Multimedia Design Director

Immediate

Multimedia Design Director responsible for the visual identity of Gardeners' World, overseeing print and digital channels for a leading UK media company. Requires strong design leadership and team collaboration.

Posted 6/25/2026contractLondon • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLead💰 £55,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own and evolve the GW visual identity across all touchpoints — print, digital, social, motion and experiential
Define and maintain the brand design system: typography, colour, iconography, grid and motion principles
Set and document the guardrails that let the wider team produce on-brand work independently and at pace, acting as the final checkpoint on consistency
Build and manage a library of templates, components and reusable assets in Figma, InDesign and After Effects, designed to speed up turnaround without sacrificing quality
Champion intelligent reuse of the GW archive — photography, illustration, typography and footage — with workflows to surface and adapt it for new contexts
Keep asset infrastructure well-organised, version-controlled and accessible to the team
Lead the design of Gardeners' World Magazine and brand marketing collateral, working closely with the editorial team
Direct visual output across GW digital platforms — website, newsletter and app
Ensure design reflects audience segmentation, adapting the visual register for Established Gardeners, New Gardeners and Hobbyists
Bring genuine fluency in social formats — knowing what lands on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Apple News versus what belongs in a print spread — and translate editorial and seasonal moments into social-first creative that feels native, not repurposed
Oversee motion graphics, animated social content and short-form video in After Effects
Work with the social and editorial teams on visual content calendars, deploying design resource where it has most impact
Line manage a team of designers and motion artists, providing creative direction, mentoring and performance support
Brief and quality-control work from freelance designers and retouchers
Foster a culture of creative ambition, craft pride and brand coherence
Represent design in cross-disciplinary planning and contribute to the wider creative strategy

Requirements

What you’ll need

Expert-level proficiency across the full Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects
Strong working knowledge of Figma, including component libraries, design tokens and collaborative workflows
Demonstrable experience leading design output across both print and digital channels
A track record of building and maintaining design systems or brand guardianship frameworks
Experience managing or mentoring junior designers and briefing freelancers
Deep understanding of social media platforms and their distinct visual grammars
Highly organised with a systematic approach to file management, asset libraries and production pipelines
Excellent eye for typographic detail and image quality
**Desirable**
Experience working on a media brand with a strong heritage identity
Familiarity with video editing tools (Premiere Pro or similar)
Experience with DAM (Digital Asset Management) systems
Understanding of accessibility standards in digital design
A personal interest in gardening, horticulture or the natural world

Benefits

Comp & perks

A relaxed working environment with regular socials including a summer festival
Supportive well-being initiatives and benefits, talks & workshops, and Mental Health First aiders & Champions
25 days holiday plus a day for your birthday. Our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s which are in addition to your annual entitlement
Claim back everyday health care cost with Medicash our Health Cash back plan
Lease an Electric vehicle through our EV salary sacrifice scheme
Tailored training and development through both our inhouse learning platform and LinkedIn Learning
A progressive and transparent culture focused on your development
Flexible / hybrid working plus early finish Fridays
Cycle to work scheme
Enhanced Family Policies including paternity, adoption and surrogacy leave. We also provide a pregnancy loss, fertility, and carers policy
Competitive pension plans and Life Assurance
A newly renovated modern office with lots of collaborative spaces

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Adobe Creative SuiteInDesignPhotoshopIllustratorAfter EffectsFigmadesign systemsmotion graphicsvideo editingaccessibility standards

Soft Skills

creative directionmentoringperformance supportorganisational skillsattention to detailcollaborationbrand coherencecreative ambitionsystematic approachquality control