Freelance Visual Communication Design Jobs in Raleigh, NC

Visual Designer - Unified Brand Experience (12 month contract) - Hybrid, Cary, North Carolina

We’re a leader in data and AI. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence - and questions into answers.

If you're looking for a dynamic, fulfilling career with flexibility and a world-class employee experience, you'll find it here. We're recognized around the world for our inclusive, meaningful culture and innovative technologies by organizations like Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek and more.

This role sits within the Integrated Brand Experience (IBX), the team driving our brand forward through unified, human-centered design across every touchpoint.

About the Job

The Senior Visual Designer works closely with IBX design leads, UX designers, and cross-functional partners to create engaging visual experiences across digital products, websites, events, presentations, learning platforms, and other customer touchpoints.

In this role, you'll help to translate user needs, brand strategy, and experience direction into thoughtful visual designs that are clear, engaging, and consistent. Through typography, color, imagery, layout, illustration, and motion, you'll help create experiences that are both beautiful and easy to understand.

You'll also contribute to our design system, visual standards, and reusable design patterns, helping ensure a consistent and accessible experience across the SAS ecosystem.

This is a 12-month contract role with the potential for extension based on project needs and performance.

What You'll Do

• Create compelling visual designs across digital experiences, events, presentations, and customer communications.
• Partner with UX designers to bring user experiences to life through thoughtful visual design.
• Apply strong design principles, including typography, color, composition, hierarchy, accessibility, and visual storytelling.
• Translate complex ideas into clear, engaging visuals that improve understanding.
• Contribute to design systems, templates, reusable components, and brand guidelines.
• Collaborate with designers, writers, developers, and business partners throughout the design process.
• Present design concepts, explain your thinking, and incorporate feedback.
• Balance creativity with business goals, user needs, and production requirements.
• Stay current with design trends, tools, and emerging technologies.
• Embrace curiosity, passion, authenticity and accountability. These are our values and influence everything we do.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or equivalent professional experience.
• 3-5 years of professional visual design experience.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating excellent visual design, typography, layout, and storytelling.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and PowerPoint.
• Strong understanding of accessibility and inclusive design.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Equivalent combination of related education, training and experience may be considered in place of the above qualifications.

Additional competencies, knowledge and skills

• Strong visual communication and storytelling skills.
• Excellent understanding of typography, color, composition, and visual hierarchy.
• Ability to simplify complex information through design.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to high-quality work.
• Strategic problem-solving skills with a systems-thinking mindset.
• Adaptable, collaborative, and open to feedback.
• Passion for design and continuous learning.

• Motion graphics, animation, illustration, or 3D experience preferred
• Experience contributing to design systems and visual standards preferred

What Makes Someone Successful

Successful designers in this role combine strong visual craft with curiosity, collaboration, and systems thinking. They create work that is not only visually compelling but also clear, accessible, and purposeful. They enjoy working with multidisciplinary teams and are passionate about creating experiences that help people understand, navigate, and connect with our brand.

You are welcome here.

At SAS, it’s not about fitting into our culture – it’s about adding to it. We believe our people make the difference. Our inclusive workforce brings together unique talents and inspires teams to create amazing software that reflects the diversity of our users and customers.

Additional Information:

To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status. SAS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Read more: Know Your Rights. 

Resumes may be considered in the order they are received. SAS employees performing certain job functions may require access to technology or software subject to export or import regulations. To comply with these regulations, SAS may obtain nationality or citizenship information from applicants for employment. SAS collects this information solely for trade law compliance purposes and does not use it to discriminate unfairly in the hiring process.

SAS only sends emails from verified “sas.com” email addresses and never asks for sensitive, personal information or money. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of any type of communication from, or on behalf of SAS, please contact Recruitingsupport@sas.com.

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