Design Manager

This role sits within the Client Development, Marketing & Knowledge function of the Firm. The Client Development, Marketing & Knowledge team supports partners in the development of our business, relationship building with existing and potential clients and manages our market profile.

In broad terms, the team

• Drives the positioning of our brand through client service and thought leadership
• Creates and manages the strategic business plans at a client, partner, sector and practice group level
• Manages the firm’s key client relationship and client listening programmes
• Creates and implements the firm’s digital strategy
• Provides strategic advice and co-ordination on pitching opportunities and manages the rehearsals process
• Works with our Research and Information Services Team to research and analyse companies, sectors and countries
• Creates visually impactful marketing collaterals
• Works with key stakeholders and individuals on submissions to the main legal directories/awards and advises fee earners on how best to promote their capabilities
• Manages the production of bulletins and briefings from the conceptual stage through to distribution
• Delivers events that enhance our brand and provide opportunities to build relationships with clients, potential clients and intermediaries.

There is c. 80 employees in the Client Development, Marketing & Knowledge team across London, Guildford, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and Milan.

This role leads manages the Design team and has overall responsibility for the expression, maintenance, and adherence to, the visual identity aspects of the Firm’s brand. Influencing members of the Marketing teams and Client Development teams, and partners, across all the Firm’s offices, this role ensures that the visual identity is understood and adopted for all externally facing communications, and also for internal communications.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a Design team of two; allocate design projects; set priorities and oversee the design request process, ensuring all deliverables are high quality, on brand and delivered on time
• Act as firmwide visual brand owner and guardian to ensure all internal and external facing materials consistently reflect the Firm’s visual brand
• Present and communicate on the Firm’s visual identity and persuade fee earners and Business Services teams on the benefits and rationale of our approach to visual branding
• Maintain brand templates and associated image library. Select or approve images to ensure they reflect the Firm’s brand
• Lead on individual design projects, in particular major projects like pitches, strategic initiatives, and projects where new approaches and innovation are required. Share knowledge, ideas and experience with other team members to encourage creativity
• Present design concepts, creative approaches and visual rationale to key stakeholders including Partners and Business Development colleagues
• Advise on visual brand guidelines to ensure quality and consistency. Ensure team members fully understand and consistently deliver on the brand guidelines. Review and comment on materials and templates produced outside the Design team, to ensure compliance with our brand standards
• Influence Marketing and Business Development team members and fee earners in all offices to adhere to brand guidelines. Maintain and update guidelines as necessary, taking into account feedback from other teams. Set up processes to monitor adherence to visual brand guidelines across the Firm.
• Implement processes to ensure quality control over Design team outputs and amendments, including effective tracking, proofing and version control
• Project manage and lead on updates to designed and branded materials, e.g. firmwide brochure, practice area and office brochures, to respond to business changes such as new offices, new accolades
• Create digital assets for internal platforms, online and social media channels, or oversee production by other team members
• Liaise with internal print team and external printers/suppliers and manage supplier relationships
• Oversee development of storyboards for animation
• Deliver or oversee delivery of high-quality photography and video, establishing and maintaining external relationships with photographers and videographers
• Design multimedia and interactive thought leadership pieces on Foleon, our content experience platform, or similar, or oversee team members working on such projects
• Keep up to date with developing technology and propose and introduce new products and approaches
• Manage Design budget
• Manage projects with any external art working agencies and manage supplier relationships
• Comply with all relevant legal and regulatory obligations including the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations, and Principles.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of specialist design software
• Significant experience in a design agency, professional services firm or corporate, in a Design role
• Experience of promoting and monitoring compliance with brand guidelines for all design work, and influencing and updating those guidelines as necessary
• Experience of communicating the importance of visual brand to senior stakeholders
• PowerPoint and Microsoft Office applications
• Experience of managing a Design team
• Video editing and animation skills, or ability to oversee these activities
• HTML and E-email build experience
• Typeset and page layout experience
• Expertise in InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat

Desirable

• Degree or other senior qualification in Graphic Design
• Knowledge of specialist design software. Desirable packages include: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premier Pro, After Effects, Acrobat, Figma, Foleon/interactive platforms

Person Specification

• Creative, with ability to promote innovation as well as good brand practice
• Close attention to detail, commitment to accuracy and quality
• Good organisational and communication skills - at all levels
• Ability to explain concepts and approaches, credibility with partners
• Ability to act as ambassador and guardian of Firm’s visual brand.

Hybrid working

We adopt a hybrid and flexible working approach, dependent on the requirements of the role and subject to manager approval.

Charles Russell Speechlys is an Equal Opportunities Employer

and we are committed to developing an increasingly diverse, inclusive and supportive culture where everyone can be themselves, feel valued, and that they can thrive and belong. Please see here for more information on our employee-led DEI Networks.

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