LOCATION: Hybrid in Halifax, Nova Scotia strongly preferred; will consider remote for the right candidate

REPORTS TO: Creative Director

STATUS: Full-Time

ABOUT COVE
Cove started in a kitchen in Nova Scotia with a simple idea: gut health should be easy, not complicated. Founded in 2016 by brothers John and Ryan MacLellan, Cove makes Canada's first zero-sugar, prebiotic soda. Today Cove is on shelves at major retailers across Canada and the U.S., with a growing team that moves fast, sweats the details, and is building a brand people trust with their health.

ROLE OVERVIEW
The Senior Graphic Designer brings Cove's brand to life across digital, retail, product, and campaign touchpoints. This is a broad, hands‑on role for a genuinely well‑rounded designer — someone whose range covers social creative, packaging artwork, 3D renders, and merch, and who can take a brief and run with it. Video and web skills are a real plus.

You’ll work within Cove's established brand guidelines to turn creative direction into finished assets quickly. Most of the work is execution, and you'll partner with the Creative Director on art direction when a project calls for outside partners such as photo studios, illustrators, and print vendors. AI tools should already be part of how you work: we expect you to use them to accelerate concepting, iteration, and production without sacrificing quality or brand consistency.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Brand Creative & Visual Execution

Produce high-quality visual assets across digital, print, retail, trade, and social channels

Execute brand guidelines consistently across typography, color, imagery, and layout

Create 3D and product renders — can renders, shipper mockups, and key-visual backgrounds

Design apparel and branded merchandise, including T-shirts, from concept through production-ready files

Design trade show and event booths, activations, and sampling setups — including 3D renders to visualize the space before build

Maintain and apply Cove's existing templates and design systems accurately

Flag opportunities to improve or refresh templates and assets

Campaign & Marketing Support

Design creative for paid social, email, website, e-commerce, retail promotions, and event materials

Design landing pages and Shopify storefront updates, and build them directly where you have the skills

Support video needs for social, paid media, and product launches — editing in-house where you can, or briefing and managing outside editors

Design polished decks and presentations for sales, retail buyers, and investors — taking rough content and making it board-ready

Produce launch assets for new products, seasonal campaigns, and promotions

Support both acquisition and retention marketing content needs

Turn around asset variations and resizes efficiently across channels

Packaging & Product Support

Build and execute dielines, and prepare press‑ready artwork to supplier specifications

Assist with packaging design updates and regulatory text placement

Lay out bilingual (English/French) packaging panels for the Canadian market — managing copy expansion, panel space, and legibility; translation partners supply the language

Build working familiarity with U.S. (FDA)



and Canadian (CFIA / Health Canada) label requirements over time — you don't need to arrive with it, but you'll learn how artwork moves through review before print

Prepare files for print production, review proofs, and coordinate revisions with printers and vendors

Retail & Sales Enablement

Design sales and trade materials including one‑sheets, sell‑in sheets, and trade collateral

Design in‑store merchandising: shippers, PDQs, floor stands, case cards, and other POS assets

Help ensure brand expression translates effectively from DTC channels to retail environments

AI-Enabled Design & Production

Use AI design tools (e.g., Adobe Firefly, generative fill/expand, Midjourney, AI upscaling, AI‑assisted retouching, AI render and video tools) as part of your everyday workflow to speed up concepting and production

Apply AI tools thoughtfully, balancing speed with brand accuracy, quality, and attention to detail

Own Cove's AI‑powered presentation system — maintain the base deck template as the on‑brand source of truth, and keep it current as the brand evolves

Train and support the sales team on building their own on‑brand decks with AI, so routine presentations do not require a designer on every slide

Stay current on new AI design tools and workflows, and suggest efficiencies for the design process

Art Direction & Collaboration

Partner with the Creative Director on art direction — briefing outside partners including photo studios, illustrators, and freelance designers, reviewing their work, and holding the brand standard

Work closely with copywriters, marketers, and social/media teams to bring campaigns to life

Manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines in a fast‑moving environment

Incorporate feedback quickly and constructively

QUALIFICATIONS
Experience

5–8 years of graphic design experience, ideally with consumer packaged goods, beverage, wellness, lifestyle, or other fast‑paced consumer brands

Strong portfolio demonstrating range — brand design, packaging, digital campaigns, and marketing creative

Required: hands‑on, production‑level experience using AI design tools in a real workflow — not casual experimentation

Hands‑on packaging experience taking artwork from concept to press‑ready files, including dieline construction and working to a printer's or co‑packer's spec sheet

Experience briefing and art‑directing photographers, illustrators, or outside creative partners

Solid fundamentals in layout, typography, color, composition, and production

Able to work independently and contribute quickly, with minimal onboarding

Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines with attention to detail

Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Fine Arts,



or a related field preferred — a robust portfolio may substitute

Technical Skills — Required

Adobe Illustrator (expert): vector artwork and logo work, dielines and packaging mechanicals, type setting and outlining, Pantone and spot‑color setup, and clean, well‑organized layered files built to print spec

Adobe Photoshop (advanced): compositing, masking, retouching, color correction, generative fill and expand, and preparing high‑resolution imagery for both print and screen

Adobe InDesign (working knowledge): multi‑page layouts for decks, one‑sheets, and trade materials using master pages and paragraph/character styles

Prepress fundamentals: bleed, trim and safety, CMYK vs. spot, overprint, image resolution, PDF/X export, and packaging files for output

3D and product rendering: Blender, Cinema 4D, KeyShot, or AI‑assisted render workflows — able to produce can renders, shipper mockups, and key‑visual backgrounds with credible lighting and materials

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Video editing: Premiere, After Effects, CapCut, or equivalent — cutting social and paid video, adding captions and simple motion, and exporting to platform specs

Web: Shopify theme customization, a page builder (Shogun, Replo, or similar), or Webflow — able to build and publish a landing page, not just design one

Figma, including component libraries and developer handoff

Motion graphics and animation beyond basic editing

Studio‑quality photo editing and retouching

Basic HTML and CSS

Experience with beverage, food, supplement, or CPG brands

Based in or near Halifax, Nova Scotia

KEY COMPETENCIES

Genuinely well‑rounded — comfortable moving between renders, video, packaging, and retail work in the same week

Fast, resourceful, and self‑directed, with minimal ramp‑up

Fluent with AI design tools and confident integrating them into daily production

Strong creative judgment and attention to detail

Able to balance speed with brand consistency and quality

Comfortable operating in a fast‑growing, entrepreneurial environment

Collaborative mindset with a low‑ego, solutions‑oriented approach

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

You're producing high‑quality, on‑brand work within your first few weeks with minimal training

Cove's brand presence feels consistent and polished across every channel — digital, retail, packaging, and merch

AI tools are used effectively to increase speed and output without compromising quality

Marketing and sales teams receive fast, reliable creative support

Product launches are supported end to end — render, shipper, packaging, and launch video

Outside partners are briefed clearly and deliver on‑brand work with minimal rework

The sales team can build their own on‑brand decks without design touching every slide

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER STATEMENT
Cove Drinks Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

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📌 Senior Graphic Designer (Nova Scotia)
🏢 Cove Soda
📍 Nova Scotia