Founding UI/UX and Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Founding UI/UX and Graphic Designer

Company: Clera

Location: London, England, United Kingdom

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Product Design / Brand Operations

Date Posted: 2026-09-09

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This is a foundational design role within a YC-backed consumer wearable startup, offering significant ownership over the brand's visual identity from inception.

• The position sits at the critical intersection of product development, marketing strategy, and brand management, demanding a holistic approach to design.

• Responsibilities encompass end-to-end UI/UX design for a flagship iOS application and leadership in visual design across all digital and physical brand touchpoints.

• This role is envisioned to evolve into a design leadership position as the company scales, offering a clear growth trajectory.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "UI/UX and Graphic Designer," the description heavily emphasizes brand ownership and a broad design stack, suggesting a role that bridges Product Design and Brand Operations. The "Founding" aspect indicates a high degree of autonomy and strategic input.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own the complete UI/UX design lifecycle for the iOS application, from initial concept and user flows to wireframes, interactive prototypes, and final polished production assets.

• Spearhead visual design initiatives across the company's website, social media platforms, customer communications, and email marketing campaigns, ensuring brand consistency.

• Develop compelling event invitations, launch collateral, and marketing materials that effectively embody and communicate the premium brand identity.

• Define, document, and meticulously maintain a unified consumer design language and style guide, ensuring its consistent application across all digital interfaces and physical product touchpoints.

• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, and marketing teams to translate business objectives and user needs into intuitive and aesthetically pleasing design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a hands-on approach to both product interface design and broader brand collateral creation, underscoring the need for a versatile designer. The emphasis on "owning" design and defining a "unified consumer design language" points to strategic input beyond mere execution.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background from a rigorous design school or equivalent professional training is highly valued, demonstrating a strong foundation in design principles.

Experience: Minimum of 2 to 3 years of professional design experience is required. This role is explicitly not suitable for recent graduates, indicating a need for established practical experience and a proven track record.

Required Skills:

• UI/UX Design: Proven ability to design intuitive and engaging user interfaces for mobile applications, specifically iOS.

• Graphic Design: Exceptional aesthetic taste and strong fundamentals in graphic design, visual hierarchy, typography, and color theory.

• Figma Proficiency: Demonstrated expertise in Figma for wireframing, prototyping, UI design, and asset creation.

• Wireframing & Prototyping: Skill in developing user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes to visualize and test design concepts.

• Brand Identity Development: Experience in defining and maintaining brand aesthetics across various touchpoints.

• Marketing Collateral Design: Ability to create visually compelling assets for marketing, social media, and communications.

• Consumer-Facing Design: Experience designing for consumer products, with a preference for hardware or premium consumer brands.

Preferred Skills:

• Design Systems: Experience in creating or contributing to design systems for scalability and consistency.

• Web Design: Proficiency in designing for websites and landing pages.

• Motion Design: Basic understanding or experience with motion graphics for UI elements or marketing assets.

• Aesthetic Sensibility: A keen eye for detail and an aesthetic aligned with premium consumer hardware brands.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "single most important factor" is a standout portfolio. This implies that practical skills and visual output are paramount, potentially outweighing formal education if the portfolio is exceptionally strong. The explicit exclusion of B2B-only experience is a key differentiator.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is the primary requirement, showcasing exceptional aesthetic taste and strong graphic design fundamentals.

• Demonstrate end-to-end UI/UX design projects for consumer-facing applications (preferably iOS).

• Include examples of website design, social media graphics, and marketing collateral that reflect a unified brand language.

• Showcase your process, from initial ideation and wireframing to final polished assets, highlighting problem-solving and design decision-making.

• Highlight projects that align with a premium consumer hardware brand aesthetic. Process Documentation:

• For each portfolio project, clearly articulate the design process undertaken, including user research (if applicable), ideation, iteration, and final implementation.

• Detail the tools and methodologies used, with a specific emphasis on Figma.

• Explain how brand guidelines were defined and applied consistently across different design outputs.

• Provide context on the project's goals and the impact of your design solutions, ideally with measurable outcomes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on the portfolio suggests that candidates should curate their best work that directly aligns with the role's requirements—mobile UI/UX, graphic design for a premium consumer brand, and marketing collateral. A clear narrative of process and impact is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: £70,000 per year.

Benefits:

• Meaningful early-stage equity, offering significant potential for wealth creation as the company grows.

• Visa sponsorship support for H1B transfers is available.

Working Hours: Approximately 40 hours per week, typical for a full-time role, with expectations for on-site presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary is explicitly stated. The inclusion of "meaningful early equity" is a significant draw for a founding role in a YC-backed startup, suggesting a strong alignment between employee success and company growth. The visa sponsorship note is specific and important for international candidates.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Consumer Wearable Technology / Hardware. Clera is a YC-backed startup focused on developing premium consumer hardware. This context suggests a fast-paced, innovative, and product-centric environment.

Company Size: Early-stage startup, likely small to medium-sized (less than 50 employees, though not explicitly stated). This implies a lean structure, high individual impact, and a need for adaptability.

Founded: Founded recently, indicated by the "founding design role" and "early equity" offerings. This suggests a dynamic, evolving culture where core values are still being established.

Team Structure:

• As a founding designer, you will likely be the first dedicated design hire, reporting directly to the founders or a senior executive.

• You will work closely with product, engineering, and marketing teams, requiring strong cross-functional collaboration skills.

• The team is expected to be lean and agile, with a focus on rapid iteration and problem-solving. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: While not explicitly stated, a YC-backed startup often emphasizes data to inform decisions. Expect to leverage user feedback and analytics to iterate on designs.

• Agile Development: The product development process is likely agile, requiring designers to adapt quickly to changing requirements and priorities.

• Brand-Centric Approach: A strong focus on building a premium brand identity will permeate all design decisions.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Being a "founding" designer in a "YC-backed" startup implies a high-stakes, high-reward environment. The culture will likely be entrepreneurial, demanding initiative, resilience, and a willingness to wear multiple hats. The company's focus on premium consumer hardware dictates a specific aesthetic and user experience standard.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a "Founding" level position within the design function. It's an individual contributor role with significant strategic influence and ownership, acting as the primary design authority at the company's early stage.

Reporting Structure: You will likely report directly to the CEO or a co-founder, given the founding nature of the role and the startup environment. This offers direct access to leadership and high visibility.

Operations Impact: The founding designer's work will have a direct and profound impact on Clera's brand perception, user adoption, and market positioning. Your designs will shape the core user experience of their flagship product and define the company's visual identity in the competitive consumer hardware market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: As the company scales, this role has a clear path to becoming the Head of Design or Design Director, building and managing a design team.

• Product Strategy Influence: Contribute significantly to product strategy and roadmap decisions, leveraging design thinking and user insights.

• Brand Building Expertise: Gain invaluable experience in building a premium brand from the ground up, a highly sought-after skill in the consumer product space.

• Cross-Functional Skill Development: Deepen expertise in product development, marketing, and brand strategy through close collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "founding" title is critical here. It signifies not just a mid-level role but an opportunity to shape the function and potentially the company's future direction. The growth path is less about climbing a predefined ladder and more about growing with the company.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site in London. This indicates a need for in-person collaboration and a structured work environment within a physical office space.

Office Location(s): London, England, United Kingdom. Specific details about the office amenities or neighborhood are not provided but can be inferred to be a professional workspace conducive to creative and collaborative work.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic startup workspace where close collaboration with founders, product managers, and engineers is the norm.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools like Figma will be provided, alongside other necessary hardware and software for a design-focused role.

• Team Interaction: Daily interaction with a small, dedicated team focused on bringing a new consumer hardware product to market. This fosters a close-knit working dynamic.

Work Schedule: Standard full-time working hours (approximately 40 hours/week) are expected, with the flexibility often found in startups to adapt to project needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is a key factor. It suggests a company culture that values face-to-face interaction, spontaneous brainstorming, and a strong sense of team cohesion, which is common in early-stage startups building complex products.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and, most importantly, your portfolio to assess aesthetic taste, relevant experience, and skill set.

• Portfolio Deep Dive: A dedicated session to walk through your portfolio, discussing specific projects, design decisions, challenges, and outcomes. Be prepared to articulate your process and rationale.

• Skills Assessment/Challenge: Potentially a design exercise or case study focusing on UI/UX for a mobile app or brand collateral creation, simulating real-world tasks.

• Founder/Team Interviews: Conversations with the founding team to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, understanding of premium brands, and long-term vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Select projects that best showcase your UI/UX skills for iOS, graphic design for premium consumer brands, and marketing collateral creation.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process, your specific contributions, design rationale, and the results or impact.

• Highlight Process: Show your wireframes, user flows, iterations, and explain why you made certain design choices.

• Visual Excellence: Ensure your portfolio is visually polished, well-organized, and reflects your exceptional aesthetic taste.

• Brand Alignment: Emphasize any experience or understanding of designing for premium consumer hardware or similar aesthetics.

Challenge Preparation:

• Familiarize yourself with current trends in wearable technology and consumer hardware design.

• Practice articulating design decisions clearly and concisely, focusing on user needs and business objectives.

• Be ready to discuss how you would approach defining a design system or brand language from scratch.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process will heavily rely on the portfolio. Candidates should meticulously prepare to discuss their work, demonstrating not just technical skill but also strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and alignment with a premium consumer brand ethos.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is explicitly mentioned as a required tool. Proficiency is expected for UI/UX design, wireframing, prototyping, and creating production-ready assets.

• Adobe Creative Suite: While not explicitly stated, it's common for graphic designers to be proficient in Photoshop and Illustrator for image editing, vector graphics, and marketing collateral creation.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a primary responsibility for this role, understanding how to interpret user analytics (e.g., from Amplitude, Mixpanel) to inform design decisions would be beneficial. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to this design role's core responsibilities, but awareness of marketing automation tools (e.g., Mailchimp, HubSpot) for email design might be helpful.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary focus is on design tools, with Figma being the cornerstone. While this role is not in Revenue or Sales Operations, understanding how design impacts user engagement metrics and marketing campaign performance is crucial for a holistic approach.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Design Excellence: A commitment to creating visually stunning, user-friendly, and high-quality designs that align with a premium brand standard.

• User-Centricity: A deep understanding and focus on the end-user's needs, preferences, and experience.

• Ownership & Initiative: Taking full responsibility for design outcomes and proactively identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation.

• Collaboration & Communication: Working effectively with cross-functional teams, providing clear design rationale, and being receptive to feedback.

• Brand Integrity: Upholding and elevating the company's brand identity across all touchpoints.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Design: Expect to be deeply integrated with product and engineering teams, fostering a collaborative rather than siloed design process.

• Feedback-Driven Iteration: A culture where constructive feedback is welcomed and used to refine designs iteratively.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Working closely with marketing and product leads to ensure design aligns with business goals and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of creative passion and business acumen. The "founding" nature means the designer will play a role in shaping these values through their actions and contributions. The collaboration style will be hands-on and iterative, typical of agile startups.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a Brand Identity: Defining and implementing a cohesive visual identity for a new, premium consumer hardware brand from scratch.

• Balancing Design Aesthetics with Technical Constraints: Ensuring high aesthetic quality while working within the technical limitations of mobile apps and hardware.

• Rapid Iteration in a Startup Environment: Adapting quickly to evolving product requirements and market feedback in a fast-paced startup setting.

• Owning a Broad Design Stack: Managing diverse design responsibilities across UI/UX, web, marketing, and collateral.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Opportunity to grow into a design leadership role, managing a team and setting design strategy.

• Product Strategy Involvement: Gain deep insights into product development and business strategy, contributing to key decisions.

• Brand Building Mastery: Develop expertise in building and scaling a premium consumer brand.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Enhance skills by working closely with engineering, product, and marketing professionals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a founding role in a startup. The growth opportunities are significant, offering a chance to shape a function and a brand, which is more impactful than many senior roles in established companies.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for developing a design system or brand language from scratch for a new consumer product."

• "How would you approach balancing a premium aesthetic with the need for user-friendly functionality on a mobile app?"

• "Walk us through a project where you had to adapt your design based on technical constraints or user feedback. What was your approach and the outcome?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Clera's mission and the wearable technology space?"

• "How do you envision your role contributing to the overall brand perception of Clera?"

• "Describe your ideal collaborative environment when working with product and engineering teams." Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure your presentation logically: Introduction, Problem, Your Role, Process & Solutions, Results & Impact.

• Be ready to discuss specific design decisions and the rationale behind them, focusing on user needs and brand alignment.

• Highlight how your work demonstrates exceptional aesthetic taste and strong graphic design fundamentals.

• Quantify impact where possible (e.g., improved engagement, positive user feedback, successful campaign metrics).

• Prepare to address how you would approach designing for a premium consumer hardware brand, referencing your portfolio examples.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to be challenged on your design philosophy, your process for creating cohesive brand experiences, and your ability to translate abstract brand concepts into tangible, user-friendly designs. The founders will be looking for both creative talent and strategic thinking.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this founding design position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features your strongest UI/UX work for mobile apps (especially iOS) and graphic design examples that align with a premium consumer brand aesthetic. Tailor your online portfolio or PDF to highlight these specific requirements.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 2-5 years of professional experience, emphasizing achievements in UI/UX, graphic design, brand identity, and consumer-facing products. Use keywords like "Figma," "UI/UX," "Graphic Design," "Brand Language," and "Consumer Hardware."

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice a concise and compelling walkthrough of your portfolio, focusing on your design process, decision-making, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss your vision for Clera's brand.

• Research Clera: Thoroughly understand Clera's mission, product, and target market. Consider how your design philosophy aligns with their goals and the premium consumer hardware space.

⚠️ 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.