Urban Outfitters Freelance Homeware Illustrator

Urban Outfitters started out as a single boutique in 1970s Philadelphia with creativity and uniqueness at its core. 50 years on, and over 60 stores across Europe later, we’ve become a destination for emerging design, unexpected styling, One-Of-A-Kind vintage and homeware that makes you want to hit the share button.  

We speak to a social community of over 10 million forward-thinking individuals, bringing together a nostalgia for the past with an enthusiasm to shape the future. The UO community are culturally aware, they shape the music scene, they live a digitally native life and they wear style trends before anyone else. At our core, we empower our customers and staff to express themselves, unapologetically, living life in a way that's truly authentic to them. 

We are always excited to bring new talent into the room, especially if you share our values: 

Progressive — we move with the mood 
Creative — we champion limitless minds 
Inclusive — we open our platforms to all communities 
Responsible — we work to reduce our impact on the environment 
Compassionate — we care for each other beyond the 9 to 5 

Sound like you, why not join us? 

We are looking for a creative and versatile Freelance Illustrator to join our Homeware buying team.

In this role, you’ll help translate lifestyle trends and illustration briefs into prints, graphics and hand drawn illustrations to use across multiple homeware product areas. You’ll work closely with our Buying and Design team to bring fresh visual concepts to life across a diverse range of home and lifestyle products. 

• Concept Illustration:  Create original artwork, prints, and surface patterns for various homeware categories (e.g., textiles, ceramics, tableware, bedding, and stationery). Using a mixed media approach we would like someone who can hand draw/paint and use digital software to produce prints and graphics. You must be able to translate and format hand drawn artworks into digital working files for production also. 

• Collaboration:  Work alongside Buyers and Product Designers to interpret trend briefs, mood boards, and color palettes. 

• Tech Packs & Preparation:  Prepare final, print-ready digital artwork files with accurate repeats and color separations for suppliers. 

• Product Mock-ups:  Create 2D product CADs or vector mock-ups to help the buying team visualize how designs look on actual products before production. 

• Trend Adaptation:  Using Design led trend boards to inform your print and artwork designs, adapt and explore inspiration from these mood boards to create relevant and original prints and graphics that fit the UO handwriting. 

#UrbanEU #LI-ER1

• The Portfolio:  Clear experience designing commercial and original artwork for Home and Lifestyle products, your portfolio must showcase a variety of aesthetics and drawing styles, hand rendered and digital. Ideally including novelty/gimmick style graphics which are a vital piece of the UO Home range. 

• The Tech Stack:  Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite (specifically  Photoshop  and  Illustrator  is non-negotiable). Procreate skills are a massive bonus. 

• Commercial Awareness:  An understanding of how an illustration translates from a screen to a physical object (like a woven cushion or a printed mug). 

• Agility:  Ability to work to tight deadlines and take constructive feedback from the buying team with ease. 

• An Understanding of the Brand Identity and customer:  Urban Outfitters has a distinct customer and aesthetic, so we're looking for someone who naturally understands and relates to our audience. The ideal candidate will have a strong grasp of the trends, communities, and niche interests that shape our Home department, and be able to translate these insights into relevant, original graphic and illustration work. 

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URBN is an Equal Opportunities Employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We provide equal employment opportunities regardless of age, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy, marital status, religion, race, or disability. We base all our employment decisions on merit, job requirements and business needs.