Texas Sustainability Graphic Design Intern

5ummary: The Texas Sustainability Graphic Design Intern’s primary focus will be on creating graphics for social media, web, and events. The Office of Sustainability endeavors to both educate the campus community on sustainability issues as well as highlight and celebrate academic, operational, and social sustainability efforts led by students, staff, and faculty across campus. The Graphic Design Intern will work closely with our Communications Intern. You may also be asked to provide support for other Office of Sustainability programs, events, and initiatives. 

Requirements: Must be proactive and self-motivated. Demonstrated graphic design skills (e.g. using Canva) and creativity. Basic video editing skills. Enthusiasm for sustainability. Ability to work both independently and as a team. Demonstrated strong time management skills and high attention to detail. Must be available multiple days per week to prepare content for social media channels.  

Preferred Skills: Experience developing social media (especially Instagram) or other graphics for an organization. Experience creating reels for Instagram. Experience creating branding toolkits and following branding guidelines. Experience and knowledge in sustainability (such as coursework, volunteer work, prior employment). Experience and knowledge in social media graphics best practices for organizations.  

Specific Job Functions:  

• Work closely with Communications intern to create fresh graphical content across the Office of Sustainability’s Instagram (@TexasSustainability) and other social media channels (Twitter/X, Facebook)
• Create graphics as needed for social media, website, newsletter, and for events
• Ensure graphics are always on-brand
• Create reels and stories for Office of Sustainability Instagram
• Provide the undergraduate perspective on sustainability content
• Perform other Office of Sustainability tasks as assigned

Pay: $15/hour  

Hours: 10hrs/week  

Location: Hybrid work. Physical office space is in Student Services Building, room 1.302  

Start Date/Duration: Preferred start date of August 2024. Two semester commitment required. Possibility of summer work.  

To apply, submit a resume and cover letter explaining why you are interested in the role and the relevant  skills/experiences you bring. Please also send examples or a portfolio of previous graphics/design work. Submit materials via  Handshake or directly to Caitlin.Griffith@austin.utexas.edu. Students who are Work Study eligible should also submit  their Work Study Verification (W.SV). Applications due May 31.  

The UT Office of Sustainability is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including BIPOC, LGBTQ identifying people, gender-nonconforming people, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and people who speak a language in addition to English.  

Learning Outcomes:  

By the end of this internship, the Texas Sustainability Graphic Design Intern will:  

• Gain experience creating eye-catching, impactful graphics for social media, web, and events.
• Gain experience developing the Office of Sustainability's brand.
• Gain email writing, meeting, and other professional communications skills.
• Understand how to apply concepts of sustainability to their personal life, the campus community, and globally.
• Have a strong knowledge of every-day sustainability issues.
• Improve their ability to work as a team using effective interpersonal communication and conflict resolution to  meet the team’s goals.

Career-Readiness Competencies:  

As a Graphic Design intern, the student will strengthen the below competencies.  

• Oral/Written Communications: Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively in written and oral forms. By  speaking in meetings, strengthen interpersonal communications skills and ability to express ideas to others.   Professionalism
• Work Ethic: Demonstrate personal accountability and the ability to work effectively both  independently and within a collaborative team environment consisting of student and professional staff.
• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving: Strengthen the use of sound reasoning to analyze issues, make decisions, and  overcome problems. Develop and implement creative new ideas about how to engage students and advance the  Office of Sustainability’s mission through its social media channels.
• Teamwork/Collaboration: Build collaborative relationships with teammates. Develop ability to work within a team  structure.