About this role
About Markham Markham is a fast-paced event consulting and production firm serving progressive political groups, Fortune 500 companies, associations, and nonprofit foundations worldwide. We bring strategy, creativity, and flawless execution together to produce high-impact events, campaigns, and experiences.
Our Creative Team supports a wide range of work—from event branding and environmental graphics to presentations, digital campaigns, social content, and client-facing materials.
We are expanding our freelance creative network and are looking for talented Graphic Designers who can jump in, hit the ground running, and bring strong creative thinking and attention to detail to a variety of projects.
This is an opportunity to work alongside an experienced creative and event production team on projects that are often high-profile, deadline-driven, and highly visible.
The Role As a Freelance Graphic Designer, you’ll support Markham’s Creative Team on a project-by-project basis. You’ll take creative direction and concepts and turn them into polished, compelling visual assets that meet both the creative vision and the practical demands of live events, campaigns, and client deliverables.
Projects may range from a quick-turn presentation or social graphic to full event branding packages and large-format environmental graphics.
The ideal freelancer is creative, collaborative, highly organized, and comfortable working at speed. You know how to take a brief, ask the right questions, work within brand guidelines, and deliver production-ready work without needing a lot of hand-holding.
DMV-based designers are preferred for projects that may require occasional on-site event support.
Experience working with public affairs, political, advocacy, nonprofit, corporate, or other mission-driven organizations is a plus.
What You'll Do
Design and produce high-quality creative assets across print and digital platforms, including presentations, signage, event collateral, social graphics, digital displays, and web assets
Translate creative concepts and direction into thoughtful, visually compelling designs
Work within established client brand guidelines while bringing creativity and a strong design perspective to the work
Develop and format client-facing presentations using PowerPoint, Keynote, and/or Canva
Create layouts, mockups, graphics, and production-ready files using Adobe Creative Suite
Support event-related design needs, including large-format graphics, environmental graphics, signage, and digital displays
Collaborate with Markham's Creative, Events, and other internal teams to develop and execute deliverables
Incorporate feedback efficiently and make revisions while maintaining the overall creative vision
Manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines at the same time
Maintain organized working files and follow established file naming, version control, and asset management practices
Jump in on quick-turn projects and help the team meet tight client deadlines when needed
Provide occasional on-site creative support for events, particularly for DMV-based freelancers
What We're Looking For We're looking for a designer who brings both strong creative instincts and strong execution skills.
You should have:
3–5+ years of professional graphic design experience; agency, event, or other fast-paced environments preferred
A strong portfolio demonstrating a range of print, digital, presentation, event, and/or branding work
Excellent visual design skills and a strong eye for typography, composition, hierarchy, and detail
The ability to work within established brand guidelines while finding opportunities to elevate the creative
Strong communication and collaboration skills
The ability to take direction, receive feedback, and work independently
Excellent organization and time-management skills
The ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines
A professional, solutions-oriented approach and the flexibility to jump between different types of projects
Technical Skills Required:
Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
Strong presentation design skills using Canva
Nice to Have:
After Effects and/or Premiere Pro
Motion graphics and animation
Web and digital design
WordPress or basic HTML/CSS knowledge
Experience preparing files for large-format and event production
What Makes This Opportunity Different Markham's work moves quickly, and no two projects are exactly alike. As part of our freelance creative network, you may support a national campaign one week, an executive presentation the next, and a large-scale event production shortly after.
You'll have the opportunity to:
Work on high-impact events, campaigns, and experiences
Collaborate with an experienced, multidisciplinary creative and event production team
Work with a diverse range of clients and industries
Take on projects that align with your availability and areas of expertise
Build an ongoing relationship with Markham and be considered for future freelance opportunities
Requirements
Ability to work remotely with reliable communication and consistent turnaround times
Availability to support quick-turn and deadline-driven projects, including occasional 24–72-hour requests
Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously
DMV-based candidates preferred for occasional on-site event support
Ability to work as an independent freelance contractor in the United States
This is a freelance/contract opportunity and is not eligible for employee benefits