Graphic Designer (Mailer & Merch)

ABOUT THE ROLE

A skilful dreamer, designer and doer, you’ll work across major mailer and merch projects for high-profile brands.

We’re looking for a playful, conceptual graphic designer who can dream up strong ideas, narratives and stories, then bring them to life through brilliant design. You’ll have a sharp eye for art direction, alongside a real love of packaging, materiality, print and physical design.

From the first spark of an idea through to the finished piece, you’ll lead the design across projects, creating unexpected concepts, playful packaging moments and beautifully crafted details. You’ll be confident visualising ideas, experimenting with materials and understanding how to make ambitious thinking work within real‑world budgets.

Working collaboratively with creatives, producers and suppliers, you’ll help us create work that goes beyond the expected and stops people in their tracks.

We’re looking for curiosity, energy and a sharp design eye, someone excited by what’s new, obsessed with the details and always looking for ways to push an idea further.

ABOUT US

We are a culturally connected, experience agency with Heaps of creative energy and Stacks of strategic thinking and production expertise.

We’re not afraid to be bold. We fuse big ideas, cultural insight, and a playful approach to design experiences that mould what's next.

We do not believe in “one size fits all.” Instead, we come at every brief with a fresh perspective, underpinned by a deep understanding of trends and consumer behaviour. This ensures our solutions are authentic and land ROI, legacy, and fame.

We don’t just create—we collaborate. Our house-style is grounded in long‑term partnerships, where we co‑create with our clients, taking on their challenges and delivering seamless experiences that resonate.

We work with commercial brands to produce moments which crescendo their marketing calendars. We love what we do, and that passion shows right through the design process and into all physical touchpoints. We join the dots between an array of talented people to create immersive experiences—whether that’s a brand trip, a VIP party, or an all‑singing, all‑dancing store launch!

Our clients include big names such as Nike, Estée Lauder, Longchamp, and Selfridges.

Heaps + Stacks is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment, where all applicants will receive equal consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disabilities.

• Imagination - We think beyond the ordinary, inspiring each other to dream big and challenge the status quo.
• Joy - We understand that play and wonder are powerful tools for creating authentic emotional connections with today’s audiences.
• Energy - Shooting for the moon - we thrive in the moment where big ideas are realised. We push the boundaries in search of innovation.
• Care - We are thoughtful stewards of the brands we partner with, fostering kindness within our team and taking a mindful approach to every project we undertake.
  

Heaps + Stacks is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment, where all applicants will receive equal consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disabilities.

WHO YOU'LL BE WORKING WITH

Internal

Design Director (line manager) – you’ll work closely with them and report to them on day‑to‑day successes, developments as well as any challenges along the way Producers – you’ll will work in tandem with the producers to deliver projects Creatives – you’ll work closely with them to realise ideas

External

Suppliers such as printers

WHATS EXPECTED

Your duties will include but not be limited to the below:

External Output

• Dream up strong, original concepts for mailers, packaging and merch, rooted in the brand, audience and brief.
• Develop creative narratives and stories that give ideas meaning and connect every element of the mailer into one cohesive experience.
• Think beyond graphics to create playful, unexpected packaging ideas, exploring form, structure, reveals, interaction and clever details.
• Have a strong eye for materiality, confidently exploring papers, boards, fabrics, metals, plastics, finishes and unexpected material combinations.
• Translate brand identities into fresh, distinctive and covetable physical designs that feel unmistakably on brand.
• Bring strong awareness of design, packaging, product and cultural trends, regularly introducing fresh references and inspiration.
• Be a strong visual storyteller, able to bring concepts to life through mood boards, mock‑ups, 3D visualisation and beautifully crafted design decks.
• Have excellent 3D visualisation skills, creating convincing visuals that communicate form, materiality, detail and finish.
• Understand packaging construction, print processes, materials and production techniques, and how these influence the creative.
• Have a good understanding of budgets, designing ambitious ideas that are realistic to produce and knowing where to invest for maximum impact.
• Work closely with suppliers to explore possibilities, solve problems and achieve the highest quality creative output.
• Be happy to play, prototype and experiment, testing materials, formats and finishes to find the strongest solution.
• Produce accurate artwork, print‑ready files and production specifications.
• Consider sustainability, production quantities, postage, fulfilment and logistics throughout the design
• process. Bring craft, curiosity and obsessive attention to detail from the first spark of an idea through to thefinished piece.

Internal

• Regularly share current trends and cultural insights
• Contribute on company processes so that we are always levelling up
• Accurately update timesheets
• Making sure all finance processes are followed to a T
• Able to follow H+S brand guidelines accurately

Approach to work

• Critic own work and welcome constructive criticism from others
• Be flexible and excited for company change and growth
• Have a collaborative approach to work
• Communicate in a clear, positive, and constructive manner
• Bring optimism to your day‑to‑day tasks
• Actively engage in company culture

EXPERIENCE:

To be considered for this position we are looking for people with a minimum of 3 years’ experience working

within a design or packaging agency and have a BA in Graphic Design.

SKILLS:

• Proficient in Adobe Suite
• Able to use Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel
• Able to use Google slides and sheets

SALARY & TIME COMMITMENT

This role is predominantly office based (we imagine at least 3 days of your time would be in the office) and we areideally looking for someone to work full time.

Please note we review salary regularly to make sure the team moves in line with the business as well as theirindividual efforts!

WORKING WITH US

To enjoy your role and to succeed here, you need to be able to work at a fast pace and love a busy, ever‑changing environment. The industry is non‑stop and our goals as a company are big – which we love! Change is a certainty – you’ll need to be comfortable and happy to adapt and be agile. We want you to challenge the status quo, innovate and be open to trying new things. We’re always pushing boundaries. We empower our people, giving them freedom and autonomy to learn and grow in their roles. We’re a passionate, agile and creative team.

WHY JOIN US?

• Collaboration – As pretty much all of our projects include site visits, handling of physical items, deliveries and face to face brainstorms, we recommend 2‑3 days in the office per week for collaboration, to get the best results. Tuesdays are days we ask people to come in, and we've realised that 2‑3 days per week in the office is the average that people come in and that works well.
• Flexi Working Times– The team can work their 7.5 hours with a start and finish that suits them. This is completely up to the teammate to decide on their own accord, but of course altered working hours must not disrupt the wider team or the paying client.
• Meeting Free Fridays – This is to give the team time to wrap up their work as well as a good amount of time, uninterrupted, to get stuck into deep work.
• Training – We are proud to offer training to all teammates including group training days with varying themes and topics, as well as offering teammates further training to upskill for the maximum value of £500 per year.
• Duvet Days – Our team have 2 duvet days per year. A duvet day can be taken whenever a teammate needs a day off at random and they haven’t already requested annual leave. Maybe they have just woken up and feel like they need to be alone or they are super tired and just want to curl up on the sofa. These days are for the team member.
• Volunteering Day – We offer teammates up to 2 days per year of volunteering on company time - which is up to the teammate to use how they wish.
• Holiday – We offer 28 days annual leave per year. With 3 days of this holiday entitlement to cover the period of the Company shutdown between Christmas and New Year. After a teammate has completed two years working at Heaps + Stacks, they are entitled to 1 day extra holiday per year for each additional year of service, capped at a maximum of 33 days holiday per year (excluding Bank Holiday and National Holidays).
• After three years of service with Heaps + Stacks, team members are entitled to a one off, £1000 bonus.
• After five years of service with Heaps + Stacks, we offer team members the opportunity to take a one month fully paid sabbatical.
• Mobile Phone Allowance – Each month we will pay £20 towards the team members mobile phone bill. There's nothing that they need to do; this will be added into their pay each month.
• Maternity / Paternity - We will pay enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption pay if the team member meets the relevant criteria.
• Expensed Gallery Trips – We offer each team member £25.00 to expense for a visit to a gallery or exhibition every month.
• Good Egg – At the end of the month the team votes who has gone above and beyond that month, and whoever receives the most votes is rewarded with a Selfridges voucher.
• Work Abroad – Up to one week per year to work aboard, as long as it doesn't cause stress to the team! (Full T&Cs to be confirmed if successful).
• You Move, We move – We want our team to feel settled. So, if they are moving house, they can book one van per year on us! (Full T&Cs to be confirmed if successful).
• Quarterly Celebration – Every quarter, we will be celebrating our successes together as a team. This might be a team trip to the pub, or an arty or active activity! We have an in‑house social committee that is dedicated to ensuring something fun and magical is planned for us all!
• Bonus & Profit Share – We also offer a range of bonuses to employees including introduction, business performance and new business bonus. Full T&Cs will be given to all successful candidates.
• H + S Library – Buy a book on the gold card (this can be audio or hard copy) for the value of up to £20. If it’s a hard copy, please bring it into the office once finished. We suggest buying 2nd hand (to save the world!). If it’s audio, don’t sign up for a subscription!
• Cycle to Work – The cycle‑to‑work scheme allows teammates to obtain commuter bikes and cycling accessories through Heaps + Stacks, spreading the cost over 12 months and making savings through a tax break.
• Health Care – Once the teammate has completed 1 year with us, they can access the healthcare policy provided by Bupa!
• Eye Test – We’ve got your eyes covered! Claim back up to £25 towards an annual eye test at any optician.
  

RECOMMEND A FRIEND…

If this role isn’t quite right for you and you know someone who might be a good fit, all successful introductions that end in employment will benefit from an introduction bonus of £1000 for initial successful placement and £500 when they pass their probation.

#J-18808-Ljbffr