Freelance Visual Communication Design Jobs in Toronto, ON

Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we're helping build asustainableeconomy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactionssecure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary

Senior Specialist, Visual & Data DesignOverview
The Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI) is an economics lab powering scale at Mastercard by owning economic thought leadership in support of Mastercard's efforts to build a more inclusive and sustainable digital economy
MEI was launched in 2020 to analyze economic trends through the lens of the consumer to deliver tailored and actionable insights on economic issues for customers, partners and policymakers
The Institute is composed of a team of economists and data scientists that utilize & synthesize the anonymized and aggregated data from the Mastercard network together with public data to bring powerful insights to life, in the form of 1:1 presentation, global thought leadership, media participation, and commercial work through the company's product suites
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About the Role
Mastercard Economics Institute (MEI) is seeking an experienced Senior Visual & Data Designer to lead the visual storytelling and design execution for MEI's economic thought leadership, data products, and client-facing collateral. Reporting to MEI's VP for Enablement & Innovation, you will be the creative force that transforms complex economic data and research into compelling visual narratives - across executive presentations, flagship reports, interactive HTML dashboards, infographics, webpage design and digital publications.
This is a unique opportunity for someone energized by the intersection of data visualization, editorial design, and brand storytelling - working at the crossroads of economics, marketing, and technology, you will shape how Mastercard's economic insights are perceived by C-suite executives, media platforms, and enterprise clients. Your work will directly amplify MEI's strategic impact and ensure every visual output meets the highest standards of clarity, craft, and brand consistency.
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Responsibilities will include:
oOwn end-to-end design of MEI's flagship publications - including our flagship reports, blogs, macroeconomic briefings, one-pagers, and client-ready decks - from concept through production-ready assets.
oDesign and produce executive-level PowerPoint presentations for MEI leadership, C-suite audiences, and external stakeholders using Mastercard brand templates and the Design Center guidelines
oDesign and develop interactive HTML/CSS dashboards and web-based data products, applying human-centric design principles and rapid prototyping (Lean UX / Design Thinking).
oServe as MEI's design point of contact, ensuring all visual outputs align with Mastercard's brand expression guidelines - including correct use of the Mastercard symbol, color palettes, typography, and co-branding rules.
oOwn end-to-end design decisions for MEI pages on Mastercard.com and partner with Product to jointly decide on design for MEI pages on Business Intelligence platform
oPartner with Global Marketing to design MEI webpages and optimize UX/CX and user journey
oPartner with the Global Communications and Design to maintain consistency between MEI outputs and broader Mastercard marketing creative, media-facing visuals, and social media assets.
oCollaborate with MEI economists, data scientists, product managers, and regional pod leads to translate complex, data-heavy content into clear, compelling visual stories for both technical and non-technical audiences.
oDrive adoption of AI-powered design tools (e.g., generative AI for layout exploration, automated chart generation) and propose new design patterns, templates, and component libraries to improve scalability and production speed.
oManage multiple concurrent design streams across global regions (NAM, LAC, EU, AP, EEMEA) while maintaining pixel-perfect quality and on-time delivery.
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All About You
oBachelor's in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Interaction Design, Fine Arts, or related field (Master's preferred), or equivalent professional experience.
oExtensive professional experience in visual design, data visualization, editorial/publication design, or a related discipline - ideally within consulting or a data-intensive environment.
oExpert proficiency in Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects), and Microsoft PowerPoint.
oStrong portfolio demonstrating excellence in data visualization, infographic design, executive presentation design, editorial layout (reports, white papers), and interactive/web-based design.
oHands-on with HTML/CSS/JavaScript for building or prototyping interactive dashboards and data experiences.
oExperience with data visualization libraries and tools such as D3.js, Tableau, or similar.
oFamiliarity with motion graphics and video editing (After Effects, Premiere Pro) for social media and digital campaigns.
oUnderstanding of brand design systems with experience working within strict enterprise brand guidelines.
oExposure to AI-powered design workflows (e.g., Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, generative layout tools) and comfort integrating AI into production pipelines.
oExperience working in a matrixed, global organization with cross-functional teams across multiple time zones; comfort with Confluence, Jira, SharePoint, and Teams.
oStrong communication and stakeholder management skills, ability to present and defend design rationale to senior leadership and non-design audiences.
oSelf-directed, detail-obsessed, and curious, you thrive with autonomy, deliver pixel-perfect output, and stay ahead of design trends and emerging tools.Mastercard is a merit-based, inclusive, equal opportunity employer that considers applicants without regard to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We hire the most qualified candidate for the role. In the US or Canada, if you require accommodations or assistance to complete the online application process or during the recruitment process, please contact reasonable_accommodation@mastercard.com and identify the type of accommodation or assistance you are requesting. Do not include any medical or health information in this email. The Reasonable Accommodations team will respond to your email promptly.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

• Abide by Mastercard's security policies and practices;

• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard's guidelines.

In line with Mastercard's total compensation philosophy and assuming that the job will be performed in Canada, the successful candidate will be offered a competitive pay based on location, experience and other qualifications for the role and may be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program. This posting reflects one or more current openings on our team.

Pay Ranges

Toronto, Canada: $83,000 - $132,000 CAD