Brand Designer and Graphic Design Assistant Needed to Expand Existing Brand

I am looking for an experienced brand and graphic designer to help expand the existing brand identity for Great Stone Dragon, a collectible fantasy pin business, into a complete and cohesive visual system across packaging, printed materials, ecommerce, events, and social media.

I already have a professionally created brand guide with established logos, colors, typography, patterns, icons, and overall visual direction. I am not looking for a new logo or a complete rebrand.

Instead, I am looking for someone who can take the existing identity, understand the brand direction, and creatively expand it across all areas of the business.

This is also intended to be an ongoing creative support role, so I am looking for someone who can become familiar with the brand over time, understand my preferences, and confidently create materials without needing constant direction or micromanagement.

Brand Direction

The visual direction I want to continue developing is an elevated version of my current branding that I refer to as Bold Heritage.

The brand should feel:

• Rich
• Collectible
• Premium
• Whimsical
• Slightly luxurious
• Approachable
• Recognizable

The primary visual direction uses burgundy, gold, ivory, and navy along with the existing Great Stone Dragon cloud motifs, dragon imagery, decorative borders, patterns, and Asian inspired visual elements already established within the brand.

The goal is not to redesign the identity, but to take the existing foundation and turn it into a much stronger and more recognizable brand system.

Scope of Work
Packaging

I would like the designer to help create and expand packaging concepts such as:

• Branded shipping boxes and mailer boxes
• Bubble mailers in multiple sizes
• Poly mailers
• Custom tissue paper
• Tissue paper sticker seals
• Packing tape
• Shipping labels
• Product protection and inner packaging
• Box inserts
• Unboxing presentation
• Belly bands
• Ribbon or packaging wraps
• Other creative packaging concepts that strengthen the customer experience

Product and Order Collateral

Design needs may include:

• Pin backing cards with adaptable layouts for different pin sizes
• Thank you cards
• Business cards
• Order insert cards
• Pin care cards
• Authenticity or collector cards
• QR code cards
• Sticker designs
• Sticker sheets
• Logo seals
• Promotional cards
• Bookmarks
• Collectible inserts
• Other branded materials included with customer orders

Event and Vendor Materials

I also attend pin trading events and vendor events, so I need cohesive event branding including:

• Table signage
• Pricing signs
• QR code signs
• Business card or flyer displays
• Banners
• Table runners
• Booth branding
• Shopping bags
• Event specific promotional materials
• Packaging specifically designed for in person purchases

Social Media Branding

One of the largest areas I want to improve is the overall consistency and recognizability of my social media presence.

I do not want every post to look identical, but I want everything to clearly feel like it belongs to the same brand.

This may include:

• Complete Instagram feed direction
• Example 3 x 3 grids showing how different content types work together
• Product release templates
• Presale announcement templates
• In hand sale templates
• Restock templates
• Coming soon templates
• Production update templates
• Informational graphics
• Event announcement templates
• Collection or series spotlight templates
• Instagram Story templates
• Instagram Highlight covers
• Reel covers
• Giveaway graphics
• Website announcement graphics
• Other recurring promotional content

The goal is to create a recognizable design system where someone can immediately identify a Great Stone Dragon post even before seeing the account name.

Additional Digital Applications

I may also need designs or templates for:

• Email marketing headers and graphics
• Order confirmation and shipping email branding
• Website banners
• Homepage promotional graphics
• Collection graphics
• Digital advertisements
• ---------- announcement graphics
• Other digital marketing materials as needed

Canva Experience Is Required

Strong Canva experience is required for this role.

While experience with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or other professional design software is valuable, many of the recurring materials for my business need to be created or recreated as editable Canva templates.

I need to be able to easily update elements such as:

• Product images
• Product names
• Dates
• Pricing
• Release information
• Event details
• Text and announcements

Templates should be organized, easy to edit, and built in a way that allows me or another team member to update them without a ---------- disrupting the overall design.

The designer should be comfortable creating professional designs within Canva rather than viewing Canva only as a basic design tool.

What I Need From the Designer

I am looking for more than someone who can create individual graphics when given exact instructions.

I want someone who can help create a repeatable and recognizable visual system for the brand.

For major brand applications, I would like thoughtful decisions around:

• Which logo variation should be used
• Primary and secondary color combinations
• Appropriate patterns and graphics
• Typography hierarchy
• Spacing and layout
• Visual consistency
• How designs should adapt across different sizes and formats

I also want someone who can look at an existing brand guide, understand the visual language, and develop new concepts that still feel unmistakably Great Stone Dragon.

Realistic mockups should also be created when appropriate so I can visualize how packaging, signage, printed materials, and other physical applications will look before production.

Final files should include editable source files whenever appropriate.

Work Style and Availability

This role is best suited for someone who is independent, proactive, organized, and reliable.

I do not want to micromanage every project or provide detailed instructions for every small design decision.

Once you understand the brand, I expect you to be able to:

• Take a general idea or request and develop it into a polished design
• Make thoughtful creative decisions independently
• Bring new ideas and suggestions to the brand
• Ask questions when something truly needs clarification
• Manage assigned projects without constant follow up
• Keep track of deadlines and priorities
• Communicate clearly about progress or potential delays
• Be responsive when projects or changes are needed

I am specifically looking for someone who can eventually understand my design preferences well enough that I do not need to explain the same likes, dislikes, or brand expectations repeatedly.

I want someone who can become a creative extension of the business rather than someone who only completes highly specific instructions.

PST Time Zone Availability

You must be able to work and communicate during Pacific Standard Time / Pacific Time business hours.

You do not necessarily need to live in the United States, but your schedule must overlap significantly with PST/Pacific Time so that communication, revisions, and projects can be handled efficiently.

There may occasionally be time sensitive projects, product launches, event materials, or updates that require relatively quick turnaround.

Because of this, I am looking for someone who is available and responsive when needed, within reasonable working expectations.

Consistent communication is extremely important for this position.

Existing Materials Provided

I will provide:

• Existing Great Stone Dragon brand guide
• Primary, secondary, badge, and icon logos
• Brand colors
• Brand fonts
• Existing patterns and graphics
• Current social media templates
• Existing packaging examples
• Previous design examples
• The Bold Heritage concept and visual direction I would like expanded

The existing identity should remain recognizable.

This project is about expanding, strengthening, and refining the brand rather than replacing it.

Ideal Designer

I am looking for someone with experience in:

• Brand identity application
• Graphic design
• Canva
• Packaging design
• Print collateral
• Ecommerce branding
• Social media design systems
• Product based small businesses
• Creating editable brand templates
• Preparing artwork correctly for professional printing
• Developing cohesive visual systems across multiple platforms

Experience with any of the following would be a major plus:

• Collectibles
• Enamel pins
• Stationery
• Luxury or premium packaging
• Fandom brands
• Boutique ecommerce brands
• Small business marketing
• Event or vendor booth branding

Ideal Personality and Working Style

The ideal person for this role is someone who:

• Is creative and brings new ideas rather than waiting for every idea to be provided
• Understands how to follow an established brand guide
• Has strong attention to detail
• Can take constructive feedback without losing creativity
• Learns my preferences over time
• Does not require constant supervision
• Can prioritize multiple design requests
• Communicates reliably
• Is responsive during Pacific Time working hours
• Can work independently while still collaborating when necessary
• Understands the importance of brand consistency
• Can balance creativity with practical business needs

Ultimately, I want the finished brand experience to make Great Stone Dragon feel like a fully developed collectible brand rather than simply a pin shop.

Every customer touchpoint, from receiving a bubble mailer, opening an order, seeing a vendor table, visiting the website, or scrolling past an Instagram post, should feel like part of the same recognizable Great Stone Dragon identity.