Candidates with demonstrated collegiate licensing, athletic merchandise, apparel production, and ecommerce product-development experience may qualify toward the top of the range. Benefits Full-time employment Paid time off 3%

SIMPLE IRA

employer match Employee discounts Professional development and hands-on experience across design, merchandise, ecommerce, and licensed athletics

WHAT MAKES THIS POSITION DIFFERENT

At a large company, a designer may work on one small part of a product or campaign. Here, you'll see the entire process. Concept → Design → Approval → Licensing → Product → Ecommerce → Launch You'll have significant creative ownership and the opportunity to see products you designed move from your screen into production and ultimately onto customers, fans, and student-athletes. If you love sports, apparel, merchandise, and seeing your designs become real products, we'd like to see your work.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit: Your resume A link to your portfolio or portfolio PDF A short introduction telling us about your design background Any relevant experience with athletics, apparel, merchandise, ecommerce, or collegiate licensing Applications without a portfolio will not be considered. Corvallis Custom is an equal opportunity employer.

Pay:

$19.00 - $22.00 per hour Expected hours: 35.0 - 40.0 per week

Benefits:

Employee discount Flexible schedule Paid time off Professional development assistance Retirement plan

Work Location:

In person