Graphic Designer for Summer Camp in Estes Park, Colorado
Come work and play in the Rocky Mountains of Estes Park, CO at an internationally renowned summer camp!
Cheley Colorado Camps is seeking a Graphic Designer to serve as part of the four-person media team.
Media team members have the unique opportunity to use their creative and technical skills to create fresh content to engage the Cheley community, build brand awareness, and generate a buzz for our overnight summer camp. As Graphic Designer, you will be dedicated to designing and creating the annual yearbook.
The Graphic Designer is responsible for all aspects of the yearbook, including but not limited to:
- Design
- Layout
- Copy (writing and editing)
- Photos (placement and editing)
- Creating and designing the cover
- Obtaining needed information from directors and other staff
- Working with the photographer and online editor to get needed materials
As Graphic Designer, you can expect to learn valuable lessons in project and media management, time management, and working with Adobe InDesign, etc. In addition, at the conclusion of the summer, you will have a variety of projects you can include in your portfolio. If desired, Cheley Colorado Camps can work with applicants and their school to satisfy internship or other school credit requirements.
The Graphic Designer works under the direction of the Marketing Specialist and Camp Directors (year-round Cheley staff members). Adobe Creative Cloud subscription on Apple iMac 2021 is provided.
What You Bring:
- Strong interest in connecting with others and being part of the camp community
- Evident knowledge of graphic design and layout principles
- Strong communication & organizational skills
- A positive attitude and a drive to complete work quickly and efficiently on daily deadlines
- Ability to take direction and multi-task, responsible, well organized, and work with minimal supervision
- Always be innovating, initiating, and creating; and demonstrate effective time management
- Ability to live as part of the camp community
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
- Oversee theme development and the overall contents and design of the yearbook. Study design briefs and determine requirements. Conceptualize visuals based on requirements.
- Responsible for all aspects of the graphic design of the book, including layout concepts and design of the layouts. Designs cover, endsheets, title page, opening and closing spreads, and division pages.
- Responsible for all aspects of copywriting in the yearbook, including articles, sidebars, infographics, pull quotes, etc. Takes personal responsibility for the quality of the written content in the yearbook.
- Supervise all photo work to be done for the yearbook, including quality of photos and selection of best photos for layouts.
- Work with photographer to photo subjects. Shoots some assignments themself.
- Ensure that every camper and staff member is in the yearbook and that there is even coverage of units.
- Responsible for a schedule of required benchmarks and deliverables that must be met every two weeks.
- Responsible for a final check of the yearbook before it gets submitted to the Marketing Specialist and Camp Directors.
- Oversee miscellaneous projects – Spirit Button and name tag – (manages the entire process of defining requirements, visualizing and creating graphics including illustrations, logos, layouts, and photos).
At the end of the summer, the Graphic Designer must turn in a hard drive with the completed, ready-to-print yearbook. The final copy must be 100% correct and all names have been proofread by the Graphic Designer, unit director, and Enrollment Manager. There should be a printed, hard copy of the yearbook for approval. There will be no additional proofreading or modifications.
Media Team Responsibilities
- Work with other members of media team to create a schedule that will allow equal coverage of all units and all activities.
- Leads efforts to ensure all deadlines are met.
- Maintain all equipment in good working order.
- Create visual content for various social media platforms, including, but not limited to, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with excellent judgment, instincts, and a sharp feel for the social media landscape.
- Catalog photos (including archiving, backing up, etc.).
- Assist other members of media team as needed.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Proven graphic designing experience
- A strong portfolio of illustrations or other graphics
- Proficiency with design software and technologies (such as InDesign and Photoshop)
- A keen eye for aesthetics and details
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work methodically and meet deadlines
- Degree in Design, Fine Arts or related field a plus
- Experience in other Adobe Creative Cloud suite of programs a plus
- Some social media experience regarding creating viral/shareable content for social channels and/or social ads a plus
Being a member of our support staff is a very important position and the choices they make affect the campers’ entire camp experience. The goal of support staff is to give each camper a safe, fun, and memorable summer where they learn about themselves and learn to “act spontaneously in the right."
We are looking for staff members who are excited to work with youth, have experience working with children or in a particular program area, who are willing to work hard and impact children's lives.
Working at Cheley Colorado Camps
More than 200 people from all over the United States and abroad comprise our staff. We attract people who want to make a difference in the lives of youth and who share a common goal with the Cheley family: to make the summer a fun, empowering, and enriching experience for all our campers.
From September to May, we work diligently to create a strong summer team. We interview people from around the country and hire international staff through staff placement agencies. Cheley provides a special environment in which to meet remarkable people. Staff members work together closely and form great and lasting friendships.
Our application process includes an online application, interview, three references, and a background check. Once hired, each staff member is required to complete online abuse prevention training as well as program-specific certifications, like Wilderness First Aid and CPR.
This job isn’t for everybody. We have high expectations for our team. Focusing on the development of others requires personal sacrifices. Sacrifices like living in rustic, historic buildings; limited personal time, and a structured schedule. The demands are high, the rewards are life-changing. There is nothing more satisfying than developing future leaders.
The Staff Experience
All staff at Cheley are part of the camp community. At different times throughout the summer, you may be asked to help the community in some way outside of your job description.
Support staff live together in designated cabins on camp property and are typically at least 18 years old. They play an integral part in role modeling. All support staff need to have the ability to communicate and work effectively with peers, have the visual and auditory ability to identify and respond to environmental and other hazards at camp, and have the physical strength and endurance necessary to complete assigned tasks. A positive attitude and a sense of humor are essential.
All staff members have one day off and one night off each week with daily shuttles provided to town each morning and afternoon. We are about 10 minutes from downtown Estes Park which has laundry facilities, shops and restaurants, grocery stores, a movie theater, and a bowling alley. We are about an hour from Boulder (home to the University of Colorado) and Fort Collins (home to Colorado State University) and 1.5 hours from Denver.
Our Salary and Benefits
Housing and meals are provided, and staff members are expected to live at camp. The paycheck schedule varies, typically with paydays being after staff training, multiple times throughout each term, and then weekly for post-camp. You can expect to be paid roughly every 2-3 weeks.
We also provide a travel allowance and bonuses for relevant certifications, including WEMT/EMT, WFR, Teaching, CDL, ACCT, CWI, High Ropes Levels 1 & 2. While working, staff members have access to “pro-deal” discounts and discounts throughout Estes Park.
About Cheley Colorado Camps
Cheley Colorado Camps is a family-owned, co-ed, residential summer camp that was started in 1921 by Frank H. Cheley. We are youth development professionals focused on having a positive lasting impact. Comprised of outdoor adventures, horseback riding, athletics, target sports, fine & performing arts, and aquatics, "We build the lasting character and resiliency of young people, creating unique life experiences in a challenging and nurturing natural environment."
A summer at Cheley Colorado Camps means spending time hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, rafting, paddleboarding, mountain biking, and playing in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Wake up each morning to the fresh mountain air, views of peaks that soar to 14,000 feet, and the laughter of fellow campers and staff. Since 1921, Cheley Colorado Camps has welcomed more than 50,000 young people from every state and more than a dozen countries, including many second, third, and now fourth generation Cheley campers. Offering two traditional 4-week terms, a 5-night program for younger campers interested in a taste of camp, a family camp, and more, Cheley hosts over 1,200 campers each summer with ~220 seasonal staff and a small team of year-round staff.
People choose Cheley because they know they can expect an experience of exceptional richness, quality, and consistency in a community that celebrates the individual interests and needs of each participant. Camp lies 75 miles northwest of Denver on the 750-acre Land O'Peaks Ranch south of Estes Park, surrounded by the snow-capped peaks and forests of Rocky Mountain National Park, Indian Peaks Wilderness Area, and the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Cheley operates its backcountry program on permits from the National Park Service and the Forest Service. In addition to the Land O'Peaks Ranch, Cheley owns five more locations totaling approximately 700 acres. Two of these locations are the site of two additional camper units – the Trail's End Ranches, where campers sleep in covered wagons – while the other three locations serve as overnight camping spots. No matter how many years you come to camp, it's tough to see it all.
In Rocky Mountain National Park alone, more than 600 miles of trails wind through sunlit meadows of wildflowers, cool forests, brilliant snowfields, and vast boulder fields to high country lakes, ponds, glaciers, and rivers, and alpine peaks. Cheley's facilities include five horseback riding rings, a climbing wall, a gymnasium, a fleet of 40 mountain bikes, a low and high ropes course, a grassy amphitheater with a lighted stage, a soccer field beside an aspen grove, a fishing pond, and facilities for working with leather, paints, ceramics, and wood. Camp buildings, much like the Cheley Experience, are rich in tradition and steeped in memory. Handsome lodges and snug log cabins dating to the 1920s merge gracefully with the rocky landscape, offering stunning views at every turn. The facilities and grounds are constantly improved and scrupulously maintained for the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of campers and staff.
Cheley Colorado Camps has survived wars, economic depressions, natural disasters, and pandemics, truly withstanding the test of time. Following our Centennial in 2021, we know our challenge as leaders in youth development is to protect and preserve the rugged, rustic character of their experience while providing opportunities for growth, personal responsibility, and self-reliance. This is what makes Cheley a top-rated summer camp and we intend on improving every year.
Cheley Colorado Camps is accredited by the American Camp Association, the Western Association of Independent Camps, the Camp Owners and Directors Association, and is a Leave No Trace partner.
Inclusion at Cheley Colorado Camps
We live by our core values and beliefs, which embrace harmony, honesty, integrity, unselfish love, and concern for human dignity. The Cheley Experience thrives on creating an environment where everyone is comfortable bringing their authentic selves to camp. All are welcome and encouraged to apply!