Noodles & Company

Noodles & Company is a fast-growing, high-performing, fast casual restaurant company. We serve made-to-order noodles, salads and (now) sandwiches from around the world. We have nearly 240 restaurants across the country and plan to open 30-40 new restaurants this year. While the rest of the country is contracting, we’re thriving. (Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.)

We’re looking for an experienced Graphic Designer or Art Director to be part of our new marketing team. We have big plans, including evolving our 15 year-old brand and growing stronger. We are in the process of creating a whole new look -- moving our brand from “cute” to “cool” -- and are really taking a fresh look at everything we do. You would be in on the ground floor of developing a new brand and have a chance to not just execute a strategy, but be a part of shaping it. We have a great new team with lots of experience building cool brands. You’d do that too.

We don’t have large budgets, so we all figure out how to do a lot with a little. This is a great opportunity to not just be a designer, but come up with big ideas that make the business go. We don’t use an agency right now; we have an awesome team of freelancers. We’re located in a former liquor store in the shadows of Flatirons Mall, in Glorious Broomfield, Colorado. Our offices are nice and sunny.

WHAT YOU WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR:
• We love consistency of look and integration throughout everything we do. We have a new look and feel that we just rolled out, so we’ll be looking for ways to extend that into everything we do: logo design, in-store materials, direct mail, outdoor, even swag. We want everything that touches our customers and employees to elicit the response “Hey, that’s cool.”

• You will be knee-deep in stuff to start with, but that’s the cool part because that’s all the more things you’ll be able to put your thumbprint on. We’re small, so you’d be doing everything from designing a campaign to changing logos and prices on a fax form (or figure out a way for someone else to).

• As part of our team, you would also help us come up with promotional ideas, taking a small idea and making it Big. We have lots of neat local store marketing ideas that you would make better, then pull those together into a toolkit for our field team to be able to use on their own.

• You’d help us with menu design and “information engineering”; making all of our printed pieces clean looking, functional and easy to use. If you’re a fan of Edward Tufte, we’ll buy you a free bowl of noodles.

• Every day is different. You wouldn’t believe the variety of stuff we touch each day. All the more to bring your experience to and a chance to build a really impressive book.

THE TYPE OF PERSON WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
• You’re a thinker — You can come up with ideas that work, not just look good. You think bigger than the design and more of how what you design can make a difference to the business.

• You’re resourceful -- We don’t have large budgets; you know how the idea is King, not the budget to make it look so. You can do a lot with a little so we can spend the money to do the really cool stuff we want to produce.

• You’re a leader -- Someone with great common sense, emotional maturity, and an ability to get people excited. You are someone who commands respect, not demands it. You’re self-motivated and don’t need to be told what to do.

• You’re a planner – You love tight lug nuts. You’re good at managing the details and understanding how the pixels add up to the sweeping landscape. You plan your time weeks ahead but can adapt quickly when necessary.

• You’re flexible -- Someone who knows how to deal with multiple, often conflicting priorities, and can bring calm to chaos. An even keel. Someone who has an entrepreneurial spirit and can adapt on the fly. This is a very fast-paced company, so we’re looking for someone who thrives in that environment.

• You’re insightful -- Someone who is proactive, not reactive. Someone who is constantly looking ahead for big ideas, not needing be told where to put the headline. Someone who wants to make things better. Someone who always has the customers’ mind in mind. Who knows how to get people to do what we want them to do.

• You’re fun – We have a fun, smart brand. We’re looking for someone like that too.

YOUR BACKGROUND & QUALIFICATIONS:
- You have great, broad experience in everything: print, POP, outdoor, direct mail, web design, and some copywriting even. (when do it all around here!)
- You know how to take something as mundane as swag and make it cool, not just slap a logo on it.
- You have 3-8 years experience on the agency side or client side. You have experience working on cool brands, not just insurance companies or healthcare (no offense). Bonus points if you have restaurant or retail experience.
- There’s a lot to do and keep organized, so you need to be very detail-oriented. Almost anal-retentive (but in a good way.)
- You understand and love food.
- You’re a good person. Someone we’d like to have dinner with.