Student Book Art Director

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When you join the Behind the Book team, you have the opportunity to work in a creative, innovative, and supportive environment. Share your passion for literacy, kids, and making a difference.

About Behind the Book:
Behind the Book is a literacy non-profit that serves PreK - 12th grade students in Title l NYC public schools. Behind the Book partners with teachers to create immersive curriculum units based on a book that include working with the author, writing, art, and exploring the content of the book through drama and relevant field trips. BtB empowers the next generation of readers and writers by nurturing critical thinking, creativity, and self-confidence in our students, giving them the tools they need to reach their full potential.

Student Book Design Art Director Description:
Behind the Book seeks a person to coordinate student book production for appx. 20 student books per year. Books are professionally designed with the same front and back matter in a commercially designed book. Each student gets a spread with writing and art. The coordinator will assess volunteer book designers, assign, and supervise them through the process, work with the program department to ensure the books have correct materials, and send them to the printer.

Job Responsibilities

  • Assess designer skills
  • Assign and manage each designer
  • Coordinate with BtB Teaching Artists to ensure program art will work in the book format.
  • Critique samples from designers to ensure they suit the topics and the organization.
  • Liaise between the program coordinator and designer to make corrections.
  • Manage multiple books in different stages of production.
  • Create and manage schedules to ensure books get back to students in a timely manner.
  • Manage orders from the printer.
  • Design books when necessary.

 

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in graphic design or related field a plus.
  • Excellent design skills
  • At least 5 years professional experience in book design
  • Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite (CS5 or higher): Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
  • Excellent typography skills
  • Must have experience managing multiple projects and directing designers.
  • Results oriented, detailed, creative, productive, and dedicated to high quality

 

Occasional attendance in the office for staff meetings (post pandemic) will be required but most work can be done in your own time.

You should be available 7 – 10 hours a week on average but January, March, April, and May will be the busiest times of the year.  Each book takes about 30 hours to design so your hours will be somewhat dependent on the qualifications of the designers.

 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please submit a cover letter and resume summarizing qualifications and relevant experience, and a link to your portfolio of work demonstrating skills in design including examples of book design work to denise@behindthebook.org with Student Book Art Director in the subject header. 

Behind the Book is committed to providing equal opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, political affiliation, family responsibilities, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state or local law. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization.