Print Product Design Specialist

Graphic Designer — Personalised Race Poster Series (South African Endurance Events) About the project Arc Motion is a South African sports memorabilia brand producing personalised race posters for endurance athletes. Each poster features the runner's name, finish time, pace, bib number, race date, and a hand-crafted course map. The route is 3D printed and physically adhered to the poster surface, so the design must account for this layered element. We have a locked brand identity, colour system, and poster template formula. We are not looking for someone to redesign the brand — we need a skilled designer to execute within the system across multiple race editions. What we need For each race poster (starting with Comrades Marathon, then Two Oceans, Cape Town Marathon, Soweto Marathon, and cycling events), the designer will produce: 1. Threshold hero image — A high-contrast, stylised image that captures the spirit and location of each race. Think iconic landmarks, terrain, or finish-line energy specific to where the race takes place (e.g. Durban beachfront for Comrades, Chapman's Peak for Two Oceans). This sits behind the route illustration and must work as a subtle background element, not overpower the layout. 2. Route illustration — A clean, simplified course map rendered as a single-weight stroke (1.4pt, rounded caps). This is the centrepiece of the poster, occupying roughly 60% of the poster height. The physical 3D-printed route will be layered on top, so the illustrated version must be precise and print-ready. 3. Full poster layout per race — Applying our established template grid with the following hierarchy: - Race name: Display typeface (Druk Wide Bold / Bebas Neue / Anton), all caps, 2 lines max, top-left - Finish time: Display typeface, top-right - Stats line: Date · Distance · City (Body typeface — Inter or IBM Plex Sans, Semibold), below race name - Route illustration: Centred - Runner name band: 6% of poster height, bottom, accent colour - Wordmark + edition number: Footer, 50% opacity 4. Colourway variants — Each poster produced in 2–3 colourways from our defined palette. Every poster uses exactly 3 colours: one background, one route line, one accent. Design specifications - Format: A2 (420 × 594 mm) for print, 2:3 ratio for web - Margins: 5% safe area on all sides - Border: 8mm cream mat inside the poster edge - Typefaces: Druk Wide Bold (display) + Inter or IBM Plex Sans Regular/Semibold (body). No exceptions. - Colour palette (10 brand colours, never more than 3 per poster): • Comrades Cobalt #1E4FD6 • Veld Ochre #E8A33D • Protea Crimson #C8233A • Karoo Black #0E0E10 • Highveld Navy #0B2545 • Fynbos Emerald #1E7A4D • Atlantic Teal #1F6F7A • Sunset Coral #E8553D • Bone Cream #F2EAD3 • Mist Grey #C9CDD3 - Deliverables: Print-ready PDF/AI files + web-optimised PNG/JPG What makes a good fit - Experience with poster design, editorial layout, or sports/event branding - Strong typographic sense — you understand hierarchy and restraint - Comfortable working within a strict template system (this is about execution discipline, not reinvention) - Ability to research and source/create location-specific imagery for threshold backgrounds - Familiarity with print production (bleed, colour profiles, giclée-ready files) - Bonus: familiarity with South African races or endurance sport culture Scope Phase 1: Comrades Marathon poster — 3 colourways, threshold image, route illustration, full layout. This is the test project. Phase 2 (ongoing): Additional race editions following the same template. Expect 4–6 new races in the first 6 months. Please include in your proposal: - 2–3 relevant portfolio pieces (poster design, editorial, or sports branding) - Your approach to creating location-specific imagery within a templated system - Timeline estimate for Phase 1 - Your rate (fixed price per poster or hourly) We will share the full brand guide, reference mockups, and GPX route files upon engagement.