Freelance Signage Wayfinding Designer Jobs in Rochester, NY

RES Exhibit Services creates brand experiences that inspire and perform. For 50 years, we have helped clients bring strategy, design, engineering, fabrication, and execution together under one roof to create custom exhibits, branded environments, and event experiences for high-visibility moments.

Today, RES is entering its next chapter with refreshed leadership, a sharper brand direction, new client momentum, and a renewed focus on clarity, accountability, creativity, and measurable results. We are looking for people who want to help build what comes next.

Why This Role Matters Now

At RES, graphic design helps turn strategy and creative intent into the visual systems that shape how a brand is experienced. This role connects brand standards, storytelling, environmental graphics, digital content, production documentation, and field execution across custom exhibits and live events.

The right Graphic Designer will bring creative energy, visual judgment, technical accuracy, and disciplined follow-through to complex experiential work. This is a visible role for someone who wants to contribute ideas, work closely with cross-functional teams, and help RES deliver graphics that are compelling, buildable, and effective.

We are looking for an experienced Graphic Designer to support the development of strategic, visually compelling exhibit and event experiences for RES clients. This role contributes to creative ideation, client presentations, and the planning, documentation, and production of print and digital experiential graphic programs.

This position requires a balanced designer: someone who can move confidently between brand strategy, presentation design, screen-based media, large-format print, production documentation, and cross-functional coordination while maintaining accuracy, responsiveness, and pride in the finished result.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty:

Creative Design & Concept Development

• Support the VP of Creative Strategy with creative ideation, mood boards, concept imagery, environmental graphic systems, presentation graphics, and clientfacing design materials.
• Translate client goals, brand standards, messaging, and campaign direction into compelling visual solutions for trade show exhibits, branded environments, activations, and live events.
• Contribute ideas in creative reviews, helping strengthen visual storytelling, content hierarchy, user experience, and overall client presentation quality.
• Create rendersupport graphics, presentation assets, and visual direction that communicate graphic intent, scale, finishes, digital touchpoints, and production feasibility.

Digital Content Ideation & Production

• Concept and design digital content for experiential environments, including LED and display layouts, touchscreen graphics, presentation media, video wall storyboards, simple motion graphics, and screen content systems.
• Prepare digital media assets for review, presentation, and production, including image sizing, aspect ratios, screen layouts, file organization, export specifications, and coordination with AV and digital partners.
• Support basic video editing, motion graphics, animation, and digital content planning when needed, using tools such as After Effects, Premiere Pro, PowerPoint, Keynote, Figma, Canva, or similar platforms.

Print Graphics & Production Documentation

• Design and prepare largeformat print graphics, murals, signage, wayfinding, dimensional graphics, and related exhibit and event applications.
• Preflight clientprovided and internal artwork for resolution, scale, color setup, bleeds, fonts, links, file structure, and output readiness.
• Create accurate graphic release documentation with dimensions, quantities, substrates, finishes, digital specifications, placement details, and production notes.
• Coordinate with Production, Print Production, Warehouse, Installation, Estimating, and AV and digital teams to resolve questions and prevent errors before graphics or media are released.

Client Consultation & Design Support

• Participate in client and internal discussions related to graphic design, visual storytelling, brand application, digital content, and production feasibility.
• Provide clear guidance on layouts, image quality, scale, finishes, file preparation, screen and display requirements, production expectations, and installation considerations.
• Communicate design rationale clearly and help ensure graphic recommendations align with client objectives, budget, timeline, and overall exhibit strategy.
Collaboration & Team Contribution
• Work as an active member of a crossfunctional team supporting Creative Strategy, Client Services, Estimating, Production, Print Production, Digital and AV coordination, Warehouse, and Installation.
• Communicate clearly regarding deadlines, file status, missing assets, design questions, production concerns, and project risks.
• Manage multiple projects and priorities while maintaining accuracy, responsiveness, and followthrough.
Education and Experience
• 36 years of professional graphic design experience, preferably in trade shows, exhibits, events, environmental graphics, largeformat print, retail, museums, or experiential design.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating layout, typography, brand application, visual storytelling, presentation design, environmental graphics, and productionoriented thinking.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects, and Premiere.
• Comfort preparing both print and digital files, including largeformat graphics, screen and display layouts, image scaling, color setup, bleeds, fonts, links, and output specifications.
• Ability to create clear production documentation and graphic release sheets for print and digital experiential graphics.
• Strong communication skills, collaborative mindset, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fastpaced environment.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with video editing, motion graphics, animation, digital content planning, LED walls, touchscreens, interactive content, or presentation environments.
• Familiarity with exhibit construction, substrates, finishing methods, installation requirements, production workflows, and AV and digital coordination.
• Experience working directly with clients or supporting client presentations.
What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means creative concepts are translated into clear, compelling, and production-ready graphics; print and digital files are accurate; release documentation is complete; cross-functional teams have the information they need; and clients see their brands represented with intention and quality. The strongest candidates will be creative, curious, collaborative, technically disciplined, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a custom environment where deadlines and execution matter.

Reporting Structure

This position reports to the VP of Creative Strategy and works closely with Client Services, Estimating, Production, Print Production, Digital and AV coordination, Warehouse, and Installation teams.

Additional Information

The U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $25/hour - $32/hour, and individual pay is determined based on several factors, including, but not limited to, work experience, job knowledge, complexity of the role, job location, etc.

Benefits

RES Exhibit Services offers competitive salary and performance-based incentives, along with comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), and paid time off.

Beyond the formal benefits, RES offers meaningful work tied to real clients and high-visibility events; direct access to leadership; a 125,000-square-foot environment where design, engineering, fabrication, graphics, warehouse, and client teams interact; and the opportunity to help shape the standards of a company entering its next chapter.

RES Exhibits is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic or status.