Associate Graphic Designer, Food & Beverage
📍 Job Overview
Job Title: Associate Graphic Designer, Food & Beverage
Company: KITH
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, United States
Job Type: Full-time
Category: Graphic Design, Fashion/Retail Design
Date Posted: 2025-06-10T00:00:00
Experience Level: 1-3+ Years
Remote Status: On-site (100%)
🎨 Role Summary
- Design visually compelling and on-brand marketing materials specifically for Kith's Food & Beverage category, ensuring alignment with the overall brand aesthetic and strategic objectives.
- Play a key role in shaping the visual storytelling for private events, creating digital and print collateral that enhances the guest experience and reinforces brand identity.
- Produce high-quality design assets for social media platforms, ensuring content is engaging, visually appealing, and resonates with the target audience while reflecting current social media trends.
- Collaborate closely with the Senior Designer and cross-functional marketing and content teams to support design needs across various business areas, contributing to a cohesive brand presence.
🖼️ Primary Responsibilities
- Create comprehensive marketing materials for the Food & Beverage category, including but not limited to campaign visuals, social media graphics, event invitations, digital and print flyers, dinner menus, and place cards.
- Design layouts for promotional materials such as brochures or digital lookbooks showcasing Food & Beverage offerings, maintaining visual consistency with Kith's brand identity and design guidelines.
- Produce production-ready digital and print files, ensuring all assets meet technical specifications, color profiles, and quality standards for various output methods.
- Champion and uphold Kith's established visual identity within all Food & Beverage design assets, ensuring designs accurately reflect the brand's tone, style, and messaging across all touchpoints.
- Collaborate directly with the Food & Beverage marketing team to understand specific promotional needs, seasonal themes, and incorporate them effectively into creative design outputs.
- Ensure a cohesive visual presence for the Food & Beverage category across all platforms, including website, social media, in-store signage, and event materials.
- Partner with internal teams, including social media managers and retail staff, to provide tailored design assets that meet their specific requirements for promoting Food & Beverage initiatives.
- Stay informed about current graphic design trends, industry innovations in food & beverage marketing design, and competitor campaigns to introduce fresh and relevant creative ideas.
- Assist the Senior Designer with graphic design tasks for other areas of the Kith business as needed, contributing to projects beyond the primary Food & Beverage focus.
- Support the Kinnect Foundation with social media posts and marketing collateral as requested, applying design skills to support the non-profit's initiatives.
🎓 Skills & Qualifications
Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or a related creative field is typically preferred for an Associate-level design role, providing a strong foundation in design principles and software proficiency.
Experience: 1–3+ years of professional graphic design experience is required, with a strong preference for candidates who have worked within the fashion, retail, or potentially the hospitality/food & beverage industries. Prior experience creating design assets for marketing campaigns and events is highly valued. A compelling design portfolio is essential to demonstrate practical application of skills.
Required Skills:
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, with a strong emphasis on Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for creating and manipulating digital and print assets.
- Demonstrated expertise in typography, layout design, and color theory, with a keen eye for detail, visual hierarchy, and composition that aligns with brand aesthetics.
- Experience designing for both digital platforms (social media, web) and print production (flyers, menus, signage), understanding the technical specifications and constraints of each medium.
- Ability to manage multiple design projects simultaneously within a fast-paced environment, prioritizing tasks effectively and meeting tight deadlines without compromising quality.
Preferred Skills:
- Familiarity with Figma or other collaborative design tools used for prototyping, design systems, or streamlined workflows.
- Understanding of current social media design trends and best practices for creating engaging visual content across various platforms.
- Experience with photography art direction or collaborating with photographers to translate imagery into compelling marketing materials.
- Strong understanding of brand guidelines and the ability to consistently apply and evolve a visual identity across diverse design outputs.
🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
- Include a curated selection of 5-7 strong design projects showcasing your expertise in graphic design for marketing and branding, particularly any work related to fashion, retail, events, or food & beverage.
- Present examples of both digital design work (e.g., social media graphics, website banners) and print design work (e.g., flyers, brochures, packaging) to demonstrate versatility across mediums.
- Highlight projects that demonstrate your understanding of typography, layout, color theory, and visual hierarchy in creating compelling and on-brand visuals.
- Showcase your proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and potentially other relevant tools like Figma through the quality and complexity of your work.
Process Documentation:
- For at least 2-3 key projects, provide a brief overview of your design process, including initial concepts, iterations, and how you arrived at the final design solution.
- Explain your design rationale and how your creative choices supported the project objectives and brand guidelines.
- If applicable, include examples of how you incorporated feedback and collaborated with stakeholders to refine your designs.
💵 Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $55,000 - $70,000 annually
Based on the provided range, this compensation is competitive for an Associate Graphic Designer role in the New York City area, taking into account the cost of living and industry standards for this experience level within the fashion/retail sector. The specific point within the range will likely depend on the candidate's experience, portfolio strength, and interview performance.
Benefits:
- Specific benefits are not detailed in the job description. However, full-time employees at Kith can typically expect a standard benefits package which may include health insurance (medical, dental, vision), paid time off (vacation, sick days, holidays), and potentially a 401(k) retirement plan with company match.
- Given Kith's industry, employee discounts on apparel and products are a likely benefit.
Working Hours: This is a full-time position, expected to be 100% on-site. Standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week, likely following a traditional Monday-Friday schedule, though flexibility may be required during peak seasons or for specific events. The on-site requirement suggests a need for in-person collaboration and presence at the Brooklyn HQ.
🎯Team & Company Context
🏢 Company & Design Culture
Industry: Retail / Lifestyle Brand (Fashion, Footwear, Accessories, and Food & Beverage). Kith operates within the highly competitive and visually driven fashion and lifestyle industry, with a strong emphasis on brand identity, storytelling, and curated experiences that extend to its Food & Beverage offerings.
Company Size: Kith is a well-established company with a significant presence, indicated by its multiple global locations and diverse business segments (retail, Food & Beverage, non-profit). According to LinkedIn, Kith has 201-500 employees. This size suggests a structured organization with dedicated teams, offering opportunities for collaboration within the design department and across different business units.
Founded: 2011. Founded by Ronnie Fieg, Kith has a relatively young but impactful history, known for its strong brand identity, collaborations, and expansion into various lifestyle areas, including Food & Beverage.
Team Structure: The role reports to a Senior Designer and works closely with the women's marketing team, VPs, and the broader marketing & content team. This indicates a collaborative team environment where the Associate Graphic Designer will contribute directly to creative projects under guidance and interact with various stakeholders to deliver design assets. The mention of assisting outside the primary area suggests a lean team where flexibility and cross-support are valued.
Methodology: Kith's design methodology likely emphasizes strong brand storytelling, visual consistency, and a keen understanding of current trends in fashion, retail, and lifestyle. The collaborative nature suggests an iterative process involving feedback from marketing, art direction, and potentially other teams to refine designs. A data-informed approach to design, especially for social media assets, may also be part of the process to optimize engagement.
Company Website: http://www.kith.com/
📈 Career & Growth Analysis
Design Career Level: This is an Associate-level graphic design role. It is a foundational position suitable for designers with 1-3 years of experience looking to further develop their skills and gain experience within a prominent brand. The role involves executing design tasks under the guidance of a Senior Designer.
Reporting Structure: The Associate Graphic Designer reports to a Senior Designer. This structure provides mentorship and guidance, allowing the Associate to learn from a more experienced professional and receive constructive feedback to improve their design skills and workflow.
Design Impact: The design output from this role directly impacts the visual representation of Kith's Food & Beverage category and potentially other areas of the business through marketing materials, social media presence, and event collateral. The quality and effectiveness of these designs contribute to brand perception, customer engagement, and ultimately, business objectives within this segment.
Growth Opportunities:
- Advancement to a Graphic Designer or potentially Senior Graphic Designer role within Kith's design team, taking on more complex projects, greater responsibility, and potentially mentoring junior designers.
- Specialization within a specific design area, such as digital design, print production, or brand-specific visual communication, becoming an expert in a niche area.
- Opportunities to contribute to a wider range of projects across different Kith business units (e.g., apparel, retail, Kinnect Foundation), broadening design experience and portfolio.
- Potential for involvement in larger campaigns or strategic design initiatives as skills and experience grow.
🌐 Work Environment
Studio Type: On-site (100%). The role is based at Kith's HQ in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This indicates a collaborative office environment where in-person interaction with the design team, marketing team, and other departments is expected and crucial for the workflow.
Office Location(s): Kith HQ - Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This is the primary and stated location for this role. Accessibility will depend on the candidate's commute to this specific Brooklyn neighborhood.
Design Workspace Context:
- The on-site nature suggests a dedicated workspace within the Kith headquarters, likely designed to foster creativity and collaboration among the design team.
- Access to necessary design tools, software, and potentially resources like material libraries or printing facilities will be available on-site.
- Opportunities for spontaneous collaboration, feedback sessions, and direct communication with team members and stakeholders are facilitated by the shared physical space.
Work Schedule: Full-time, 100% on-site. The work schedule is expected to be consistent with standard full-time employment, likely during typical business hours, Monday through Friday. While specific hours aren't mentioned, some flexibility might be needed to accommodate project deadlines or events, but the core requirement is physical presence at the HQ.
📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process
Design Interview Process:
- The process likely begins with an initial screening call, potentially with HR or a design team member, to discuss your experience and suitability.
- Expect one or more interviews with the Senior Designer and potentially other members of the marketing or creative team to assess your skills, portfolio, and cultural fit.
- A portfolio review is a critical component, where you will be asked to present your work, explain your design process, and discuss your rationale. Be prepared to walk through specific case studies.
- A design exercise or challenge may be part of the process to evaluate your practical design skills, problem-solving abilities, and ability to work within constraints.
- Final interviews may involve meeting with VPs or other leadership to discuss your potential impact and alignment with the company's vision.
Portfolio Review Tips:
- Curate your portfolio to specifically highlight projects relevant to fashion, retail, events, or Food & Beverage marketing if you have them. Otherwise, showcase projects that demonstrate strong branding, layout, and visual communication skills applicable to these areas.
- For each project, clearly present the problem you were solving, your role, your design process, and the final solution. Focus on the "why" behind your design decisions.
- Be prepared to discuss the tools you used and your proficiency level with each.
- Ensure your portfolio is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and accessible (e.g., a well-organized website or PDF).
Challenge Preparation:
- If a design challenge is assigned, pay close attention to the brief and any provided constraints (e.g., time limit, required assets, target audience).
- Approach the challenge using a structured design process, even if condensed, and be prepared to articulate your steps and rationale.
- Focus on delivering a solution that is not only visually strong but also strategically sound and aligned with Kith's brand aesthetic.
ATS Keywords: Graphic Design, Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Figma, Typography, Layout, Color Theory, Branding, Marketing Design, Digital Design, Print Design, Social Media Graphics, Event Collateral, Food & Beverage Design, Fashion, Retail, Visual Communication, Art Direction, Collaboration, Attention to Detail, Visual Storytelling, Production Ready, Brand Identity, Case Study, Design Process, Portfolio Review.
🛠 Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Design Tools:
- Adobe Creative Suite: Essential proficiency is required, with a strong emphasis on Photoshop for image editing and manipulation, Illustrator for vector graphics and logos, and InDesign for layout and print materials like menus and flyers. Expect to use these tools daily for creating a wide range of assets.
- Figma: Mentioned as a preferred skill, indicating it may be used for collaborative design, prototyping, or managing design systems. Familiarity with Figma or similar tools (e.g., Sketch, Adobe XD) would be beneficial for team workflows.
Collaboration & Handoff:
- Tools for file sharing, version control, and project management are likely used, although not explicitly named. Familiarity with platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, Asana, or similar would be advantageous for collaborating with the design team and other departments.
- Knowledge of preparing design files for handoff to print vendors or development teams is important for ensuring accurate production and implementation.
Research & Testing:
- While not explicitly a focus for this role, understanding how design performance is measured (e.g., social media engagement metrics) and how user feedback might inform future design decisions would be valuable.
👥 Team Culture & Values
Design Values:
- Innovation: Kith values bringing fresh ideas and exploring new design techniques to elevate the brand's visual output.
- Attention to Detail: A strong emphasis is placed on polished execution and ensuring all designs meet high-quality standards and align with brand guidelines.
- Collaboration: The role requires close collaboration with various teams (marketing, content, retail), highlighting the importance of teamwork and effective communication in the design process.
- Brand Consistency: Maintaining a cohesive visual identity across all platforms and touchpoints is a core value, ensuring the Kith brand is recognizable and impactful.
Collaboration Style:
- The team likely has a collaborative approach, with opportunities for design critique and feedback sessions to refine work.
- Working closely with art directors and photographers suggests a process that integrates design with visual content creation.
- Partnering with cross-functional teams requires effective communication and the ability to tailor design solutions to meet diverse needs.
⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Design Challenges:
- Balancing creative innovation with strict adherence to established brand guidelines to ensure all designs feel fresh yet recognizably "Kith."
- Managing multiple design projects simultaneously within a fast-paced retail environment, requiring strong organizational and time management skills.
- Designing for a diverse range of outputs, from small social media graphics to larger print materials for events, each with unique technical specifications and visual requirements.
- Staying ahead of rapidly evolving design trends, particularly in social media and digital marketing, to keep Kith's visual content engaging and relevant.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
- Opportunity to deepen expertise in graphic design for the Food & Beverage and events industries, gaining specialized skills in these areas.
- Mentorship from a Senior Designer, providing valuable guidance and feedback for skill development and career progression.
- Exposure to the inner workings of a prominent lifestyle brand, learning about the intersection of design, marketing, and retail operations.
- Potential to expand skills by assisting on projects outside the primary focus, contributing to apparel, retail, or non-profit initiatives.
💡 Interview Preparation
Design Process Questions:
- Be prepared to discuss your approach to a typical design project, from understanding the brief to final delivery. Use examples from your portfolio.
- Explain how you incorporate feedback and iterate on your designs.
- Describe a time you faced a design challenge and how you overcame it.
Company Culture Questions:
- Research Kith's brand identity, recent campaigns, and especially their Food & Beverage initiatives. Be prepared to discuss what you admire about their design aesthetic and how you see yourself contributing.
- Demonstrate your ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with non-designers.
- Highlight your passion for fashion, retail, or the lifestyle industry.
Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
- Select 3-5 key projects that best showcase your skills and relevance to this role.
- For each project, clearly explain the objective, your role, your design process (briefly), and the outcome.
- Be specific about your design decisions and how they align with brand goals.
- Practice presenting your portfolio concisely and engagingly.
📌 Application Steps
To apply for this design position:
- Submit your application through this link
- Carefully review your resume and portfolio to ensure they align with the specific requirements and focus of this Associate Graphic Designer role, particularly highlighting any relevant experience in fashion, retail, events, or Food & Beverage marketing design.
- Tailor your cover letter to express your specific interest in Kith and this particular role, demonstrating an understanding of the brand and how your design skills can contribute to the Food & Beverage team.
- Prepare your portfolio for review, ensuring it is easily accessible and showcases your strongest, most relevant work with clear explanations of your process and rationale.
- Research Kith's recent Food & Beverage initiatives and overall brand aesthetic to be prepared for discussions during the interview process.