About Know History
Know History is a Canadian firm that provides historical research services to Canadian and Indigenous organizations, governments, municipalities, museums, and heritage groups. One of our defining characteristics is our ability to communicate complex information and perspectives to public audiences through impactful sensory experiences, ranging from engaging physical design to emotive graphics to leading-edge media.
About the Role
We are seeking a creative thinker and talented designer who can approach projects with originality and imagination, collaborating with our team to tell stories that matter.
The Designer works on a project basis within a multidisciplinary team, collaborating closely with all internal departments. Know History’s design needs are highly diverse, ranging from laying out polished professional reports to developing unique story driven projects such as board games and museum exhibits. This role will focus on designing print publications, digital projects, PowerPoint presentations, social media assets, museum exhibitions, and a variety of interpretive products. The Designer will create custom layouts that effectively translate historical research into clear, engaging visual content.
The position involves collaborative work in a team-based, client-facing environment and across a suite of projects of varying sizes, scales, and durations. The successful candidate will be adaptive and thrive in collaborative environments while working on multiple files simultaneously.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop design concepts, mock-ups, wireframes, sketches, or design briefs to support project visioning and effective client communication
- Create custom illustrations for exhibitions, publications, digital media, or other products
- Produce and contribute to the development of high-quality media products, including print materials, book/published material layouts, exhibit designs, digital publications, websites
- Collaborate with a wide range of vendors and specialists, including architects, interpretive planners, book designers, fabricators, editors, and lighting designers as well as our Software Engineers.
- Design marketing materials for Know History, including digital and print assets that support brand development, outreach, and business growth
- Complete administrative tasks such as accurately tracking time and regularly updating project management software to ensure effective workflow and budget oversight
Qualifications & Skills
- At least 5 years of experience in a range of multimedia design
- Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator)
- Strong illustration skills, with demonstrated ability to create original, concept-driven artwork
- Knowledge of print, web, and physical design best practices
- Experience using WordPress or Squarespace.
- Demonstrated experience with published material layout (books, booklets, reports etc.)
- Strong communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills
- Strong conceptual and layout skills, with an eye for typography, colour, and composition
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop); Figma is an asset
- Proficiency in Microsoft (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams)
- Experience designing for both print and digital, including social-first content
- Comfortable working from creative briefs and translating strategic direction into visual solutions
- Experience preparing print-ready files and understanding of production requirements
- Ability to give and receive feedback constructively in a fast-paced, collaborative environment
- Portfolio demonstrating range across branding, editorial, and campaign work (experience with purpose-driven brands or advocacy campaigns is an asset)
- Strong time management and organizational skills across concurrent projects
- AR/VR skills would be an asset.
- Experience with video editing and animation would be an asset.
RGD an Asset
- RGD Membership will be considered an asset for this position
- RGD Certification will be considered an asset for this position
Design Professionals of Canada (DesCan) an Asset
- DesCan Membership will be considered an asset for this position
- DesCan Certification will be considered an asset for this position
What We Can Offer You:
- Competitive compensation between $30-35/h, and ongoing opportunities to grow through mentorship and learning
- Highly Diverse Clientele: We work with clients from across Canada on a variety of projects from board games to historical reports.
- Collaborative environment: You’ll be a key member of a multidisciplinary team, working alongside designers, historians, and project managers to create engaging ways to bring history to life.
- Flexibility on hours around your schedule Monday to Friday. Intent is for 20 hours per week.
- Ability to work remotely from anywhere in Canada or in either of our Calgary or Ottawa offices.
How to Apply:
If you are interested in joining Know History’s team for this role, please apply on our website at knowhistory.ca (https://www.knowhistory.ca/join-us/). If you have any questions or require accessibility or cultural accommodation at any point in the application process, send us an email and we’ll work with you to make sure your needs are met.
Know History is committed to providing equal employment opportunities. We know that to understand our collective history, we need to prioritize Indigenous and diverse voices across all aspects of our organization. We strongly encourage candidates to apply and self-identify as Indigenous, members of racialized communities and visible minorities, people with disabilities, or members of the Two Spirit (2S) & LGBTQIA+ communities.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
