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Wayfinding Designer Jobs in Washington, DC (NOW HIRING)

Senior Graphic Designer

Mclean, VA ยท On-site

$100 - $125/hr

Design exterior and interior signage, including monument and wayfinding signs, entry plaques, blade ... Experience designing documents, forms, and print materials, and preparing files for commercial ...

Project Design Manager

Ashburn, VA ยท On-site

$87K/yr

Support Project Designers in quality review of design deliverables. Ensures that all new processes ... acoustics; wayfinding; ergonomics and anthropometrics; and human environmental behavior. Work ...

Project Design Manager

Ashburn, VA ยท On-site

$87K/yr

Support Project Designers in quality review of design deliverables. Ensures that all new processes ... acoustics; wayfinding; ergonomics and anthropometrics; and human environmental behavior. Work ...

Project Design Manager

Ashburn, VA ยท On-site

$87K/yr

Support Project Designers in quality review of design deliverables. Ensures that all new processes ... acoustics; wayfinding; ergonomics and anthropometrics; and human environmental behavior. Work ...

... stage graphics, wayfinding, experiential moments, and printed collateral * Own the creative ... Brief, guide, and review work from internal designers and external vendors, providing clear ...

Showing results 21-38

Wayfinding Designer information

See Washington, DC salary details

$16

$26

$49

How much do wayfinding designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 8, 2026, the average hourly pay for wayfinding designer in Washington, DC is $26.84, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $22.31 and $27.21 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a wayfinding designer?

Wayfinding Designers are professionals who create signage, maps, symbols, and other visual cues to help people navigate complex environments such as airports, hospitals, campuses, and public spaces. They blend graphic design, architecture, and psychology to ensure that spaces are intuitive and accessible for all users. Their work involves understanding user behavior, spatial layouts, and branding to develop clear and effective navigation systems. Wayfinding Designers often collaborate with architects, urban planners, and facility managers to enhance the overall experience of a place.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a wayfinding designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Wayfinding Designer, you need a solid background in graphic design, spatial planning, and environmental psychology, typically supported by a degree in design or a related field. Familiarity with design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, CAD tools, and sometimes GIS systems is essential. Strong communication, problem-solving, and project management skills help Wayfinding Designers effectively collaborate with architects, clients, and stakeholders. These skills ensure intuitive navigation solutions that enhance user experience and accessibility in complex environments.

How does a wayfinding designer typically collaborate with architects and other stakeholders during a project?

Wayfinding Designers work closely with architects, interior designers, urban planners, and client representatives throughout the project lifecycle. Early in the process, they participate in design charrettes and planning meetings to understand the spatial layout and user flows. They provide recommendations for sign placement, materials, and messaging to ensure that wayfinding solutions are integrated seamlessly with the built environment. Regular coordination is essential, as feedback from stakeholders and ongoing site changes may require the wayfinding strategy to be adapted for optimal effectiveness.

What is the difference between Wayfinding Designer vs Signage Designer?

AspectWayfinding DesignerSignage Designer
CredentialsDesign degree, certifications in wayfinding or environmental designDesign or architecture degree, signage-specific certifications
Work EnvironmentPublic spaces, transportation hubs, hospitals, large complexesCommercial buildings, retail spaces, branding projects
Industry UsageUrban planning, transportation, healthcare, large-scale facilitiesAdvertising, retail, corporate branding, interior design

While both roles involve visual communication, Wayfinding Designers focus on creating navigational systems for complex environments, whereas Signage Designers primarily develop visual signs for branding and information. The two roles often overlap but differ in scope and application.

How to get into wayfinding design?

To become a wayfinding designer, gaining a background in graphic design, architecture, or environmental design is helpful. Developing skills in visual communication, spatial awareness, and proficiency with design tools like Adobe Illustrator or AutoCAD is important. Building a portfolio of signage and wayfinding projects and gaining experience through internships or related roles can facilitate entry into the field.

What are the most commonly searched types of Wayfinding Designer jobs in Washington, DC?

The most popular types of Wayfinding Designer jobs in Washington, DC are:

What are popular job titles related to Wayfinding Designer jobs in Washington, DC?

For Wayfinding Designer jobs in Washington, DC, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Wayfinding Designer jobs in Washington, DC look for?

The top searched job categories for Wayfinding Designer jobs in Washington, DC are:

Infographic showing various Wayfinding Designer job openings in Washington, DC as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 8% Internship, 67% Full Time, and 25% Part Time. Highlights an 83% In-person, and 17% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $55,828 per year, or $26.8 per hour.

Senior Graphic Designer

Mclean, VA โ€ข On-site

Chain Bridge Bank, N.A.
11 - 50 employees

$100 - $125/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 5 days ago


Job description

Chain Bridge Bank, N.A. is seeking a Senior Graphic Designer to lead the design and production of the visual materials of the Bank and Chain Bridge Bancorp, Inc. The position covers investor and Board presentations, Bank forms and agreements, website graphics and page design, stationery, printed forms, business cards, signage, branded merchandise, and card products.

This is a design-focused role centered on visual communication, typography, layout, accessibility, and production quality. It is the visual counterpart to the Bank's Digital Platforms Associate, which maintains the technical health of the website.

The position reports to the Director of Artificial Intelligence, who establishes priorities, workload, and performance objectives. The Digital Communications Manager provides editorial direction, approves adherence to brand standards, and serves as the final publishing authority for published materials. Content, compliance, and regulatory questions are routed to the responsible officer before implementation.

Investor, Board, and Executive Presentations
  • Design investor presentations for Chain Bridge Bancorp, Inc., and board and executive presentations for the Bank, using the correct logo family for the issuing entity.
  • Build charts, tables, and financial exhibits that follow the Bank's data presentation rules, including the treatment of financial figures and negative values.
  • Prepare presentations for screen and for print, regenerating print artifacts under the Bank's print color rules.
  • Maintain a presentation template library so recurring decks begin from approved masters rather than from the last version sent, on the schedules of quarterly reporting and Board meetings.
  • Verify work against the Bank's written standards before submitting it to Executive Management, and state what was verified, so senior review can concentrate on design judgment.
Design Systems
  • Build and maintain design systems, beginning with Bank forms, then investor presentations, and extending to the remaining departments.
  • Maintain the existing design system for chainbridgebank.com pages.
  • Document each system so that other associates can produce compliant materials from it without redesigning.
Website Graphics and Page Design
  • Design page layouts, graphics, diagrams, and imagery for chainbridgebank.com within the Bank's design system and institutional visual register.
  • Hand off production-ready page markup for the Bank's content management system with an implementation memo the Digital Communications Manager can act on without rework.
  • Design to the WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standard adopted in the Brand Standards Manual: contrast, heading order, focus states, alt text, and readable measure.
  • Optimize images for the web, including format, dimensions, compression, and file naming, and size assets so page layout does not shift as they load.
Bank Forms, Agreements, and Documents
  • Design and maintain Bank forms, applications, agreements, disclosures, and branded document templates, laid out to work on screen, on paper, and in electronic signature workflows.
  • Apply the correct production standard to each form, distinguishing forms professionally printed in bulk on the Bank's cream stock from forms generated, filled, and printed from Word templates.
  • Keep templates current with the Brand Standards Manual and with Legal and Compliance requirements, and produce accessible PDFs for documents the Bank publishes.
Stationery, Print, and Vendors
  • Manage the design and production of letterhead, envelopes, business cards, notecards, and printed forms.
  • Prepare production files for commercial printing, and review proofs against Pantone and stock specifications, including color behavior on warm ivory-cream stock with no optical brighteners.
  • Manage print vendors, including quotes, schedules, proofs, and delivery, and supply logo artwork from the Bank's Master Logo Library so that no vendor redraws, recolors, or rescales it.
Signage and Environmental Graphics
  • Design exterior and interior signage, including monument and wayfinding signs, entry plaques, blade signs, awnings, and rear-door panels.
  • Specify signage typography by intended reading distance using the Bank's approved Caslon faces, and proof street-distance lettering at actual cap height against the fabricator's minimum reproducible stroke width before approval.
  • Prepare plaque-class specifications, including field material and finish and the approved engraved-metal logo variant, and route exterior regulatory disclosure questions to the Compliance Officer before fabrication.
Branded Merchandise and Card Products
  • Design branded merchandise within the Bank's approved-materials standard, which favors cotton, linen, wool, leather, silk, wood, glass, ceramic, and refined metals over plastic and synthetic alternatives.
  • Design the Bank-controlled elements of card products and card-program collateral, including carriers, envelopes, and activation inserts, within the constraints set by the card networks and the Bank's processor, and prepare specifications and proofs for review before production.
Brand Standards, Asset Library, and Approvals
  • Produce all work to the Brand Standards Manual, and self-check it against the Manual's compliance checklist before submission.
  • Maintain an organized digital asset library of logos, artwork, templates, and source files, with clear naming and version control.
  • Work in Claude Design, the Bank's approved design production environment, with human review before anything is published or sent.
  • Coordinate approvals with Executive Management, Marketing, Legal, Compliance, Human Resources, and Information Technology, and follow internal recordkeeping, information security, vendor management, and change-control processes applicable to public-facing materials.
  • Perform other duties as assigned consistent with the role and the Bank's policies.
Required Qualifications
  • Five or more years of professional design experience, with a portfolio that shows typographic control, layout discipline, and finished production work.
  • Demonstrated range in classical and traditional typography, including serif typesetting, ornament, rule and border treatment, and the ability to explain the typographic reasoning behind the choices made.
  • Experience designing documents, forms, and print materials, and preparing files for commercial printing to a specified stock and Pantone reference.
  • Working knowledge of responsive design, WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility, and image optimization for the web, and the ability to hand off production-ready markup to a content management system.
  • Ability to work inside a fixed design system: a closed palette, defined serif typefaces, and locked logo artwork, without substituting personal preference.
  • A record of delivering polished, thoroughly reviewed work that requires minimal rework and demonstrates strong attention to detail.
  • Sound judgment about AI-assisted design tools, including when output requires human review before it is published or sent.
  • Strong attention to detail, discretion with non-public information, the ability to meet demanding deadlines, and a strong commitment to the quality, precision, and professionalism required for public-facing materials at a national bank.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with investor presentations, financial communications, annual reports, or stockholder materials.
  • Experience in banking, financial services, legal, professional services, or another regulated or approval-sensitive environment.
  • Working knowledge of the Caslon typefaces, or of comparable historical typeface families, and of how their letterforms behave at display and fabrication sizes.
  • Experience preparing signage fabrication proofs, including cap-height and minimum-stroke-width review.
  • Experience with financial data visualization and advanced presentation design, including PowerPoint and the layout of financial exhibits.
  • Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, or comparable professional design tools, or with an AI-assisted design production environment.
  • Formal training in typography or art history, or sustained work under a practicing typographer, or in a letterpress, engraving, fine-press, or hand-composition environment.
  • Bachelor's degree in graphic design, visual communication, or a related field. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered.
First 90 Days
  • Inventory existing presentations, forms, stationery, signage, and digital assets, and set priorities.
  • Build design systems for Bank forms and for investor presentations.
  • Establish approved templates and an organized asset library with clear naming and version control.
  • Assume responsibility for stationery, printed forms, business cards, and print vendors, including the business card specifications now under review.
  • Establish a production workflow with self-check steps and documented review controls.
Compensation

Salary range: $105,000 to $135,000 annually. The final compensation offered will be determined based on the selected candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, skills, and other job-related factors, consistent with applicable law. This role is eligible to participate in the Bank's annual incentive compensation plan, under which employees may earn a cash bonus based on the performance of the Company and the team, with an emphasis on financial results and risk management. Plan terms, eligibility, and payout amounts are determined at the sole discretion of the Bank and are subject to change. This is a hybrid position, with a requirement to be in the office at least three days per week in McLean, Virginia.

Benefits
  • Competitive base salary
  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, and vision)
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer contribution
  • Paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and sick leave
  • Annual incentive compensation plan
  • Professional development opportunities relevant to the role and the Bank's operating environment
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