Graphic Designer: Editorial, Poster & Marketing Layout

What you'll do

This is design annotation, not design production. You take completed editorial spreads, posters and marketing layouts and deconstruct them into their compositional layers, then fill in structured metadata against a fixed schema: the visual hierarchy, the geometry of the grid, the typographic system, the style. The skill being bought is the ability to look at a finished piece and name precisely why it works, in the vocabulary a design director would use.

The project also covers short video clips, where the same job shifts into cinematography: describing framing, camera movement and visual flow in industry terms. You open layered files in Figma and Adobe Creative Suite as part of the workflow, so you are inspecting real construction rather than guessing from a flat image.

Two tasks sit above routine annotation. You write exemplar annotations that become the quality benchmark others are measured against, and you document the cases the schema does not handle (missing categories, ambiguous layouts) so the guidelines improve. Expect the framework to change as the project runs; the ad says as much.

Who fits

• 3–5+ years as a graphic, brand, editorial, layout or print designer, or as an art director
• A portfolio with strong typography, colour, layout and hierarchy, ideally in editorial and marketing work
• Expert use of Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, After Effects), Canva or an equivalent
• The ability to explain design decisions precisely, in established design and composition terms
• A degree in graphic design, visual communication or fine arts, or a portfolio that stands in for one
• Strong written English, since every deliverable is written
• Motion design, video editing or cinematography experience adds value because of the video half of the work

Designers with 7+ years or art direction experience are invited toward quality leadership tracks, which is the only hint the ad gives about progression.

What it pays

$20–50/hour, micro1's published band. That is a 2.5x spread with nothing published about what decides placement; the leadership track is the likeliest route to the top of it, but the ad does not say so. Plan around the floor until you have an offer. No compensation structure, weekly hours or project length is stated.

Worth knowing

Good:

• Thirty openings, which is a wide door for a specialist design role
• Rewards the analytical side of design experience (naming and explaining) rather than speed in the tools
• A stated leadership track for senior designers and art directors
• No AI experience needed
• No country restriction named on the ad

Less good:

• $20 is low for a designer with 3–5 years of experience, and the band gives no basis for placement
• Filling a schema for layout after layout is repetitive in a way design work usually is not
• You describe other people's work; nothing you make ships as design
• The video annotation half may not suit print-only designers
• No hours, duration or start date published
• Contractor engagement: no benefits, no notice period, your own tax to manage

About this listing

Posted by micro1 on its own jobs portal and read on 24 September 2026, when it had been up for about a month. The $20–50/hour band, the thirty openings and the qualifications above are its published text. No country restriction is stated; the customer is not named. See micro1.