QUALITY EDUCATION STRATEGIC SUPPORT PROGRAMME (QESSP)
Terms of Reference (TOR)
For
Graphics Design Consultancy Service
Background
The Quality Education Strategic Support Programme (QESSP) is a Department for International
Development (DfID) funded three year intervention that aims to improve the capacity of the
education sector in Ethiopia. Beginning March 2015 QESSP has been supporting the Ministry of
Education, regional education bureaus and education sector stakeholders in Ethiopia to
implement reforms, enhance policy dialogue and improve the evidence base in education by
providing technical assistance, management support and flexible funds.
QESSP has been building the sectors capacity to plan, design, implement and evaluate reforms
and programmes to improve access, quality and equity in the sector. The programme provides
strategic technical advice to the Ministry of Education through the secondment of technical area
and education sector professionals.
Scope of Work
QESSP has seconded two communications advisors to the Ministry of Education to work on
communications strategy design as well as development and production of various materials. To
facilitate the materials development process, QESSP is looking for the services of a professional
graphics designer that can deliver expected results in a rapid turn-around time, in high quality,
with considerable creative input and rapid understanding of new concepts and variations.
Specific Deliverables
Print ready and editable versions of:
1. Vectors,
1.1. Tracing Logos of all sizes on Adobe Illustrator
1.2. Drawing Illustrations, full color, directly on Illustrator, - A2 /A3/A4 sizes
2. Print Materials,
2.1. Leaflets/Flyers - A4/A5/A6 sizes front and back, full color,
2.2. Brochures: A3/A4/A5 sizes,
2.3. Posters: A1/A2/A3/ sizes
2.4. Booklets: A6 to A4 sizes
2.5. Table Calendars: All sizes
2.6. Magazines
3. Photography
3.1. Taking professional photographs by traveling to Regional States, Weredas and
schools, (Please quote price per trip – travel costs will be covered by QESSP)
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Quantity
Each of the above deliverables may have a quantity varying from 1 to 10.
Considerations
 Creativity: All materials must be creatively done with the highest artistic quality. Designers
must be willing to change designs based on feedbacks from communications experts even if
it means more than three and four times. Designers must be capable and experienced in
understanding creative concepts when explained either directly or from group discussions
brainstorming ideas for design.
 Comprehension: The materials should be clearly understandable by the general population
(eg. low-literacy audiences),
 Appropriateness: All creative works must be appealing and respectful to the
heterogeneous culture of the country, gender sensitive, and considerate of targets with
different backgrounds in different geographic settings. The materials should be appropriate
for each intended audience in implied meanings, tones, format or style. Designs will not be
sophisticated, abstract, or hidden nor should they contain any offensive pictures, signs,
illustrations.
 Persuasion: The designs are expected to be easily appreciated and retained by the target
audience persuading them to undertake the communicated message.
Language, Geographic Focus and Target Audiences:
The communications materials will target various audiences in different settings. Specific
instruction will detail these elements per task at the concept development stage. This will help
designers to tune creative thinking.
Turn-around time:
In general, there will be a short turn-around time for all assignments. It is critical that designers be
able to respond for all assignments within two to three days of request. Communications advisors
will inform designers the number of days given for first draft submission and delays will not be
acceptable.
QESSP will:
 Have full proprietorial ownership including copyright of all designs, concepts, ideas
generated and included in this contract.
 Retain the right to reject modify or pass on to third parties creative design ideas submitted,
 Provide concepts, guidance and feedbacks to designers,
 Cover only per diem and accommodation costs for travel to the regions.
 Be involved in casting and selecting of talents if real photographs are to be used in the
designs,
 Provide consent forms for designers when taking photos of talents,
 Pretest the designs and the materials and instruct necessary changes based on feedback
including redesigns from scratch;
 Provide indefinite quantity contract to designers
 Effect payments for services in different installments over the contract period,
Graphics Designers will:
 Claim NO proprietorial ownership or copyright of designs,
 Provide creative design options of up to two as necessary,
 Submit all editable versions of designs in layered Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
and PDF documents,
 Frequently come or as requested to the office premises of the QESSP communications
advisors to discuss ideas, gather feedback or brainstorm new concepts,
 Acquire the approval of QESSP for the use of talents in real photos before working with
them,
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 Always facilitate the signing of consent forms by talents or all persons whose photographs
will be taken for publication purposes,
 Involve as necessary in pretest of communications materials sessions, to gather feedback,
 Be willing to work on holidays, evenings, weekends and on a short notice and deliver
materials as requested in case or urgent works,
 May need to cover own transport costs to regions in the event that QESSP could not
arrange vehicles,
 Work from own convenient location and submit deliverables through email or CD as
requested and on time,
 Be willing to modify, edit, or totally change designs including designing from scratch again
and again,
Minimum Requirements
 The graphics designer is expected to have a BA Degree in Fine Arts,
 Over seven years of work experience designing various print materials, developing
illustrations and taking high quality photographs.
 Minimum three years’ experience working with NGOs and international organizations is an
added advantage.
 The designer must be highly proficient in the use of graphics applications such as Adobe
Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
 It’s also required that the designer is able to draw vector illustrations vectors with a tablet
directly into Adobe Illustrator based on creative concepts given by communicators.
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