Overview
TrailBlaze Creative is an award-winning, purpose-driven creative agency based in Pittsburgh. We partner with nonprofits and community-focused organizations to tell stories that move people — and move resources, attention, and change.
We’re looking for an early-career Graphic Designer who wants their work to matter. You’re the kind of designer who asks “Who does this help?” and “Does this honor the community we’re serving?” You’re hungry to build brands, campaigns, and tools that make it easier for mission-driven organizations to be seen, heard, and funded.
In this role, you’ll develop visual concepts and branded materials that connect emotionally and drive engagement across digital, print, and social platforms. You’ll collaborate with strategy, copy, and client teams to bring smart, high-quality creative to life — and you’ll see your work in the real world. You’ll get feedback, you’ll iterate, you’ll grow fast.
We’re looking for someone who is hungry, thoughtful, organized, and humble enough to take critique without taking it personally — someone who can complement our award-winning creative team.
Who You Are
- You believe design can create real impact in communities.
- You listen first, ask good questions, and translate feedback into better work.
- You’re confident enough to bring bold ideas and humble enough to revise them.
- You want mentorship, responsibility, and real-world experience — not just “make 10 sizes of this ad.”
Core Skills (Must-Haves)
- Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or related field — or equivalent real-world experience.
- Strong understanding of layout, typography, color, hierarchy, and composition.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign).
- Ability to work within established brand systems and keep design consistent across channels and clients.
- Ability to interpret concepts, ask clarifying questions, and turn strategy into visual storytelling.
- Ability to engage clients in conversations that inform the design process.
- Basic knowledge of preparing files for both digital and print production.
- Clear, professional communication — written and verbal.
- Organized, detail-focused, able to manage multiple projects at once.
- Willingness to receive and apply critique in a fast, collaborative environment.
- Genuine interest in nonprofit, community-based, or purpose-driven work.
Bonus Skills (Great if you have them / You’ll grow them here)
- Adobe Premiere (basic video editing / motion needs).
- Figma (wireframes or collaborative design workflow).
- Canva (adapting templates and building easy-to-use client toolkits).
- Understanding of accessibility best practices in digital design.
- Experience managing designs through production (print vendors, file handoff, etc.).
What You’ll Do
- Design compelling visual materials for nonprofit campaigns, events, and initiatives — including social media graphics, one-pagers, reports, presentations, fundraising materials, and web assets — that help clients reach the people they need to reach.
- Collaborate with the TrailBlaze team to brainstorm creative concepts and visual storytelling approaches rooted in real community needs.
- Support and evolve client brand systems so they stay consistent, but never generic.
- Prepare final files for both print and digital production and manage those deliverables through completion.
- Build and refine visual templates and toolkits clients can actually use after handoff.
- Stay current on design trends, accessibility standards, and emerging tools — and bring that thinking back to the team.
- Participate in internal creative reviews, brainstorming sessions, and client conversations.
- Other creative duties as assigned (we’re small; we all pitch in).
Why TrailBlaze
At TrailBlaze, creativity and community go hand in hand. You’ll join a collaborative team of designers, strategists, and storytellers who believe in doing good work that does good. Your ideas will be heard. Your craft will be respected. Your growth will be supported. We value curiosity, flexibility, clarity, integrity, and follow-through. We’re passionate about using design to strengthen communities, shift narratives, and make real problems visible.
This is a place for designers who want to build a career creating work that matters — not just work that looks cool.
Compensation
For this Graphic Designer role based in Pittsburgh, the salary range is $50,000–$63,000 annually, depending on qualifications and relevant internship or early design experience. This range is intended to support early-career growth while giving you meaningful, portfolio-building work on high-impact projects. Also included are paid time off, healthcare stipend, investment stipend, and work-life balance.
How to Apply
We’d love to hear from you. Keep in mind, this position requires attention to detail and ability to follow directions. Please keep that in mind during the application process. We are asking all applicants to utilize LinkedIn for applying for this position, and then send a subsequent email to resumes@trailblazecreative.com with any additional information requested. All applicants must provide a resume, cover letter, and portfolio. For this position, the portfolio is weighted heavily. And, we believe disruption is essential — the good kind. Show us how you’re constructively disruptive.
