Founding Product & Brand Designer (0-to-1 / Stealth) - Canada

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding Product & Brand Designer (0-to-1 / Stealth)

Company: Pack.com

Location: Alberta, Canada

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Product Design / Brand Design / UI/UX

Date Posted: September 01, 2026

Experience Level: Senior (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a critical 0-to-1 role where you will own the complete visual and product experience for a new, stealth-stage venture, Pack.com.

• You will be instrumental in defining the brand identity, designing high-dopamine, gamified e-commerce interfaces, and translating complex business requirements into seamless user journeys.

• This senior individual contributor (IC) position demands a hybrid skillset, blending deep product strategy with elite visual design and custom illustration capabilities.

• You will work directly with leadership and engineering to build a category-defining gamified shopping ecosystem from the ground up, requiring a strong pulse on modern gaming and Web3 culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "Founding Designer" and emphasizes "0-to-1" and "stealth" stages, indicating a high degree of autonomy and responsibility. The emphasis on "solo powerhouse" and "absolute creative sovereignty" suggests a need for a self-starter with a comprehensive skillset rather than a specialist. The integration of "gaming culture," "iGaming," and "Web3" points towards a unique market focus requiring specific domain knowledge.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• End-to-End Product Design Ownership: Map out complex user journeys, translate raw business requirements into intuitive low-fidelity wireframes, and develop pixel-perfect, interactive UI prototypes for a gamified e-commerce platform.

• Brand Identity & Custom Illustration: Define and execute the visual DNA of Pack.com, including creating custom 2D/3D digital illustrations, designing item rarity badges, crafting unboxing pack artwork, and developing unique iconography that embodies high-energy casino/gaming aesthetics.

• Gamified UI/UX Architecture: Design conversion-focused, high-dopamine interfaces for key features such as mystery box openings, case battles, reward multipliers, Web3 wallet connections, and physical vault redemption flows.

• Design Systems Development: Build, maintain, and scale a core Figma design system, including tokens and component libraries, to ensure engineering efficiency and design consistency as the product scales.

• Developer Collaboration & Handoffs: Partner daily with frontend engineers (React/Vue), delivering clean SVG assets, precise responsive layout specifications, and detailed micro-interaction documentation for seamless production implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic product thinking, creative brand execution, and technical design delivery. The emphasis on "high-dopamine" and "gamified UI" in an e-commerce context is a key differentiator, requiring a designer who understands user engagement mechanics beyond traditional UX.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Fine Arts, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience: 5-10 years of experience in Product Design and Brand Design, with a significant portion spent in early-stage startup environments or as a founding/lead designer.

Required Skills:

• Founding / Early-Stage Startup Experience: Proven track record of owning the product design process solo at a high-growth startup.

• Hybrid Portfolio (UX Systems + Elite Visual Art): A portfolio demonstrating robust technical product thinking (user flows, wireframes, conversion psychology) alongside exceptional visual craft (custom digital illustration, branding, typography, and game/iGaming UI).

• Figma Mastery: Expert-level fluency in Figma, including advanced auto-layout, variables, component properties, prototyping, and comprehensive design system architecture.

• Gaming / iGaming / Web3 Intuition: Deep, authentic understanding of online gaming culture, CS2 skin marketplaces, loot-box mechanics, or crypto-native UI dynamics.

• Location & Availability: Based in the United States or Canada with full availability to collaborate across standard US timezones.

• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design decisions and collaborate effectively with leadership and engineering teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Motion Design & Micro-Interactions: Experience bringing UI elements to life using tools like Rive, Lottie, or After Effects for unboxing sequences, victory loops, and particle effects.

• 3D Asset Generation: Basic to advanced 3D skills using software such as Blender, Cinema4D, or Spline for rendering mystery pack containers or physical goods.

• Frontend Engineering Familiarity: Understanding of React and Vue.js to facilitate smoother collaboration with engineering teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for a "hybrid portfolio" is critical, emphasizing the need for both strong UX/product strategy skills and exceptional visual/brand design capabilities. The domain-specific knowledge in gaming/iGaming/Web3 is a non-negotiable requirement for this role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• 0-to-1 Product Design Case Studies: Showcase examples of taking a product from concept to launch, detailing user journey mapping, wireframing, and final UI prototypes for complex digital experiences.

• Brand Identity & Custom Illustration Work: Present a strong portfolio of custom digital illustrations, brand identity development, and visual assets that demonstrate a high-energy, gaming-inspired aesthetic.

• Design System Examples: Include examples of design systems built from scratch, highlighting component libraries, design tokens, and scalability.

• Gamified UI/E-commerce Examples: Demonstrate experience designing engaging interfaces for e-commerce, particularly those incorporating gamification, mystery mechanics, or reward systems.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Evidence of designing and optimizing user workflows for clarity, efficiency, and conversion.

• System Implementation & Automation: Examples of implementing design systems and contributing to efficient production handoffs.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: While not a direct analytics role, demonstrate an understanding of how design choices impact key metrics like conversion rates and user engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is paramount for this role, serving as the primary evaluation tool. Candidates must clearly demonstrate their ability to operate autonomously in a 0-to-1 environment and showcase a unique blend of strategic product thinking and advanced visual artistry, particularly within the specified domain.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As this is a founding role with potential for significant upside and equity, a specific cash salary range is not provided but is expected to be competitive for a senior-level, remote, founding designer in Canada and the US. Given the experience level (5-10 years), a typical range for a Senior Product Designer in major Canadian tech hubs like Toronto or Vancouver, or comparable US cities, could fall between CAD $120,000 - $180,000 annually, or USD $130,000 - $200,000. This estimate is highly dependent on the equity component and the venture's funding stage.

Benefits:

• Absolute Creative Sovereignty: Enjoy complete creative control and ownership over the product and brand vision, free from design-by-committee or excessive red tape.

• Ground-Floor Ownership & Upside: A high-impact, long-term contract role with significant potential for equity and financial upside, offering the chance to shape a venture-backed company.

• Pure Execution Environment: Work within a fast-moving, remote team that prioritizes shipping high-quality software and efficient execution over unnecessary meetings.

• Remote Work Flexibility: Enjoy the freedom and flexibility of a fully remote position.

Working Hours: The role is expected to require approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility to accommodate collaboration across North American time zones. Given the 0-to-1 nature, periods of intense focus and dedication may be necessary.

📝 Enhancement Note: Compensation is likely to be a combination of base salary and significant equity, reflecting the foundational nature of the role. The provided salary range is a benchmark based on industry standards for senior-level remote design roles in North America and should be considered an estimate. The "upside" and "venture-backed" nature suggest equity will be a significant part of the overall compensation package.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce, Gamification, Web3/Blockchain, iGaming (stealth stage). Pack.com is building a gamified shopping ecosystem that integrates digital-to-physical redemption flows.

Company Size: Early-stage startup, likely a small, lean team comprising founders, leadership, and core engineering/design talent.

Founded: Pack.com is a stealth-stage venture, implying it is recently founded or in the pre-launch phase, with an established iGaming operator backing it.

Team Structure:

• You will be the sole Product & Brand Designer, reporting directly to company leadership.

• The team is remote-first, focused on agile execution and minimal overhead.

• Cross-functional collaboration will be primarily with engineering and product leadership. Methodology:

• Data-driven product development, with a strong emphasis on user engagement and conversion psychology.

• Agile and iterative design and development processes.

• Focus on shipping high-quality software efficiently.

Company Website: Pack.com (Company profile link provided)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is described as lean, execution-focused, and remote-first, typical of a stealth-stage startup. The "pure execution environment" and "no corporate red tape" suggest a fast-paced, hands-on atmosphere where individual contribution is highly valued.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at the "Founding" or "Principal" level within the design function. It offers unparalleled autonomy and the opportunity to define the entire visual and product direction. This is not a traditional management track but a deep individual contributor path with immense strategic influence.

Reporting Structure: Direct line to company leadership (likely CEO, CTO, or Head of Product), with no intermediate management layers for design.

Operations Impact: The designer's work will directly shape the core user experience, brand perception, and revenue-driving mechanics of the platform. Success in this role will be directly tied to the company's ability to attract users, drive engagement, and achieve its 0-to-1 goals.

Growth Opportunities:

• Defining a Category: Opportunity to establish a new standard in gamified e-commerce and digital-to-physical redemption experiences.

• Equity & Ownership: Significant long-term financial upside through equity in a venture-backed company.

• Skill Expansion: Potential to develop expertise in Web3 integration, advanced 3D/motion design, and the unique challenges of scaling a design system from absolute scratch.

• Leadership Influence: While an IC role, the designer will have substantial influence on product strategy and company direction.

📝 Enhancement Note: This is a career-defining opportunity for a designer looking to make a foundational impact. The growth is less about climbing a traditional corporate ladder and more about shaping a new product, brand, and potentially a new market category, with commensurate financial rewards.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. There is no physical office requirement. Collaboration happens virtually.

Office Location(s): While the role is remote, candidates must be based in Canada or the United States to facilitate collaboration across standard North American time zones.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The remote environment fosters direct collaboration with leadership and engineering through digital tools.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma) and communication platforms will be essential. The company will likely support necessary software licenses.

• Team Interaction: Expect frequent virtual meetings, asynchronous communication via Slack/similar, and collaborative design sessions within Figma.

Work Schedule: Approximately 40 hours per week, with flexibility. The emphasis is on output and meeting deadlines rather than strict adherence to a 9-to-5 schedule. Collaboration across US time zones is key, so some overlap will be required.

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature requires strong self-discipline and communication skills. The expectation of collaboration across US time zones implies that candidates should be comfortable with a flexible schedule that accommodates these interactions.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess foundational skills, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Deep Dive: A dedicated session to walk through key case studies, focusing on the "0-to-1" product design process, brand development, and gamified UI examples. Expect in-depth questions about your decision-making, problem-solving, and visual execution.

• Design Challenge (Potential): A short, focused design exercise or a discussion around a hypothetical problem relevant to Pack.com's domain (e.g., designing a specific gamified redemption flow).

• Leadership/Founder Interview: Discussion about your vision for Pack.com's design, your approach to building a brand from scratch, and your alignment with the company's mission and culture.

• Final Q&A: Opportunity for you to ask detailed questions about the role, company, and future vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight 0-to-1 Experience: Clearly showcase projects where you were the primary designer, responsible for multiple facets of the design process from inception.

• Demonstrate Hybrid Skills: Ensure your portfolio explicitly presents both your UX/product strategy capabilities (user flows, wireframes, problem-solving) and your visual design/illustration prowess (branding, custom art, UI polish).

• Showcase Domain Relevance: Emphasize any work related to gaming, iGaming, Web3, or engaging e-commerce experiences. If you lack direct experience, articulate how your existing skills translate.

• Figma Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your Figma workflows, design system architecture, and advanced feature usage.

• Narrative is Key: For each case study, tell a compelling story about the problem, your process, your solutions, and the impact of your design decisions. Quantify results where possible.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Domain: Research current trends in gamified e-commerce, digital collectibles, mystery boxes, and Web3 integrations.

• Think "High-Dopamine": Consider what makes user experiences exciting, rewarding, and addictive within these contexts.

• Focus on Conversion: How can design drive desired user actions (e.g., purchases, engagement, redemption)?

• Articulate Your Vision: Be ready to express your high-level vision for Pack.com's brand and product experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily scrutinize the candidate's portfolio. Expect to defend your design decisions and demonstrate a deep understanding of both product strategy and visual execution, particularly within the specified niche.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Expert-level proficiency is mandatory for UI/UX design, prototyping, and design system management.

• Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop): Essential for custom digital illustration, asset creation, and image manipulation.

• 3D Modeling Software (Blender, Cinema4D, Spline - Preferred): Useful for creating custom 3D assets for packaging, product renders, or UI elements.

• Motion Design Tools (Rive, Lottie, After Effects - Preferred): For animating UI elements, creating engaging micro-interactions, and unboxing sequences.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not the primary focus, understanding how design impacts analytics is key. Familiarity with analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Mixpanel) for understanding user behavior and conversion funnels is beneficial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the core design responsibilities, but understanding how design integrates with frontend development (React/Vue) and potentially backend systems is important for effective handoffs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma is non-negotiable. The preferred skills in 3D and motion design indicate a strong desire for a designer who can deliver highly polished, visually dynamic interfaces that go beyond standard UI.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Creative Sovereignty & Ownership: Valuing individuals who take full ownership of their work and have the confidence to drive a vision.

• Execution & Velocity: Prioritizing rapid, high-quality output and a bias for action over lengthy discussions.

• Data-Informed Decisions: While creative vision is key, decisions should be grounded in understanding user behavior and business objectives.

• Authenticity & Passion: A deep, genuine interest in gaming, iGaming, and Web3 culture is crucial for understanding the target audience and product.

• Collaboration: Despite being a solo designer, the ability to collaborate effectively with engineering and leadership is essential for success.

Collaboration Style:

• Direct & Efficient: Communication is expected to be clear, concise, and focused on moving the product forward.

• Remote-First: Leveraging digital tools for seamless asynchronous and synchronous collaboration.

• Feedback-Oriented: Openness to constructive feedback and iterative design improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture values autonomy, execution speed, and a genuine passion for the product's domain. Candidates should be prepared to operate independently but also integrate seamlessly with a lean, remote team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building from Scratch: Establishing a brand identity and design system with no existing framework requires significant creativity and strategic foresight.

• Balancing Vision and Execution: Juggling the demands of high-level brand strategy, engaging gamified UI design, and efficient, developer-friendly handoffs.

• Domain Nuances: Deeply understanding and authentically representing the specific aesthetics and user expectations of gaming, iGaming, and Web3 communities.

• Stealth Environment: Operating within a confidential, early-stage environment with evolving requirements and a high pace of change.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Domain Expertise: Becoming a recognized expert in the intersection of e-commerce, gamification, and Web3.

• Equity & Impact: Direct contribution to the growth and success of a potentially high-value startup.

• Advanced Design Skills: Opportunity to hone 3D modeling and motion design skills in a practical, product-driven context.

• Strategic Influence: Gaining experience in shaping product strategy at the ground level of a new venture.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant challenges but also unparalleled opportunities for growth and impact. Candidates should be excited by the prospect of building something entirely new and pushing the boundaries of design in a niche but rapidly evolving market.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach defining the core brand identity for a stealth-stage gamified e-commerce platform targeting users interested in mystery unboxings and digital collectibles?" (Focus on process, inspiration, and key brand pillars).

• "Describe your process for designing a 'high-dopamine' user experience for a mystery box opening feature. What elements would you prioritize, and how would you ensure it drives conversion?" (Focus on gamification mechanics, UI/UX, and conversion psychology).

• "Given you're the sole designer, how would you balance building a comprehensive design system with the need to quickly iterate and ship features for a 0-to-1 product?" (Focus on pragmatism, prioritization, and scalability). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about the intersection of e-commerce, gaming, and Web3, and how do you see this evolving?" (Assess passion and domain understanding).

• "Describe your ideal remote work environment and how you maintain productivity and collaboration when working autonomously." (Assess remote work readiness and self-management).

• "How do you stay current with design trends, particularly within niche communities like iGaming or Web3?" (Assess continuous learning and industry awareness). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Start with the Vision: Begin by framing your most relevant case study within the context of building a 0-to-1 product or brand.

• Emphasize the "Why": Clearly articulate the business problem and user need for each project.

• Showcase the Process: Walk through your user journey mapping, wireframing, and iterative design stages.

• Highlight Visual Craft: Dedicate significant time to showcasing your custom illustrations, brand elements, and the polish of your UI designs. Be prepared to discuss your artistic choices.

• Demonstrate Figma Mastery: Be ready to briefly demo or discuss your Figma file structure, design system implementation, and advanced prototyping capabilities.

• Connect to Pack.com: Where possible, draw parallels between your past work and the potential needs of Pack.com.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss your portfolio in detail, demonstrating not just the final output but your thought process, problem-solving skills, and ability to execute across both strategic and visual design disciplines.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workable link.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight experience in founding roles, 0-to-1 product development, brand identity creation, custom illustration, and gamified/Web3 UI design. Use keywords from the job description.

• Curate your portfolio: Ensure it prominently features your strongest case studies demonstrating hybrid UX/visual skills, particularly any work related to gaming, iGaming, or engaging e-commerce experiences. Explicitly showcase your Figma proficiency.

• Prepare your narrative: Be ready to articulate your vision for Pack.com's design and brand, and how your unique skillset aligns with the company's 0-to-1 mission.

• Research Pack.com: Understand the company's mission and the market it aims to disrupt, and be prepared to discuss your strategic approach to its visual identity and product experience.

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