Digital Illustrator for Early Grade Remediation Materials

Overview

ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines is a seven-year project with the Department of Education (DepEd) funded by the United States Agency for International Develop (USAID) and implemented by RTI International that started in July 2019. The project aims to improve literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills for children in the early grades (K-3) by providing teacher trainings, developing localized instructional materials for teachers and supplementary reading materials for students while also forging partnerships with LGUs and the private sector to support and sustain improvements in K-3 education. ABC+ project areas include Region V, Region VI, and selected divisions in NCR, CAR, Region IV-B, MIMAROPA, and BARMM.

ABC+ will collaborate with DepEd in Regions V, VI, the National Capital Region (NCR), BARMM to pilot a remediation program, prioritizing Grade 3 learners while also supporting Grades 1 and 2. This initiative is designed to close learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic by concentrating on foundational literacy and numeracy skills. ABC+ will deliver technical assistance to teachers, school leaders and supervisors to facilitate individualized instructional support, small-group tutoring, and provide targeted materials tailored to student needs identified through CRLA and RMA assessments. Additionally, teacher capacity will be enhanced through school-based coaching and mentoring to equip educators with effective literacy and numeracy strategies, as well as tools for timely monitoring of learners’ progress.

With this, ABC+ is in need of the services of a Digital Illustrator to design and develop illustrations that will be used for the remediation sets for teachers and early grade learners. These digital resources should be gender-sensitive, inclusive, and culturally reflective of the Philippine education context.

All digital resources must be original, free from copyright restrictions, and adaptable across various formats, including educational materials and online assets for social media.

Responsibilities

• Specific Tasks and Responsibilities
  
  

Equipment and Software

• Use personal equipment, including a laptop and professional design software (e.g., Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop).
  
  

Illustration Development for Remediation Sets

• Create a comprehensive and original illustration bank to support 16 Remediation Sets, tailored for two learner groups (Level 1: Emerging and Developing Learners; Level 2: Transitioning Learners).
• Illustrations will range from simple objects and animals to story-based visuals to support the learning activities in the remediation sets.
• Follow the provided design and style guidelines to ensure consistency across all illustrations.
  

Print-Ready Illustrations

• Prepare all digital illustrations in high-resolution, meeting print quality standards at a minimum of 300 DPI (dots per inch).
• Ensure that illustrations are scalable for various formats, including digital and printed educational materials.
  
  

Coordination, and Communication

• Work closely with the ABC+ Communications and Technical Teams to review, revise, and finalize illustrations as per feedback.
  
  

File Management and Handover

• Organize and label all project files, ensuring they are clearly labeled and accessible for ABC+ team’s future use.
• Provide both editable source files (e.g., .AI, .PSD) and final output files (e.g., .PNG, .JPG) as required.
• Warranties
  
  

The illustrator warrants to ABC+/RTI International that the work/s are original work/s and in no way a violation of any existing copyright, and that the illustrator has the power to grant the rights set forth in this agreement. The illustrator shall indemnify ABC+/RTI International for legal liability incurred by it on the grounds that the designs are a violation of these warranties.

• Intellectual property
  
  

Supplier grants ABC+/RTI International all rights and licenses necessary for ABC+/RTI International to use the Products or Services. The parties acknowledge and agree that all Services shall be deemed to be “works for hire”, with all intellectual property rights therein vesting in ABC+/RTI International, unless otherwise mutually agreed. Supplier agrees to irrevocably transfer and assign all such rights to ABC+/RTI International, and comply with all reasonable requests by ABC+/RTI International to affect such transfer and assignments.

• Content Resources
  
  

The ABC+ Communications Team will provide guidance on design, branding content, and approval on the creative direction of the artwork and resources to be designed. The Technical team will provide quality assurance on the materials, appropriate for K-3 learners.

• Deliverables and Timelines
• Briefing with the ABC+ Communications - November 25, 2024 and Technical Team
• Illustration work for the 16 remediation sets - November 25 to December 5, 2024(Review and revision will happen simultaneousy)
• Submission of final illustration files - December 6, 2024
  
  

Duration of the contract

Engagement is output-based. The duration of the contract will be upon the final approval of the assigned remediation sets.

Location of Assignment

The supplier/artist will primarily work remotely but may be asked to come into the ABC+ Pasig office if needed by the Communications Team.

Supervision and Reporting

The ABC+ Communications Manager and/or Communication Team will supervise the work and coordinate with the supplier during the development process until final output.

Invoicing and Payment

ABC+/RTI International will pay the individual the full payment of fees after the final submission and approval of the output. Payment is subject to applicable taxes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Degree in graphic design, visual arts, fine arts, communications art, development communication, mass communication or related field
• Experience working in communications for an international development partner highly desirable
• Experience working on communications role in USAID-funded programs and familiarity with USAID rules and regulations governing branding and marking preferred, but not required
• Experience in design, and publication processes, including print and digital dissemination.
• Knowledge of Adobe Indesign, Adobe Photoshop, and other design application software
• Strong interpersonal and coordination.
• Must be professionally proficient and fluent in written and spoken English. It is preferred, but not required, that the candidate be conversant and fluent in Filipino and/or other local languages.