Senior Illustrator (Vector)

Newsweek is seeking a highly skilled, versatile Illustrator with a flexible visual style and a strong conceptual mindset. The ideal candidate is adaptable, imaginative, and thrives on turning complex or abstract subjects into bold, engaging visuals across editorial, branded, and digital content. The ideal candidate's style should demonstrate versatility, seamlessly transitioning from polished, vector-based designs to hand-drawn or watercolor illustrations, as dictated by project requirements. You should have a passion for storytelling through visuals, an eye for design, and experience translating concepts into engaging illustrations that enhance multimedia projects. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Create thoughtful, conceptually driven illustrations for a variety of platforms, including magazine covers, editorial features, commercial content, social campaigns, and branded storytelling.
• Respond to creative briefs with a wide range of stylistic approaches—adapting seamlessly to the tone, topic, and intended audience.
• Translate abstract or challenging ideas (politics, news, culture, science, tech, opinion) into visually compelling, thought-provoking images.
• Collaborate closely with art director, editors and creatives from ideation to delivery, ensuring illustration work aligns with strategic and visual goals.
• Adapt illustrations for various formats, including digital, social, print, video, and commercial campaigns.
• Create original illustrations for video content, animated video, including storyboards, character designs, and background art.
• Develop visual assets for motion graphics, such as icons, graphics, and other design elements.
• Maintain quality, originality, and consistency across fast-paced, deadline-driven assignments.

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience as an illustrator in media, editorial, agency, or commercial environments.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a wide range of styles—from clean vector and flat design to expressive, hand-rendered or painterly techniques.
• A strong portfolio showcasing versatility, conceptual depth, and visual storytelling across diverse subject matter.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop; skills in Procreate, Fresco, or other drawing tools a plus.
• Experience working across print, digital, and social platforms; animation or motion graphics experience is a bonus.
• Expertise in creating illustrations for different formats, including storyboards and motion graphics assets.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to take creative direction, iterate quickly, and handle multiple assignments under tight deadlines.
• Passion for current events, culture, and narrative-driven visual work.
• Excellent written and spoken English; flexibility in working hours.

Desirables  

• Familiarity with AI graphic design tools, such as Runway, Firefly, etc. 
• Experience with and understanding of motion graphics and animation