Multimedia Design Director (up to £55,000)

12 month fixed term contract

At Immediate, we’re home to some of the biggest and most loved consumer brands in the UK, including Radio Times, Good Food, Gardeners’ World and History Extra. Our trusted, quality content reaches millions of people a month across digital, print, video, podcasts, apps and live events.

We’re the destination for people looking to get more from the things they love. We help inspire them; deepening their knowledge, skills and fuelling their passions, to enjoy more of what life has to offer.

Whether it’s the big things, or the little things; from reaching fitness goals to savouring good food, cultivating outdoor, or indoor, spaces, or enjoying the latest TV sensation with loved ones – we help bring our audiences joy.

About the role

The Multimedia Design Director will lead the visual direction for Gardeners' World. This is a role for a craft-obsessed, systems-minded creative who can bridge the brand's celebrated legacy and its digital future — preserving the warmth, authority and distinctiveness that have made it a household name, while building the frameworks, templates and guardrails that let great design happen at scale. You'll see the whole picture: what each format is for, who it serves and how it should look. And you'll define how the brand presents itself across every touchpoint — magazine, web, social, motion and beyond — putting the tools, asset libraries and production culture in place to deliver it consistently.

This is also a role for someone with a genuine love of gardening, which gives you an instinct for what the audience wants and what feels true to the brand. Above all, you'll be a leader who brings the design team with them, building digital skills and raising ambition. You'll be uncompromising on quality, knowing the difference between on-brand and merely acceptable and pushing for on-brand every time. And you'll be a natural collaborator who earns trust quickly, explains decisions clearly, and has the confidence to hold the line when it matters.

As a Multimedia Design Director, you will;

Visual Brand Guardianship

Own and evolve the GW visual identity across all touchpoints — print, digital, social, motion and experiential
Define and maintain the brand design system: typography, colour, iconography, grid and motion principles
Set and document the guardrails that let the wider team produce on-brand work independently and at pace, acting as the final checkpoint on consistency

Systems, Templates & Scalable Production

Build and manage a library of templates, components and reusable assets in Figma, InDesign and After Effects, designed to speed up turnaround without sacrificing quality
Champion intelligent reuse of the GW archive — photography, illustration, typography and footage — with workflows to surface and adapt it for new contexts
Keep asset infrastructure well-organised, version-controlled and accessible to the team

Leading Print & Digital Design

Lead the design of Gardeners' World Magazine and brand marketing collateral, working closely with the editorial team
Direct visual output across GW digital platforms — website, newsletter and app
Ensure design reflects audience segmentation, adapting the visual register for Established Gardeners, New Gardeners and Hobbyists

Social & Audience Sensibility

Bring genuine fluency in social formats — knowing what lands on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Apple News versus what belongs in a print spread — and translate editorial and seasonal moments into social-first creative that feels native, not repurposed
Oversee motion graphics, animated social content and short-form video in After Effects
Work with the social and editorial teams on visual content calendars, deploying design resource where it has most impact

Team Leadership & Creative Direction

Line manage a team of designers and motion artists, providing creative direction, mentoring and performance support
Brief and quality-control work from freelance designers and retouchers
Foster a culture of creative ambition, craft pride and brand coherence
Represent design in cross-disciplinary planning and contribute to the wider creative strategy

Requirements

Expert-level proficiency across the full Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects
Strong working knowledge of Figma, including component libraries, design tokens and collaborative workflows
Demonstrable experience leading design output across both print and digital channels
A track record of building and maintaining design systems or brand guardianship frameworks
Experience managing or mentoring junior designers and briefing freelancers
Deep understanding of social media platforms and their distinct visual grammars
Highly organised with a systematic approach to file management, asset libraries and production pipelines
Excellent eye for typographic detail and image quality

Desirable

Experience working on a media brand with a strong heritage identity
Familiarity with video editing tools (Premiere Pro or similar)
Experience with DAM (Digital Asset Management) systems
Understanding of accessibility standards in digital design
A personal interest in gardening, horticulture or the natural world

Benefits

A relaxed working environment with regular socials including a summer festival
Supportive well-being initiatives and benefits, talks & workshops, and Mental Health First aiders & Champions
25 days holiday plus a day for your birthday. Our offices will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s which are in addition to your annual entitlement
Claim back everyday health care cost with Medicash our Health Cash back plan
Lease an Electric vehicle through our EV salary sacrifice scheme
Tailored training and development through both our inhouse learning platform and LinkedIn Learning
A progressive and transparent culture focused on your development
Flexible / hybrid working plus early finish Fridays
Cycle to work scheme
Enhanced Family Policies including paternity, adoption and surrogacy leave. We also provide a pregnancy loss, fertility, and carers policy
Competitive pension plans and Life Assurance
A newly renovated modern office with lots of collaborative spaces

At Immediate, we pride ourselves on our open, inclusive, collaborative, and dynamic culture that empowers our people to thrive and give their best. We care deeply about our people, our local communities and the impact we have on the environment. Our active Diversity & Inclusion network, comprehensive well-being programs, and clear sustainability strategies reflect this commitment.

People are at the heart of our business and creating a diverse and inclusive working environment is important to us. Immediate is an equal opportunities employer. We’ll never treat anyone less favourably because of their sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, marital/civil partnerships, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origin, age, religion or belief or disability. We’re also committed to supporting applications from those who are returning to work following a career break, maternity leave or caring responsibilities.

Immediate is a place you can grow, be supported, and make a difference.

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Immediate Media