Description
WSOL is a small interactive agency located just west of Chicago. We focus on helping organizations of all sizes take advantage of the awesome potential of the Web. Our design and development teams are comprised of thought leaders, subject matter experts and creative thinkers. We're looking for a few more people to help us in our mission of driving the web forward, by building the smartest and best performing web experiences we can for each of our client partners.What we do:
We build responsive websites, intranets, and mobile/web applications for a diverse base of clients including universities, hospitals, manufacturers, medium sized businesses, and well...you name it. We’re proponents of device agnostic design, so we worry about making the stuff we build work across browsers, devices and platforms.
What kind of stuff you would be doing:
Your focus would be visual design and creating slick interface elements that align appropriately with the brand at hand. As the UI lead on projects, the majority of your time would be spent collaborating with others on the team to conceptualize design systems and produce prototypes for new projects.
If you apply for this position, the expectation is that you can demonstrate expertise in the following areas:
- HTML/CSS Prototyping- You don’t need to be a master of code, but you darn well should be able to translate your vision into the language of the Web. This means that regardless of your ideation process, you are comfortable converting your designs into interactive HTML/CSS prototypes.
- Sketching – Sketching is the cornerstone of our collaborative design process. As a visual designer on our team you should be adept at sketching interface ideas and user flows. This may involve translating your own ideas into sketches, or wrangling together other peoples’ ideas.
- Usability and Web Design Best Practices — As a UI expert your ability to craft painfully gorgeous sites should be a given. But we need more than somebody who can deliver delectable eye candy. We need somebody who can design sensibly, with an understanding of the implications that different interface decisions will have on the user experience.
- Responsive Workflow - In today’s modern workflow we believe there’s little place for presenting static full-page Photoshop comps. If you share this mindset, instead of thinking about designing pages, you’re thinking about designing systems. This means you’re familiar with the new tools and techniques of the trade, including things like: style tiles and style guides, pattern and component libraries, and designing (at least partially) in the browser.
- Design Communication - We believe that designers should be responsible for communicating their intent and skilled at presenting their work. As our visual design specialist, you’ll be comfortable collaborating with colleagues and leading design demos with clients. You are entirely capable of rationalizing your decisions, but also of humbly embracing critique.
- Developing Standards - Aside from producing design, we're looking for someone who can contribute to discussions about, and help define our best practices toward design process and workflow, documentation and deliverables.
Who we're looking for:
People aren't cogs, and we don't expect you to be. The ideal candidate has a core strength and expertise in visual design, but is an excellent cross-disciplinary collaborator. You'll need to work closely with UX and front-end designers throughout the design process, and hand in hand with back-end programmers on a daily basis. If you aren't an expert in every area mentioned above, maybe you're interested in becoming one. We can still chat. We're most interested in finding someone who might be a good cultural fit. So, let's hear about what you believe you can bring to the table.
Education: You must come across as an educated expert in your field. This is reflected through your competency in verbal and written communication.
Requirements: Solid understanding of universal principles of design, familiarity with web standards and responsive design best practices, aptitude writing HTML and CSS.
Experience: Experience designing responsive websites, working with prototypes, and developing style guides.
Benefits: Aside from our standard benefits package, design team members get hooked up with sweet equipment and software, get opportunities to attend conferences, participate in hack days and other collaborative projects, and perhaps most importantly, work as a part of small team that really cares about doing a good job on each project.
Location: Our office is located in Aurora, Illinois, and for this role we are seeking a candidate that would be available to work in-office. We are open to discussions about working part-time from home and/or relocation assistance.