Graphic Designer

I'm a content creator and founder looking for a genuinely excellent Graphic Designer to help me turn written content into carousels, infographics, and event graphics. Your primary focus will be Instagram and LinkedIn carousels for my personal brand, plus a recurring set of event promotion assets for the live events I run in Montreal.

This role starts with a short paid trial task so we can both make sure it's a good fit before committing. From there, it moves into a part-time arrangement, with room to grow as my content and event volume increases. I'm not looking for a one-off freelancer --- I'm looking for someone to grow with me long-term.

This role will also evolve over time. I'm not looking for someone who just executes a checklist --- I'm looking for someone experienced enough to help me build the most efficient design workflow possible and proactively suggest improvements. If you've worked with personal brands before and have opinions on what actually stops the scroll, I want to hear them.

I am willing to pay more money if your quality and experience are commensurate.

==== A note on AI ====
I want human design work, and I'm paying for a human eye --- if your portfolio contains primarily AI-generated images or illustrations, I will pass immediately.

If your portfolio contains AI-generated images or AI-generated illustrations, I'll pass immediately. If your application reads like it was written by ChatGPT, I'll pass immediately. I read a lot of these and it's obvious.

==== The Style I'm Going For ====

Here are three reference accounts that capture the vibe I want:

Reference 1 (Carousel) --- ----------
Reference 2 (Carousel) --- ----------
Reference 3 (Infographic) --- ----------
Reference 4 (Event graphics) --- ----------

==== Key Responsibilities ====

Content design:

Turn my written posts into 5-10 slide carousels (1080x1350, for both Instagram and LinkedIn)
Cut out photos of me cleanly and place them on flat colour backgrounds (hair edges matter)
Design explanatory graphics: frameworks, step diagrams, 2x2 matrices, before/after comparisons

Event design:

Design Luma event cover images (1:1 square, must stay legible at small preview sizes)
Build a repeatable event asset kit: cover image, speaker announcement graphics, Instagram story assets, LinkedIn announcement graphic, urgency/last-spots variant, post-event recap graphic
Lay out speaker headshots, partner logos, and event details cleanly under real constraints

System work:
Maintain and extend my brand template system so everything stays visually consistent
Adapt one piece of content across formats, recomposing rather than cropping
Prep and organize assets in a shared folder with clear naming
Proactively suggest layout improvements, format ideas, and design trends you're seeing work right now

==== Requirements====
Proven experience designing carousels, social graphics, and event promotion assets --- portfolio required
Strong typography instinct: type scale, hierarchy, spacing, letter-spacing. This is the main thing I'm hiring for.
The ability to make something legible and striking at thumbnail size, not just at full size
Advanced Canva (building and maintaining brand kits and templates, not just filling in stock layouts)
Photoshop or equivalent for background removal and clean cutouts
Excellent written English --- you'll be laying out my sentences and I don't want words breaking in the wrong places
Ability to hold one visual system across dozens of pieces without it drifting

Bonus: Figma or Illustrator, basic motion (simple animated versions of static slides), previous experience designing for live events or a solo creator

Salary: 8-12 USD/hr depending on experience, or a per-piece rate if you prefer --- tell me which works better for you.

The top of that range is real, but it's for someone with a genuinely strong portfolio and the judgment to go with it. Tell me what you think you're worth and show me why. I pay well for people who are good and I don't haggle over a dollar an hour.

==== How to Apply ====

Please send the following. Applications missing any of these won't be reviewed.

(1) A link to your design portfolio --- carousels, social graphics, and event assets specifically. Show me work you personally designed, and tell me exactly which parts were yours.

(2) Look at this carousel: ----------
Tell me three specific things that are wrong with it and how you'd fix each one. Be specific --- point at type sizes, margins, hierarchy, whatever you actually see. This is the part of the application I care most about.

(3) Tell me the first three questions you'd ask me before opening Canva if I sent you a 300-word post and asked for a 7-slide carousel.

Please make the subject line of your application "Slide Three: [Your Name]"

If you advance to the next stage, you will get a paid trial --- one carousel plus one infographic from copy and references I provide. Paid whether or not I hire you.