Freelance Graphic Designer & Art Director

About the role

Key responsibilities

• Develop concepts and visual direction for brands, campaigns, products, services and marketing initiatives; maintain visual identities and brand systems.
• Design logos, stationery, presentations, brochures, catalogues, packaging, advertisements and promotional materials.
• Create social, website, email, digital-advertising and campaign assets for B2B and B2C audiences.
• Lead selected projects from concept through delivery; prepare mood boards, layouts, mockups, storyboards and presentations.
• Collaborate with clients and creative teams; translate briefs into designs, present recommendations and revise work based on feedback.
• Prepare print-ready and digital artwork, coordinate with production vendors as needed, and maintain organized files and documentation.
• Manage projects, deadlines, revisions, client expectations and scope; prepare estimates and proposals where required.
• Maintain visual quality, confidentiality and compliance with applicable UAE requirements; build client relationships and identify further service opportunities.

Design areas and tools

• Relevant areas include branding, advertising, social media, digital marketing, print, editorial, packaging, presentations, typography and visual storytelling.
• Other preferred areas include photography and video art direction, motion graphics, animation, UI/UX, website graphics, event graphics, print production and AI-assisted creative design.
• Tools include Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Figma, Canva Pro and Adobe XD or similar platforms.
• Experience with motion graphics, video editing, 3D, AI image generation or other creative technologies is an advantage.

What the employer is looking for

• Proven experience in graphic design, art direction, senior graphic design, creative design, brand design or a similar role, with a strong professional portfolio.
• Strong design principles, typography, composition, color, branding, visual communication and conceptual development.
• Ability to convert business and marketing objectives into visual concepts and manage freelance projects independently through final delivery.
• Strong communication, presentation, problem-solving, project-management and time-management skills; able to manage deadlines and collaborate with clients and creative teams.
• A degree or diploma in a related discipline is preferred.
• Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience and previous senior designer, art director or brand designer experience are preferred or highly desirable.
• Corporate, commercial, retail, hospitality, FMCG, food, real estate, fashion, technology, media or consumer-brand experience is an advantage.
• UAE/GCC market experience and understanding of regional visual, cultural and commercial environments are preferred or advantageous.

Opportunity and compensation

• Freelance opportunity with flexible freelance, contract or part-time arrangements.
• Competitive project-based or contract compensation; project availability may depend on experience and availability.
• Opportunity to work with diverse UAE and GCC brands and develop a regional creative portfolio.

Application

• Applicants are asked to submit a CV and portfolio with relevant experience, project examples, tools used and UAE/GCC market experience.