Brand Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Brand Designer

Company: Overland AI

Location: Seattle, WA

Job Type: Full-time, Salaried

Category: Marketing & Communications Design

Date Posted: 2026-09-30

Experience Level: 5-10 years

Remote Status: Fully Remote (with travel)

🚀 Role Summary

• Own and evolve the visual identity of Overland AI across all digital and physical touchpoints, with a strong emphasis on social media presence.

• Develop compelling visual assets and creative concepts for marketing campaigns, product announcements, events, and recruitment initiatives.

• Establish and maintain robust brand systems and design templates to ensure brand consistency and enable rapid content production across various platforms.

• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders and external partners to translate complex technological concepts into clear, engaging visuals.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is specifically for a Brand Designer within a Communications & Marketing (C&M) team, focusing heavily on visual brand identity for a technology company (autonomous ground systems). The emphasis on "building the visual identity" and "shaping the brand across every touchpoint" highlights a strategic, ownership-driven aspect beyond just execution. The mention of "turning complex technology into sharp, compelling visuals" indicates a need for strong conceptualization and communication skills.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the visual design and execution for Overland AI's social media channels, creating engaging assets for campaigns, announcements, product updates, events, and recruitment efforts.

• Develop and maintain a library of flexible, production-ready templates and design systems to streamline social content creation and ensure brand consistency across diverse formats and platforms.

• Conceptualize and execute creative directions for brand campaigns, ensuring visuals are clear, compelling, and aligned with strategic objectives.

• Design a wide range of marketing collateral, including assets for social media, websites, email newsletters, presentations, event signage, and video content.

• Apply advanced typographic skills and principles to craft dynamic and effective layouts across all design projects.

• Collaborate closely with content strategists, copywriters, video producers, and product marketing teams to deliver integrated and impactful creative solutions.

• Manage the production process for both digital and print assets, ensuring accuracy in color profiles, resolution, bleed, trim, file formats, and export settings.

• Liaise with print vendors and fabricators to manage proofs, select materials, and oversee finishing for large-format and physical projects.

• Partner with external vendors and agencies to ensure brand consistency and high-quality execution on campaign and event deliverables.

• Contribute to the ongoing improvement and maintenance of Overland AI's brand guidelines and design systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize ownership ("Own the visual design"), strategic thinking ("Strategically develop templates"), and comprehensive execution ("Turn complex technology into sharp, compelling visuals," "Own work from early concept through final delivery"). The detailed production responsibilities highlight the need for a designer who understands print and digital production nuances.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience:

• 5+ years of professional experience in brand design, graphic design, or visual identity development.

• Proven experience supporting a company's social media presence through design, ideally within the technology sector or a fast-paced startup environment. Required Skills:

• Demonstrated expertise in concept development, brand strategy, and visual identity creation.

• Strong proficiency in typography, layout, composition, grid systems, and visual storytelling.

• Advanced skills in Figma and the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, specifically Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign.

• Ability to create distinctive and platform-appropriate social media assets for dynamic content calendars.

• Solid understanding of production processes for both print and digital applications, including file preparation, color management, and export settings.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design decisions, receive feedback constructively, and work effectively with diverse teams.

• Meticulous attention to detail in all aspects of design and production, from typography and spacing to file organization and final delivery. Preferred Skills:

• Experience in developing and maintaining comprehensive brand guidelines and design systems.

• Proficiency in presentation design tools such as PowerPoint.

• Illustration, diagramming, video storyboarding, or motion/animation skills.

• Experience working with external vendors and fabricators on print and large-format projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "equivalent practical experience" acknowledges that formal education is not the sole criterion, which is common in creative fields. The emphasis on a "strong portfolio" is paramount, reflecting industry standards for design roles. The "Desired Experience" points towards candidates who can hit the ground running with social media and thrive in a high-growth tech environment.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio link is mandatory with your application.

• Showcase a strong track record of concept development, demonstrating the ability to translate ideas into visual designs.

• Include examples of brand identity work, illustrating the creation and application of cohesive visual systems.

• Present diverse social media design assets, highlighting adaptability across platforms and engaging content creation.

• Feature examples of digital and print design projects, demonstrating proficiency in various media.

• Highlight your expertise in typography and layout through well-executed examples.

• Provide case studies or examples of campaign design, showing strategic thinking and creative execution.

• Demonstrate your ability to create and utilize design systems and templates for efficient content production. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of creating and managing design systems and brand guidelines.

• Examples of workflow optimization for design production, such as template creation for social media or presentations.

• Documentation or case studies illustrating the process from early concept to final production-ready files for both print and digital outputs.

• Examples of collaboration processes with cross-functional teams (e.g., content strategists, copywriters) to achieve integrated creative outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Brand Designer role, the portfolio is the primary evaluation tool. The requirements emphasize not just the final output but also the process behind it – concept development, system thinking, and production readiness. This indicates the company values designers who can think strategically and execute efficiently.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Brand Designer I: $100,000 - $120,000 annually

• Brand Designer II: $120,000 - $140,000 annually Note: The stated range is based on the Seattle, WA labor market. The final salary will be determined by individual qualifications, experience, education, and performance in the role.

Benefits:

• Equity compensation

• Best-in-class healthcare, dental, and vision plans

• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO)

• 401k with company match

• Parental leave Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, approximately 40 hours per week.

• Flexibility is expected given the fast-paced nature of a startup environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is clearly defined for two potential levels (I and II), indicating a structured approach to compensation. The note about determining the final salary based on "job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience" is standard but important for candidates to note. The benefits package is competitive for a tech startup, with a strong emphasis on health and financial well-being.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Autonomous Ground Systems / Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology. This is a cutting-edge field requiring clear communication of complex, innovative technology to diverse audiences, from engineers and investors to the general public.

Company Size: The description implies a growing startup environment ("fast-moving environment where priorities evolve quickly," "ample autonomy to navigate the environment"). While not explicitly stated, the need for a Brand Designer suggests a developing marketing and communications function.

Founded: Overland AI is likely a relatively young company, given its focus on defining the future of autonomous systems. This suggests a dynamic, potentially fast-paced, and innovative culture.

Team Structure:

• The Brand Designer will be part of the Communications & Marketing (C&M) team.

• This team includes roles such as content strategy, video production, and product marketing, indicating a cross-functional creative unit.

• Collaboration will extend beyond C&M to software, hardware, and business development teams, requiring strong stakeholder management and communication skills. Methodology:

• A data-driven approach is likely, with an emphasis on creating visuals that "resonate with end users, customers, partners, investors, and the broader public."

• The role requires a blend of strategic brand building and efficient, template-driven production to support a fast-moving content calendar.

• Emphasis on turning complex technology into "sharp, compelling visuals."

Company Website: overland.ai

📝 Enhancement Note: The industry context is crucial. Designing for a company in autonomous ground systems means the visuals need to convey trust, innovation, and technical sophistication. The "fast-moving environment" and "ample autonomy" suggest a culture that values initiative, adaptability, and self-direction.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a key individual contributor within the C&M team, with potential for growth into a Brand Designer II or a senior/lead design role. It offers significant ownership and impact on the company's visual identity.

Reporting Structure: The Brand Designer reports into the Communications & Marketing (C&M) team. This team likely has a Marketing or Communications Lead overseeing its functions.

Operations Impact: The Brand Designer's work directly influences how Overland AI is perceived by its target audiences. Strong visual branding is critical for investor relations, customer acquisition, talent recruitment, and establishing thought leadership in a competitive tech landscape. Effective visual communication can simplify complex technical concepts, making the company's offerings more accessible and understandable.

Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Development: Opportunity to deepen expertise in brand systems, social media design for technology, and production across various media. Potential to develop illustration, motion graphics, or animation skills if desired.

• Career Progression: Potential to advance to a Brand Designer II role, take on more senior projects, or lead design initiatives within the C&M team. Opportunity to shape the brand's visual direction as the company scales.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain deep insights into product development, software engineering, and business strategy, which can inform design decisions and career trajectory.

• Industry Exposure: Work at the forefront of autonomous technology, contributing to the visual narrative of a company defining future mobility.

📝 Enhancement Note: The dual salary bands (I and II) suggest a clear path for advancement based on experience and demonstrated impact. The role offers significant exposure to a high-growth tech company, providing a strong foundation for future career opportunities in design, marketing, or brand management.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This role is fully remote, offering flexibility in location. However, it requires willingness to travel to company sites as needed (approximately 10%), likely for team meetings, strategy sessions, or key events.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the salary range is benchmarked against Seattle, WA, and the company likely has a physical presence or key operational base there, influencing the context of the role and potential travel destinations.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: The environment necessitates strong digital collaboration tools and practices. Expect to work closely with team members via video calls, messaging platforms, and collaborative design software.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud) is essential. The company will likely provide necessary licenses and support for remote work setup.

• Team Interaction: Despite being remote, there will be opportunities for interaction through virtual team meetings, project collaborations, and potential in-person gatherings. The emphasis on cross-functional collaboration means engaging with various departments regularly.

Work Schedule:

• Standard full-time, approximately 40 hours per week.

• The fast-paced nature of a startup means flexibility may be required, with potential for occasional extended hours to meet project deadlines or respond to urgent company announcements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "remote with travel" aspect is important. Candidates should be comfortable with remote work dynamics while also being prepared for periodic travel, which is common for roles that require in-person collaboration or event support.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio link to assess foundational skills, experience, and alignment with the role's requirements.

• Portfolio Review & Discussion: A deeper dive into your portfolio with members of the C&M team. Expect to discuss your design process, concept development, problem-solving approaches, and how you've handled specific challenges (e.g., creating social assets, developing brand systems). Be prepared to articulate your design rationale.

• Skills-Based Challenge: You may be given a design exercise or a small project to complete within a set timeframe. This could involve creating a social media asset, refining a brand element, or developing a template. The focus will be on your creative thinking, execution speed, and adherence to brand guidelines.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with stakeholders from other departments (e.g., product marketing, software engineering) to assess your ability to collaborate, understand technical concepts, and communicate effectively with non-designers.

• Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and long-term potential within the company.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your strengths in brand identity, social media design, typography, layout, and campaign work. Tailor your selection to Overland AI's industry and needs.

• Showcase Process: For key projects, include a brief overview of the challenge, your approach, your role, and the impact of your design. This demonstrates your strategic thinking beyond just aesthetics.

• Highlight Production Skills: Include examples that demonstrate your ability to prepare polished, production-ready files for both print and digital.

• Quantify Impact (if possible): If you have data on how your designs performed (e.g., engagement rates on social media, successful campaign metrics), include it.

• Clarity and Organization: Ensure your portfolio is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and clearly communicates your skills.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brand: Thoroughly research Overland AI's current visual identity, mission, and target audience.

• Practice Template Creation: Be ready to quickly mock up templates for social posts or presentations.

• Focus on Communication: Practice explaining your design choices and how they align with brand strategy and business objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "portfolio link with your application" is critical. Candidates must have a strong, curated portfolio ready. The interview process suggests a multi-stage approach, common for design roles, involving practical assessment of skills and strategic alignment.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for collaborative design, prototyping, and creating design systems. Expect extensive use for social media assets, presentations, and digital collateral.

• Adobe Illustrator: Crucial for vector graphics, logo work, complex illustrations, and iconography.

• Adobe Photoshop: Necessary for image editing, manipulation, and creating raster-based graphics.

• Adobe InDesign: Required for layout design of print materials, presentations, and potentially digital documents.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary design tool, understanding how design impacts engagement metrics on social media and other platforms is beneficial. Familiarity with analytics dashboards (e.g., social media analytics, website analytics) can help inform design decisions. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to the Brand Designer role, but awareness of how marketing automation platforms are used for campaign deployment can be helpful context. Presentation Tools:

• PowerPoint: Explicitly mentioned as a desired qualification for presentation design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) is non-negotiable for this role. The mention of PowerPoint indicates a need for skills in creating visually appealing and informative presentations for internal stakeholders.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Innovation & Future-Forward: Aligned with Overland AI's mission to define the future of autonomous systems, the C&M team likely values creative thinking, pushing boundaries, and exploring new design approaches.

• Clarity & Precision: Translating complex technology into understandable visuals requires a commitment to clear communication, meticulous detail, and accuracy in design.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: The role emphasizes working closely with various internal teams and external partners, suggesting a culture that values strong interpersonal skills and a collaborative spirit.

• Adaptability & Agility: Thriving in a fast-moving startup environment necessitates flexibility, the ability to pivot quickly, and a proactive approach to evolving priorities.

• Brand Stewardship: A deep respect for the brand and a commitment to maintaining its integrity and visual consistency across all touchpoints.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Expect to work closely with individuals from engineering, product, marketing, and content teams, requiring the ability to translate technical information into design and vice-versa.

• Feedback-Oriented: The ability to give and receive constructive feedback is essential for iterating on designs and improving the overall quality of creative output.

• Proactive Communication: Given the remote nature, proactive communication and status updates are key to ensuring alignment and smooth project execution.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is likely a blend of high-tech innovation and startup agility. A designer who is comfortable working autonomously, embraces new challenges, and can effectively communicate with technical and non-technical colleagues will fit well.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Translating Complexity: Effectively visualizing abstract or highly technical concepts related to autonomous ground systems for a broad audience.

• Pace and Volume: Managing a high volume of design requests and a fast-moving content calendar while maintaining high quality and brand consistency.

• Remote Collaboration: Ensuring seamless collaboration and communication across distributed teams and with external vendors.

• Evolving Brand: As a growing company, the brand identity may evolve, requiring adaptability and the ability to contribute to its refinement.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Brand System Expansion: Opportunity to play a significant role in building and refining Overland AI's brand system and design language.

• Industry Exposure: Deepen understanding of the autonomous technology sector and how visual communication supports its advancement.

• Skill Diversification: Potential to explore and develop skills in areas like motion graphics, illustration, or advanced digital/print production techniques.

• Mentorship: Learn from experienced C&M professionals and contribute to a growing creative function within a cutting-edge company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for a growth-stage tech company's C&M team. The growth opportunities are significant, offering a chance to make a tangible impact on a developing brand in a high-impact industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to translate a complex technical concept into a simple, compelling visual. What was your process, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on your process, understanding of the audience, and ability to simplify.)

• "How do you approach building and maintaining design systems or templates for a fast-paced content calendar, particularly for social media?" (Highlight your organizational skills, efficiency mindset, and understanding of brand consistency.)

• "Walk us through a campaign you designed from concept to final execution. What were the key objectives, your strategic approach, and the results?" (Prepare a specific case study from your portfolio that demonstrates end-to-end ownership.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Overland AI and the autonomous ground systems industry?" (Show genuine curiosity and research into the company's mission and market.)

• "How do you stay organized and manage your workload when working remotely and facing evolving priorities?" (Demonstrate your time management, prioritization, and communication skills.)

• "Describe your experience collaborating with non-designers or technical teams. How do you ensure alignment and clear communication?" (Prepare examples of successful cross-functional collaboration.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each project, frame it as a narrative: the challenge, your solution, and the impact.

• Highlight Relevance: Emphasize projects that directly align with Overland AI's needs (brand, social, tech communication).

• Showcase Process: Be ready to discuss your thought process, iterations, and design decisions.

• Demonstrate Production Expertise: Be prepared to discuss file preparation, technical specifications, and vendor interaction for selected projects.

• Be Concise: Present your strongest work efficiently, allowing time for discussion.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples from your portfolio that directly address the responsibilities and desired qualifications will be key. Understanding Overland AI's industry and mission will be crucial for demonstrating cultural fit and strategic alignment.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Brand Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on rippling.com.

• Crucially, ensure your portfolio link is included and functional with your application. Your portfolio is the primary evaluation tool.

• Tailor your resume to highlight your experience in brand identity, social media design, typography, layout, and proficiency with Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Prepare to discuss 2-3 key projects from your portfolio in detail, focusing on your process, strategic thinking, and the impact of your designs.

• Research Overland AI thoroughly: understand their mission, current brand presence (especially social media), and the autonomous ground systems industry. This will help you tailor your application and prepare for interview questions.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.