What Is An Integrated Designer?

Once upon a time, companies relying on strong design work would employ a number of people with various specialisms. In any given design team you could find a graphic designer, a brand manager, a web designer, and others. Nowadays, with many companies becoming leaner, more flexible and mobile, and with many new companies working with smaller, remote teams of freelancers and part-time staff, the expectations of designers have changed.

The role of “Integrated Designer” has gained popularity recently due to this – so what is an integrated designer, and what kind of work is available for you if this job description describes you to a tee?

Integrated Designer Job Opportunities

Broadly speaking, integrated design is where all the various elements of design are brought together into a coherent whole. An example of this is when a company undergoes a brand redesign from the ground up. They might change their logo, typography and colour palette to better represent the company’s current ethos and values. That will require an update of their full brand identity, as represented in their website, company letterhead, livery on the packaging, transportation and such, as well as advertising, marketing materials and maybe even interior design.

However, integrated design isn’t only called for when a company overhauls its brand identity. Some organisations will continuously use integrated design in their work, if they’re regularly releasing new products or services, for example. The rollout of a new product could involve integrating product design with packaging, a website or portal and a new logo. Or the rollout of a full campaign spanning various different print and digital media outputs.

So integrated design is something that is used constantly, and it’s becoming more important each year. In a saturated market, companies need to be able to deliver visually strong and appealing products or services on a regular basis reaching wider audiences, and that’s where the integrated designer comes in.

Rather than having a team of staff with various specialisms all trying to work together to pull these elements into a whole, employers are increasingly looking for that one special candidate who has not only the skills but also the vision to make it all work seamlessly.

Integrated Designer Essential Skills

Candidates like these would be expected to have expertise and experience in a variety of areas across multiple platforms. For example, they might be expected to be flexible enough to adapt design solutions for both print and digital. They might also be required to be able to shift from 2D static visualisation such as type or layout to motion graphics or 3D modelling.

The needs of each client will be different, which means some people are better suited than others, depending on their portfolio, but broadly a candidate looking for work as an integrated designer would be expected to have expert knowledge in all of the Adobe Creative Cloud software, and be comfortable with a workflow that overlaps packages easily.

Not only that, but they should also have the drive to continually learn and improve upon their skills, and the vision to be able to distil the ideas of their employer into a coherent solution.

So candidates should be prepared to mock-up across the full spectrum, from brand identity to website to print design, with a good understanding of how design fits into product, interiors and even if it is feasible for Developers, UX’s, Artworkers or other members of the process to produce.

As an integrated designer, it is likely that you’ll be in demand with a variety of clients including both agencies and brands.

The job market for this role is excellent right now. Whether you’re looking to continue freelancing on a longer-term basis or you’re in the market for a permanent role, if you comfortably fit the profile of an integrated designer, you’ll find that there are plenty of opportunities available.

On top of that, these positions often offer excellent compensation if you have an outstanding portfolio and a winning personality and attitude. You’ll not only get to flex your creative muscles but you’ll also be asked to be a creative thinker who’ll be intrinsically involved in design decisions.

This isn’t a role for the faint of heart! It demands the ability to manage multiple projects, deal with key decision-makers at an executive level and deliver consistent work to an excellent standard, against often tight deadlines – in exchange for that, you’ll get a job that is exciting, ever-changing and extremely well compensated.

So if you find yourself getting easily bored working in one specialism at a time, or if you enjoy the challenge of taking design ideas and working out how to implement them across a range of platforms, and you have experience and expertise across a range of skills, while constantly learning and developing, then you might just be an integrated designer – and companies are looking for you, right now.

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