Senior Graphic Designer – Publications

Job Overview

Design & Concept Development

• Develop creative design concepts for new museum publications, including exhibition catalogues, guidebooks, scholarly publications, coffee table books and children’s publications.
• Translate curatorial and editorial content into visually compelling, clear and culturally sensitive designs.
• Adapt, redesign, or update existing publications while maintaining consistency with the museum’s visual identity.
• Develop and lead on creating a visual language strategy for all type of publications managed by the Publications Section while aligning with Zayed National Museum brand.

Book Production & Print Management

• Prepare print-ready files according to professional publishing and printing standards.
• Liaise with printing houses and external suppliers to ensure accurate production, quality control and adherence to timelines.
• Review proofs, conduct pre-press checks and manage revisions through to final approval.

Bilingual Design

• Design layouts in both Arabic and English, including bilingual and bidirectional publications.
• Ensure correct typographic treatment, hierarchy and readability for both languages.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with curators, editors, educators, marketing teams and other relevant stakeholders throughout the publication process.
• Coordinate with external vendors and partners.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines and maintaining high design standards.
• Maintain organized archives of design files and assets.

Accessible & Electronic Publishing

• Support the development of accessible publications, applying best practices for readability, contrast, typography and inclusive design.
• Design and adapt content for electronic formats such as PDFs, e-books (ePub) and other digital publishing platforms.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure compliance with accessibility standards where applicable.

Required Qualification and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• 5-7 years of experience in graphic design including 2 years in senior level, with a strong focus on book or magazine publishing.
• Demonstrated experience in managing high-scale publications from concept through print production.
• Advanced knowledge of design principles, including typography, composition, hierarchy, and grid systems, particularly for long-form publications.
• Advanced expertise in Arabic and English publication typesetting, including Arabic typography and right-to-left/bilingual layouts.
• Strong knowledge of print techniques, including offset, digital, and large-format printing.
• Solid understanding of print production, colour correction, image editing, and book printing and binding principles.
• Strong knowledge of paper stocks, materials, and packaging for print application.