Downstream is:
An Experience Design and Creative Technology firm operating at the intersection of communications and the built environment, embracing a wide range of disciplines including graphic design, architectural, interior, digital design, and software development. We are a global company, connected to an international team. Each of our four office locations is producing exciting and innovative projects and technology.
Our work is diverse and challenging. One size never fits all, so we look to design and deliver the right solution to the right problem for every client. We work together to create best-in-class experiences, built on considered strategy and enabled by technology and people.
The Role:
The Senior Environmental Designer is responsible for leading the creation and implementation of designs for Downstream projects. The Environmental Designer is responsible for the direct creation of designs and will periodically supervise junior design resources and concepts for projects that include written thematic narrative and storyboards, graphic design, 3D environmental display design, interactive design, and other creative solutions. The Senior Environmental Designer works with design leads, account leads, and project management to ensure the client satisfaction.
Responsibilities:
- Apply your 5+ years of experience to amazing interactive experiences within meaningfully branded, physical environments.
- Play a critical part in designing branded experiences in the built environment that translate across multiple digital and physical touchpoints.
- Facilitate co-design workshops internally and externally to help realize clients’ visions by researching, conceiving, sketching, modeling, communicating and documenting environmental designs.
- Collaborate with diverse experts, internally and externally, and advocate for the user within the context of complex projects.
- Work closely with internal Creative and AV Engineers to help translate a creative vision to technical documentation to inform both clients, architectural partners and specialty fabricators.
- Work with key production leads and design leads, including project managers and producers, and interactive/motion and graphics teams to ensure the design vision is executed in a consistent and quality manner.
- Help facilitate business processes for the design team, including defining deliverables for each stage of design, including but not limited to: discovery workshops, concept design, design development, production design, file management, and project tracking and timeline management and ensure that
- those processes are maintained.
- Identify design problems and devise elegant solutions.
- Take a human-centered design approach and rapidly test and iterate your designs.
- Take smart risks and champion new ideas.
- Expect to travel up to 5-10% of the year for client engagements.
Requirements/Qualifications:
- Six or more years in architecture and/or experience design in consulting, agency and/or in-house.
- Experience with environmental graphic design and signage/wayfinding design and documentation is highly advantageous.
- Expertise in software such as SketchUp, Adobe CC, and AutoCAD. Experience with Rhino, Revit, Enscape, Twin Motion and Bluebeam is a plus. And any other appropriate software to best communicate your design.
- Ability to work with clients to understand detailed requirements and design complete experiences that meet client needs and vision.
- Extensive experience using environmental design best practices to design spaces, and fixtures that appease a well-choreographed branded experience, with an often digitally augmented visitor journey.
- A solid grasp of space planning, programming, custom fixture and furniture design with thoughtful, seamless integration of technology.
- Ability to iterate your designs and solutions efficiently and intelligently.
- Ability to clearly and effectively communicate design processes, ideas, and solutions to teams and clients.
- Knowledge and experience with technical documentation and coordination with architects, design consultants, specialty fabricators and building trades.
- Be excited about collaborating and communicating closely with teams and other stakeholders to regularly deliver design solutions for approval.
- Be willing to help teammates and blur the edges between our different design disciplines. Share knowledge and experience with peers and learn from them.
- Be open to receiving feedback and constructive criticism including but not limited to an annual performance review lead by a department head(s) that will include peer feedback.
- Be passionate about all things UX and other areas of design and innovation.
Other Duties:
- Explore new design solutions and generate concepts and new ways of visualizing ideas.
- Look for innovative concepts related to building brand messaging in the built environment.
- Help recruit future design talent and become involved in the local and national design communities.
Short and Mid-Term Goals:
This position would play a key role in helping Downstream advance short-term and mid-term business goals, including:
- Creating designs that support a world-class design team.
- Realizing design concepts and building long-term client success.
- Establishing efficiencies in executing design concepts – such as design details, application proficiency (SketchUp), file management, external design resource management.
Why diversity is important to us?
Our team is diverse and our way of working is inclusive. The wide range of backgrounds, interests, capabilities and perspectives makes us better, stronger and more innovative. Our diversity is a crucial element in creating a high-performing team that makes no assumptions and remains resistant to the status quo. We are an equal-opportunity employer committed to recruiting and promoting the best person for every role. We are determined to provide a working environment that is free of discrimination based on race, nationality, gender, age, disability, religious belief, marital and family status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
