Branded UI Visual Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Branded UI Visual Designer

Company: General Motors

Location: Warren, Michigan, United States

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: UI/UX Design & Visual Design (with a focus on embedded systems and automotive interfaces)

Date Posted: 2026-06-18

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Design visually compelling and customer-centered user interfaces for in-vehicle digital experiences, including instrument clusters and head-up displays (HUD).

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (design, software, engineering) to translate user needs, brand intent, and technical constraints into intuitive digital solutions.

• Develop high-quality visual design concepts, UI assets, and production-ready graphics that align with established design guidelines and brand standards.

• Contribute to prototypes, storyboards, and presentations to effectively communicate visual design intent, hierarchy, and interaction behavior.

• Apply a strong understanding of UI visualization, visual communication, and digital design principles to create cohesive and detail-driven experiences across multiple product areas.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Branded UI Visual Designer," the core responsibilities and required skills clearly indicate a specialized role within User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design, specifically for complex embedded systems in the automotive sector. The emphasis on in-vehicle digital experiences, instrument clusters, and HUDs points to a niche within the broader design field, requiring a blend of visual aesthetics and functional user-centered design principles. The role is not a general graphic designer but one focused on the interactive digital product experience within a vehicle.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Create high-fidelity visual design concepts, mood boards, and production-ready graphics for in-vehicle digital interfaces such as Digital Instrument Clusters and Head-Up Displays (HUD).

• Collaborate with design, engineering, UX researchers, and cross-functional partners to translate user needs, brand intent, and technical constraints into clear, visually compelling interface solutions.

• Contribute to the development of prototypes, storyboards, animations, and presentations that effectively communicate visual design intent, information hierarchy, and interaction behavior.

• Apply established design guidelines and brand identity principles to create cohesive, brand-aligned, and detail-driven visual experiences across assigned product areas and digital touchpoints.

• Participate actively in design reviews, iterate on designs based on constructive feedback, and present work with a clear focus on visual clarity, craft quality, and execution excellence to project teams and stakeholders.

• Support usability and design evaluation efforts by incorporating feedback and user insights into design refinements, ensuring optimal customer experience.

• Deliver well-organized and clear design files and documentation to support efficient collaboration and seamless development handoff to engineering teams.

• Maintain and contribute to the evolution of design systems and visual language guidelines to ensure consistency and scalability of in-vehicle digital interfaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities are expanded to emphasize the end-to-end nature of the design process, from concept generation to production-ready assets and documentation. The inclusion of "design systems" and "visual language" reflects the modern approach to maintaining brand consistency and scalability in complex digital product ecosystems.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Visual Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Interaction Design, or a closely related discipline. Experience:

• 3+ years of professional experience designing digital user interfaces specifically for automotive, embedded systems, mobile applications, or other complex product experiences. Required Skills:

• Exceptional UI visualization and visual communication skills, with a strong ability to create intuitive and customer-centered interfaces.

• Demonstrated expertise in digital design principles and UX design methodologies.

• Proven experience creating sketches, mockups, prototypes, and presentations to effectively communicate design concepts and solutions.

• Proficiency with industry-standard design tools, including but not limited to: Sketch, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.

• Ability to effectively balance customer needs, brand objectives, and technical constraints to solve complex design problems.

• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with a proven ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams.

• A strong portfolio showcasing visual design craft, detailed interface design, creativity, and depth of thought in problem-solving. Preferred Skills:

• 5+ years of experience designing automotive or other complex digital interfaces across multiple surfaces and screen sizes.

• Experience contributing to brand-forward digital experiences, including the development of visual language, brand systems, or comprehensive interface design systems.

• Portfolio demonstrating evidence of high-quality visual craft, clear design judgment, polished end-to-end execution, and thoughtful UX problem-solving.

• Experience balancing visual design excellence with solid UX thinking to create clear, intuitive customer experiences.

• Proficiency with prototyping tools, motion design, animation, or interaction storytelling techniques.

• Experience applying usability findings, heuristic evaluation, or customer insights to refine and improve designs.

• Familiarity with the product development lifecycle for digital products, embedded systems, or automotive experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Required Skills" section has been enhanced to explicitly mention the portfolio as a required deliverable and to emphasize the balance between visual design and UX thinking. Preferred skills are expanded to include more specific advanced design capabilities and familiarity with product development processes relevant to the automotive industry.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A strong, curated portfolio that clearly showcases visual design craft, interface design skills, creativity, and depth of thought in problem-solving for digital products.

• Evidence of high-quality visual craft, clear design judgment, and polished end-to-end execution across multiple design projects.

• Detailed case studies demonstrating a thoughtful approach to UX problem-solving, including the user-centered design process and rationale behind design decisions.

• Examples of designing for complex digital interfaces, ideally within the automotive, embedded systems, or similar product domains.

• Demonstrations of proficiency with industry-standard design tools (Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite) and an understanding of their application in creating production-ready assets. Process Documentation:

• Ability to create and maintain clear design files and documentation to support efficient collaboration and development handoff.

• Experience in documenting design systems, visual languages, or style guides to ensure brand consistency and scalability across digital products.

• Understanding of how to translate user needs, brand intent, and technical constraints into documented design specifications.

• Ability to articulate the design process, including research, ideation, prototyping, and iteration, in a clear and concise manner.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is tailored to a design role, emphasizing the portfolio as a critical component. It focuses on the demonstration of visual craft, UX problem-solving, and technical proficiency through case studies and documentation, which are standard expectations for UI/UX designers.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on industry benchmarks for a Branded UI Visual Designer with 3-5 years of experience in the automotive sector in the Warren, Michigan area, the estimated annual salary range is $85,000 - $115,000. This estimate considers the specialized nature of automotive UI design, the required technical skills, and the cost of living in the region. Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• 401(k) retirement savings plan with company match.

• Generous paid time off (PTO), including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Relocation benefits may be available for eligible candidates.

• Opportunities for professional development, training, and conference attendance.

• Employee assistance programs and well-being support resources.

• Employee discount programs on GM vehicles and services. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time work week, typically 40 hours.

• Hybrid work arrangement requiring 3 days per week in the Warren, Michigan office.

• Occasional travel (<25%) may be required.

📝 Enhancement Note: A salary range has been estimated based on the provided experience level, location (Warren, Michigan), and the specialized nature of the role (automotive UI Design). This is a common practice for roles where salary is not explicitly stated. Benefits are expanded to include typical offerings for a large automotive company like GM, along with specific mentions from the job description.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Automotive Manufacturing & Technology. General Motors is a global leader in the automotive industry, deeply involved in developing and manufacturing a wide range of vehicles, with a significant and growing focus on advanced technologies, electric vehicles (EVs), and sophisticated digital in-car experiences. This context means the design team operates at the forefront of automotive innovation, integrating cutting-edge software and hardware.

Company Size: Large enterprise (over 10,000 employees). As a major global corporation, GM offers a structured environment with established processes, extensive resources, and opportunities for large-scale impact. For operations professionals, this often means working within defined frameworks, collaborating across numerous departments, and contributing to projects that affect millions of customers worldwide.

Founded: 1908. With over a century of history, GM has a deep legacy in automotive engineering and design. This long history implies a culture that values tradition and innovation, balancing established engineering principles with a forward-looking vision, particularly in areas like autonomous driving and connected vehicle technology.

Team Structure:

• The Human Interface Design team within GM is likely a specialized unit within the broader Design or Engineering organization, focusing on the digital user experience of vehicles.

• This team operates in close collaboration with software development, hardware engineering, product management, and UX research departments.

• Reporting structures are likely hierarchical, with designers reporting to design leads or managers, who in turn report to higher levels of design or engineering leadership.

• Cross-functional collaboration is critical, as UI/UX designers must work seamlessly with engineers to ensure feasibility and with researchers to incorporate user feedback. Methodology:

• Data Analysis and Insights: Designs are informed by user research, usability testing, and competitive analysis, with an emphasis on data-driven decision-making.

• Workflow Planning and Optimization: The team likely employs agile or hybrid methodologies for design and development, focusing on iterative improvements and efficient workflows.

• Automation and Efficiency: While not a direct "operations" role in the traditional sense, the design team benefits from and contributes to the efficiency of the product development process through clear documentation, reusable design components, and well-defined processes.

Company Website: https://www.gm.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context is fleshed out to provide a richer understanding of GM's position in the industry, its scale, and its historical significance, all of which can influence the work environment and career trajectory for a designer. The team structure and methodology are inferred based on industry standards for large automotive manufacturers and UI/UX design teams.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Mid-Level (3-5 years of experience). It signifies a professional who has moved beyond entry-level tasks and can independently handle significant design responsibilities, contribute to project strategy, and mentor junior designers. The expectation is for a designer who can execute high-quality work and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams without constant supervision.

Reporting Structure: The Branded UI Visual Designer will likely report to a Design Lead or Manager within the Human Interface Design studio. This lead will oversee design strategy, project allocation, and provide mentorship, while also liaising with higher levels of design and engineering management. Collaboration will be frequent with peers in UX research, interaction design, software engineering, and product management.

Operations Impact: While not a direct revenue operations role, the impact of this designer is significant:

• Customer Experience & Brand Loyalty: High-quality, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing in-vehicle interfaces directly influence customer satisfaction, brand perception, and long-term loyalty.

• Product Adoption & Usability: Well-designed interfaces reduce user frustration, increase feature adoption, and ensure the safe and effective use of complex vehicle technologies.

• Efficiency in Development: Clear, well-documented designs contribute to smoother development cycles, reducing rework and accelerating time-to-market for new vehicle features.

• Brand Differentiation: A unique and compelling digital interface can serve as a key differentiator in a competitive automotive market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Senior UI/UX Designer: Progression to roles with greater design complexity, ownership of larger product areas, and increased strategic input.

• Design Lead/Manager: Opportunity to lead design teams, manage projects, and set design direction for specific vehicle programs or digital platforms.

• Specialization: Development into an expert in specific areas such as animation, motion design, design systems, or accessibility within automotive interfaces.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to move into roles in product management, UX strategy, or even program management within the automotive technology space.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career analysis focuses on the typical progression path for a mid-level designer in a large corporate environment like GM, highlighting the impact of design on business outcomes and outlining concrete growth opportunities. The term "Operations" is interpreted broadly to include the operational aspects of the design process and its impact on product development efficiency.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work environment. The selected candidate is expected to work from the GM Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, at least 3 days per week. This implies a mix of in-office collaboration and remote work.

Office Location(s): GM Global Technical Center - Design Ctr, Warren, Michigan, United States. This is a major hub for GM's design and engineering activities, suggesting a state-of-the-art facility designed for collaborative work, innovation, and product development.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The office setting is designed to foster collaboration, with shared workspaces, meeting rooms, and design studios conducive to brainstorming and team interaction.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to high-performance workstations, advanced design software (Sketch, Adobe Suite), prototyping tools, and potentially specialized automotive HMI (Human-Machine Interface) testing equipment.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for daily interaction with fellow designers, engineers, researchers, and product managers, facilitating quick feedback loops and knowledge sharing. The hybrid model balances focused individual work with in-person team synergy.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time schedule, typically 40 hours per week. The hybrid arrangement allows for flexibility in managing work location, but the core work schedule is expected to align with business needs and team collaboration requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment description is tailored to the hybrid model and the specific location, emphasizing the collaborative nature and the typical technological resources available in a large automotive design center.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review applications and portfolios to assess basic qualifications and alignment with the role requirements.

• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge (Round 1): Candidates will likely present their portfolio, discussing key projects, design process, and problem-solving approaches. A design challenge or exercise may be assigned to evaluate practical design skills, creative thinking, and ability to meet specific requirements.

• Technical/Team Interviews (Round 2): Interviews with design leads, senior designers, and potentially engineering or product management stakeholders. These will delve deeper into design philosophy, technical proficiency, collaboration skills, and understanding of automotive HMI.

• Final Interview: Potentially with higher-level design or engineering leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and long-term potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best showcase your visual design craft, UI/UX problem-solving, and experience with complex digital interfaces. Prioritize automotive or embedded system examples if possible.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your role and contributions, your design process (research, ideation, iteration), the design solution, and the impact or outcome.

• Highlight Visual Craft: Ensure your portfolio visually demonstrates high-quality visual design, attention to detail, strong typography, color theory application, and a cohesive visual language.

• Showcase Process: Include sketches, wireframes, user flows, and prototypes to illustrate your design thinking and iterative approach.

• Quantify Impact: If possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrates the success or impact of your designs.

• Tailor to GM: Research GM's current design language and digital initiatives. Consider how your work aligns with their brand and future vision.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a design challenge, thoroughly analyze the brief, identify the core problem, target users, and any constraints.

• Focus on Process: Demonstrate your design thinking process, not just the final output. Show how you arrived at your solution.

• Prioritize Clarity: For a Branded UI Visual Designer role, focus on clear visual communication, hierarchy, and aesthetic appeal that aligns with brand standards.

• Be Concise: Present your solution and rationale efficiently, respecting any time limits.

• Practice Presentation: Rehearse your presentation to ensure a smooth delivery and confident articulation of your design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section provides actionable advice for candidates, outlining typical interview stages and offering specific tips for portfolio presentation and design challenge preparation, tailored to a UI/UX design role in the automotive industry.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Sketch: A primary tool for UI design, wireframing, and prototyping of digital interfaces. Proficiency in creating reusable components and symbols is key.

• Adobe Photoshop: Essential for image editing, creating high-fidelity mockups, and generating production-ready graphics.

• Adobe Illustrator: Crucial for creating vector graphics, icons, and detailed UI assets that need to scale without losing quality.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly responsible for data analysis, understanding how designs are measured is important. Familiarity with tools used for A/B testing, user feedback aggregation, and performance analytics (e.g., tools that track user engagement with digital interfaces) would be beneficial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this design role, but understanding how user feedback or feature requests are managed within broader company systems could be helpful. Prototyping & Motion Design Tools (Preferred):

• Figma: Increasingly popular for collaborative design and prototyping, often used alongside or as an alternative to Sketch.

• Adobe After Effects: For creating motion graphics, animations, and interactive prototypes that demonstrate visual intent and user interaction flow.

• Principle/ProtoPie/Other Prototyping Tools: For creating more complex, interactive prototypes to test user flows and micro-interactions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools listed are standard for UI/UX designers. The emphasis is on Sketch and Adobe Creative Suite as required, with others like Figma and After Effects noted as preferred, reflecting industry trends and the specific needs of creating dynamic in-vehicle interfaces.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity: A core value is to design with the end-user in mind, ensuring intuitive, safe, and enjoyable digital experiences within vehicles. This means prioritizing user needs and feedback in all design decisions.

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A strong emphasis on the visual design quality, attention to detail, and polished execution of all UI elements. The aim is to create interfaces that are not only functional but also aesthetically superior and aligned with GM's brand premium.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Designers are expected to be strong team players, working effectively with engineers, researchers, product managers, and other designers to achieve shared goals. Open communication and constructive feedback are vital.

• Innovation & Forward-Thinking: A drive to explore new technologies and design solutions that enhance the in-vehicle experience, contribute to GM's vision of Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, and Zero Congestion, and push the boundaries of automotive HMI.

• Brand Integrity: Maintaining and evolving the GM brand identity through consistent and impactful visual design across all digital touchpoints.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Designers are embedded within or work very closely with cross-functional teams, ensuring design considerations are integrated early and throughout the product development lifecycle.

• Process Review & Feedback: A culture of iterative design, where designs are regularly reviewed by peers and stakeholders, and constructive feedback is actively sought and incorporated.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, design trends, and insights within the design team and across departments to foster continuous learning and elevate the overall design output.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture and values are inferred based on GM's stated mission and the nature of a design role within a large automotive corporation, focusing on user-centricity, quality, collaboration, and innovation.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Complexity and Simplicity: Designing intuitive interfaces for complex vehicle systems (e.g., advanced driver-assistance systems, infotainment, EV charging) that are easy for all users to understand and operate.

• Cross-Platform Consistency: Ensuring a cohesive and consistent visual and interaction design language across different in-vehicle displays (instrument cluster, infotainment screen, HUD) and potentially across different vehicle models.

• Technical Constraints: Working within the limitations of embedded hardware, software architectures, and real-time processing capabilities, which can impact design possibilities.

• Evolving Technology & User Expectations: Keeping pace with rapid advancements in automotive technology, AI, and changing user expectations for digital experiences, requiring continuous learning and adaptation.

• Stakeholder Alignment: Navigating diverse stakeholder needs and opinions from engineering, marketing, product management, and leadership to reach consensus on design direction.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Tool Training: Opportunities to deepen expertise in current tools or learn new industry-standard software.

• Specialized Automotive HMI Courses: Access to training focused on automotive user experience design, human factors in driving, and in-vehicle interaction patterns.

• Industry Conferences & Events: Attendance at design and automotive technology conferences to stay abreast of emerging trends and network with industry professionals.

• Mentorship Programs: Participation in internal mentorship programs to gain guidance from senior designers or leaders, or to mentor junior team members.

• Exposure to New Vehicle Programs: Working on diverse projects across GM's portfolio, from new EV models to future autonomous driving technologies, offering a broad range of design challenges and learning experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: Challenges are framed around the unique difficulties of automotive UI/UX design, while growth opportunities are presented as concrete paths for professional development within this specialized field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Can you walk us through a project where you had to balance competing stakeholder requirements (e.g., engineering feasibility vs. user experience)? How did you approach it?" (Focus on your process, communication, and problem-solving skills).

• "Describe a time you received critical feedback on a design. How did you incorporate it, and what was the outcome?" (Demonstrate your ability to iterate and handle constructive criticism).

• "How do you approach designing for accessibility and ensuring a positive experience for a diverse range of users in a vehicle?" (Showcase your understanding of inclusive design principles).

• "What are your thoughts on the future of in-vehicle digital interfaces and the role of AI?" (Demonstrate forward-thinking and industry awareness). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about designing for General Motors and the automotive industry specifically?" (Research GM's vision, current projects, and brand identity).

• "How do you see your design philosophy aligning with GM's commitment to 'Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, Zero Congestion'?" (Connect your design approach to the company's mission).

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid or collaborative team environment. How do you ensure effective communication and productivity?" (Highlight your teamwork and adaptability). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your role, your process (research, ideation, iteration), the solution, and the impact. Use storytelling to engage the interviewers.

• Emphasize Visual Craft: Clearly articulate your design choices, focusing on typography, color, layout, and visual hierarchy. Show your attention to detail and understanding of aesthetics.

• Demonstrate Process: Don't just show final screens. Include sketches, wireframes, user flows, and prototypes to illustrate your thinking and iterative design process.

• Highlight Relevant Experience: If you have automotive or complex embedded systems design experience, make sure to showcase it prominently.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, technical challenges, and how you handled specific project constraints.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation advice is tailored to the specific role, emphasizing portfolio presentation, design thinking, and how to address questions related to automotive design and GM's specific context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Branded UI Visual Designer position:

• Submit your application through the General Motors careers portal using the provided link.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your submitted portfolio is tailored to showcase your most relevant UI/UX design projects, particularly those involving complex digital interfaces, automotive applications, or embedded systems. Highlight your visual design craft and problem-solving approach.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 3+ years of experience in digital interface design, emphasizing skills in UI visualization, UX design, and proficiency with tools like Sketch, Adobe Photoshop, and Illustrator. Quantify achievements where possible.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on explaining your design process, rationale, and the impact of your work. Prepare to discuss your experience with cross-functional collaboration and your understanding of automotive HMI.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research General Motors, their current vehicle offerings, their vision for future mobility, and their design language. Understand how your skills and design philosophy can contribute to their goals.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details, especially regarding salary, benefits, and specific application processes, should be verified directly with General Motors during the application or interview stages.