Freelance Magazine Designer / Art Director: West Austin News

West Austin News (westaustinnews.com) is a monthly community newspaper in Austin, Texas. We’re relaunching as a full-bleed, magazine-style publication, and we’re looking for a high-end designer to build and lay out it.

The new format

• 11 x 17 inches, full bleed, 20 pages
• Printed monthly on satin/silk coated stock on a heat-set web press at Shweiki Media in San Antonio
• A premium, editorial look: strong photography, refined typography, a consistent grid and generous white space

The role

• Develop the new design system: grid, type palette, color, department headers and a masthead/logo refresh
• Lay out each monthly issue, including editorial, ads and photography
• Produce press-ready PDF/X files to Shweiki’s specs, with correct bleeds, CMYK color and embedded fonts
• Work with the publisher on content flow, page planning and deadlines

Requirements

• A strong portfolio of magazine or high-end print editorial design (please include links)
• Expert Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator skills
• Solid knowledge of print production, especially color management and prepress for web-press printing
• Strong typography and photo-handling skills
• Reliable, deadline-driven and easy to work with
• Austin-area preferred, for occasional in-person meetings

Pay and schedule

• $60-$80/hour, independent contractor
• About 20 hours per month, per monthly issue, with extra hours for the initial redesign if needed (to be agreed)

Pay: $60.00 - $80.00 per hour

Expected hours: 20.0 – 30.0 per week

Application Question(s):

• Do you have professional experience designing and laying out print magazines or high-end editorial publications? Please paste a link to your portfolio.
• Have you prepared files for a heat-set web press (press-ready PDF/X, CMYK, bleeds)? Briefly describe your experience.
• Are you available for about 20 hours per month at $80/hour, and are you based in the Austin area?
• This is a monthly publication with firm print deadlines. Describe how you keep an issue on schedule, and what you do when content or ads arrive late.
• Which magazines or publications have you designed, and what was your role on each (for example, art director, layout designer or freelancer)?

Work Location: Remote