Senior Experiential Designer, Brand Experience Studio

Ware MalcombChicago, IllinoisHybridFull-timeStaff, 8–12 yearsListed 22 minutes ago

Apply now

About this role

As a Senior Experiential Designer at Ware Malcomb, you will shape how people feel, move, and connect inside branded environments. This role leads research, strategy, and concept development through design, documentation, and implementation of experiential graphic design (EGD) solutions that translate brand and organizational stories into physical space.
Working at the intersection of brand, architecture, and storytelling, the Senior Experiential Designer develops spatial narratives and applies them across cohesive environments, from signature brand moments, feature walls, and installations to wayfinding and placemaking systems. Projects span workplace and corporate office, brand experience, healthcare, retail, hospitality, industrial, and multifamily environments.

Your Role

- Engage and manage clients from project kickoff through implementation, facilitating decision-making, presenting design solutions, and fostering long-term client relationships

- Lead project planning, scheduling, staffing coordination, and execution to successfully deliver project scope, schedules, budgets, and client expectations

- Create and develop design options, 3D models, visualizations, and presentation materials that effectively communicate design intent and experiential concepts

- Direct and coordinate production design staff in preparing accurate design documentation and production-ready artwork for fabrication and installation

- Collaborate with architects, interior designers, engineers, fabricators, contractors, and specialty consultants throughout all phases of project delivery

- Coordinate integration of environmental graphics, signage, wayfinding, branded experiences, and digital or interactive elements within the built environment

- Prepare and distribute Requests for Proposals, coordinate bidding activities, and assist clients with contractor and fabricator selection

- Review shop drawings, proofs, mock-ups, material samples, and fabrication details to ensure alignment with design intent and project requirements

- Lead implementation activities including site coordination, punch lists, project closeout, and quality assurance reviews

- Monitor project financial performance through regular review of budgets, project reports, billing, and invoicing

- Provide guidance, mentorship, and support to junior designers and production staff

Qualifications

- Minimum of 8-12 years of experiential graphic design, environmental graphic design, experience design, exhibit design, or related experience preferred

- Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in Experience Design, Environmental Graphic Design, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Architecture, Industrial Design, or a related discipline

- Portfolio demonstrating realized experiential environments, workplace projects, brand experiences, wayfinding systems, and signage solutions

- Proven ability to translate brand strategy, culture, and storytelling into compelling physical experiences and built environments

- Strong understanding of user journey development and how people interact with and navigate physical spaces

- Experience coordinating digital media, technology integration, and interactive environmental experiences is highly valued

- Professional proficiency in 3D modeling and visualization tools to develop, test, and communicate spatial concepts

- Strong visualization, diagramming, storytelling, and presentation skills with an understanding of scale, materiality, and lighting

- Experience with concept development through construction administration phases of work

- Knowledge of fabrication methods, installation techniques, materials, and construction specifications required

- Working knowledge of signage, wayfinding, accessibility, and related code requirements

- Ability to read and understand architectural and engineering plans

- Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop) and Microsoft Office

- Proficiency in SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, and CAD tools; rendering software such as Enscape or V-Ray is a plus

- Hand sketching ability to communicate concepts is a plus

- Experience with After Effects, Figma, and AI-assisted visualization tools is a plus

- Strong project management, time management, and organizational skills to lead multiple concurrent projects

- Experience working on multidisciplinary teams with architects, interior designers, brand strategists, engineers, consultants, and fabricators

- Person should have strong ideation skills, demonstrate critical and strategic thinking, and be self-motivated

- The ideal candidate can balance creative vision with technical execution, prioritize competing demands, and mentor junior team members

This is a full-time, long-term position.
 
Established in 1972, Ware Malcomb is a dynamic, forward-thinking commercial real estate design firm providing professional architecture, interior design, civil engineering, branding, building measurement, structural engineering and MEP engineering services to clients throughout the world. With office locations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, the firm specializes in the design of office, industrial, science & technology, healthcare, multifamily, retail, hospitality and public/institutional projects.
 
The firm is also ranked among the top 10 Architecture/Engineering firms in Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms and the Top 30 Interior Design Firms in Interior Design magazine’s Top 100 Giants. For more information, visit waremalcomb.com.

The compensation range is $90k-$120k, plus benefits. Read more about Life at Ware Malcomb. 
The final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, licensing, project specialty/complexity and work location. We may exceed the posted compensation range for candidates who surpass the posted requirements. At Ware Malcomb, certain roles are bonus eligible.