Opening: Designer
Want to be part of a creative, motivated group of volunteers and play an active role in shaping Berlin’s indie publishing scene? Apply to join the SAND team as our new designer.
We’re looking for someone with strong design skills and an interest in literature and art, who is keen to gain further experience in publishing by working on our twice-annual print and digital journal. The role involves lots of collaboration with our editorial team, while also offering plenty of creative freedom.
Your role will begin with designing our 27th issue in Spring 2024. You will come up with a visual theme and template for the journal, then work closely with our editorial team to lay out the journal (approx. 144 pages) in a short period of time (approx. 9 weeks).
We’re a friendly, supportive team of 16 with a range of backgrounds and day jobs. We meet monthly as a full group and have a collaborative working style. Note that the whole SAND team works on an unpaid, volunteer basis – this isn’t our livelihood. The designer receives copies of the issue for their portfolio, as well as a design credit in the journal.
You should have most of the following:
- Experience in print design and working with Adobe InDesign
- Experience in (or interest in learning about) typesetting, particularly for literary and experimental writing
- Knowledge of how to prepare files and images for print and production
- Interest in literature and contemporary art
- A flexible schedule and availability in Spring 2024: April for preparing template, fonts, skeleton; May for completing an issue draft with content; early June for proofing and edits
- Good collaboration, communication, and organisational skills with the ability to work to tight deadlines
- Being Berlin-based is very preferable, though candidates based nearby are welcome to apply
Design features of the journal:
- SAND is A5 size, perfect bound, offset-printed in full CMYK colour, and approx. 144 pages including prose, poetry, and visual art
- Apart from some basic points of design consistency, especially related to the cover, spine, and front matter, our designers have an unusual amount of freedom to shape the visual aesthetic of each issue in terms of fonts, layouts, paper, and visual language
- We are interested in exploring new design possibilities and are excited to hear your ideas
If you are excited about this position but are not sure if you have all of the necessary qualifications or experience, please apply anyway!
Your tasks will include:
- Creating an unique, creative design for SAND, which also aligns with the journal’s voice and style.
- Adhering to the SAND design guidelines on issues such as cover/spine, introductory and concluding pages, and general layout specifications
- Working closely with the editorial team to lay out the journal between April and early June, including meeting individually with art, prose, and poetry editors
- Attending all editorial meetings in the run up to the print date; our full-team meetings in the first week of the month at 7:30PM Berlin time; other meetings are scheduled based on availability
To apply, please send us your portfolio, CV and a cover letter as attachments in PDF format to SAND Managing Editor Ruby at [email protected] by 15 January 2024.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an informal interview either virtually or in-person, depending on preferences, in early February 2024.