About Sojourners:
Since 1971, Sojourners has articulated the biblical call to social justice and inspired hope and faith-rooted action. Our award-winning coverage of religion, politics, and social justice includes daily news and commentary on sojo.net, 10 annual issues of Sojourners magazine, and multimedia coverage. We publish essays, op-eds, original reporting, analysis, and reviews that inspire people of faith to take action for justice and peace.
Our publication has earned awards from Religion News Association, Associated Church Press, the American Academy of Religion, and the Society of Publication Designers.
Scope of work:
Sojourners seeks a contracted designer or design agency to provide the following services on an interim basis from February 1 – at least May 1, 2025 (extension possible) while our Creative Director takes leave. There will be an estimated 40 hours of paid orientation with the Creative Director in advance of this start date, as arranged by mutual agreement with selected contractor.
- Design and layout approximately 3 complete issues of Sojourners magazine (52 p. each; 156 pages total) according to provided grid. Two sample issues are available (here and here). Each issue contains three features, ad placements, and approximately 26 other pages. (Please note: The May and June issues will be completed solely by the contractor. The April issue will be started by the Creative Director before their departure and then handed off to the contractor; the July issue will be started by the contractor, before the return of the Creative Director.)
- Design three magazine covers from concept to execution in collaboration with the editorial team and commissioned artist/vendor.
- Commission artists, illustrators, and photographers and/or find high-quality stock art to produce original artwork for 12 magazine feature stories (3 per issue) and approximately 14 other articles per issue.
- Manage monthly art budget for magazine to ensure expenses per issue are maintained accurately within set limits. Additionally, oversee artist payments to ensure artists are paid promptly.
- Participate in magazine team meetings and planning sessions with editorial staff to maintain workflow and production.
- Coordinate the production process for each magazine issue, including two rounds of proofing and three rounds of corrections, checking that all edits are implemented.
- Oversee advertisement layout and placement, working with marketing team on house ads and paid ads.
- Convert final magazine article files to .rtf (rich text format) and organize photos for online publication
- Archive magazine issue files to cloud-based server and maintain file organization for future use
Qualifications:
The ideal graphic designer or design agency should possess the following qualifications:
- A strong portfolio showcasing magazine or publication design experience
- Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator
- Experience commissioning illustrators/photographers and managing budgets
- Proven ability to translate complex topics into creative designs
- Familiarity preparing files for print and digital publication
- Strong organizational skills
- The ability to manage multiple deadlines
- Excellent collaboration skills
- Attention to detail
To submit a proposal:
Interested graphic designers or design agencies may submit their materials here. We will be in touch with finalist candidates in early January.
- Cover Letter
- Portfolio
- References
- A cost estimate, including hourly rates or project-based fees and description detailing how Sojourners is expected to remit payment.
Submission deadline:
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis until January 10, 2025.