Visual Communication Designer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Sway Creative Labs is seeking a skilled and well-rounded Designer to join our team. This role is well-suited for someone with proven multi-channel design experience who approaches their work with both craft discipline and creative curiosity. We're looking for a designer who can execute at a high level across a range of mediums and who contributes meaningfully to the ideation process - not just the production end of it.

Strong candidates will have demonstrated fluency in at least three of our core creative disciplines - web, print, brand identity, broadcast, and social - and will bring a portfolio that shows both range and depth.

What You'll Own

Design Execution Across Channels

• Design on-brand work across web, print, brand identity, and social with accuracy, consistency, and strong attention to craft
• Contribute to creative concepting and bring original ideas to briefs - not solely executing direction provided by others
• Collaborate with Art Directors, producers, and developers across all phases of a project

Web & Digital

• Design responsive digital experiences in Figma with working knowledge of how designs translate to development
• Produce web assets, display ads, email campaigns, and landing pages to specification
• Apply foundational UX thinking - visual hierarchy, user flow, clarity - across digital deliverables

Print & Identity

• Design and prepare print-ready files for collateral, direct mail, out-of-home, and branded materials
• Contribute to brand identity projects including logo development, typography systems, color palettes, and brand standards documentation
• Manage production specifications and vendor requirements for print jobs

Broadcast & On-Set

• Support photo and video productions as an on-set creative resource, contributing to visual consistency and art direction
• Assist in pre-production visual development including mood boards, reference decks, and frame guides

Social

• Design social content with an understanding of each platform's native formats, culture, and audience
• Develop visual assets across Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other relevant channels
• Stay current on platform design trends and apply that awareness to day-to-day work

What We're Looking For

Core Qualifications

• 2-4+ years of design experience in an agency or creative environment
• A portfolio demonstrating range across at least three disciplines: web, print, identity, broadcast, and/or social
• Strong proficiency in Figma, including components, auto-layout, and design system fundamentals
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
• Solid command of design fundamentals: typography, color theory, composition, and visual hierarchy
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
• Clear written and verbal communication skills; comfortable in client-facing situations
• Occasional travel and on-set availability required

Additional Assets

• Experience with motion design or animation; working knowledge of After Effects or comparable tools
• Familiarity with HTML and CSS as a communication bridge with development teams
• Background working on travel/tourism, food/beverage, healthcare, or entertainment accounts
• Experience with social scheduling platforms such as Sprout Social, Loomly, or similar

What Success Looks Like

By the end of your first year, you will have taken ownership of projects across multiple disciplines and built a body of agency work that reflects your range. Senior creative team members will actively want to collaborate with you, and leadership will trust your judgment on work that is yours to lead. You will have identified the disciplines where you excel and be on a clear path to deepening that expertise.

Why Sway Creative Labs

Sway is an independent agency where work is seen and recognized by hands-on leadership. You will have the opportunity to work across a wide range of industries and project types - gaining exposure to brand campaigns, digital platforms, print production, social content, and documentary-style video work - often within the same client relationship. We value designers who want to grow across disciplines and who take ownership of their craft.

What We Offer

• 15 Paid Vacation Days: Days reset at your start date and do not roll over. You'll have the ability to withdraw a negative balance of up to 5 days, and you begin the year with your days already afforded
• Paid Holidays: Your Birthday, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Monday after the Super Bowl, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the week between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day
• Two-Hour Windows: So long as the privilege is not abused, we offer each employee 2-hour leave windows at the beginning (9am - 11am EST) and end of the workday (3pm - 5pm EST) to tend to any appointments like unexpected child care challenges, doctor's visits, home maintenance, etc. that do not count against your allotted paid time off
• Health Plan: All employees are eligible to enroll in one of (3) Sentara Health Plans; with Sway covering 80% of employee's cost and 50% of your dependents
• Dental Insurance: Sway pays 100% of employee's United Concordia Dental Plan
• Retirement Benefits: Sway's 401(k) policy offers a solid foundation for your retirement planning; we match your contributions at a 1:1 rate for the first 3% of your pay, and then add an extra $0.50 for each dollar you contribute on the following 2% of your pay. Contributions are fully vested immediately.
• Upskilling Opportunities: As "curiosity of craft" is one of our core values, Sway encourages continued education and skill advancement with 100% reimbursement of at least one approved employee upskilling initiative per year (conferences, courses, certifications, etc.)