Design Technologist, IMDb, Creative Studio at Amazon

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Technologist, IMDb, Creative Studio

Company: Amazon

Location: Santa Monica, California, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Design Technology/Front-End Development

Date Posted: 2025-06-10T00:00:00

Experience Level: Mid-Level (3+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🎨 Role Summary

Execute visually striking and technically sound interactive advertising campaigns for IMDb's entertainment partners.
Bridge the gap between creative design concepts and functional web experiences, focusing on high-fidelity prototyping and responsive design.
Collaborate closely with designers, producers, and program managers to translate creative direction into polished, performant digital solutions.
Work within established technical frameworks while exploring innovative approaches in creative advertising technology.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a unique blend of design sensibility and strong front-end development skills, focusing on the execution of interactive creative projects within a studio environment. The title "Design Technologist" specifically highlights this hybrid nature.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Build and implement high-impact advertising campaigns across IMDb's web, mobile, and app platforms, ensuring cross-device compatibility and optimal performance.
Develop high-fidelity, interactive prototypes that effectively communicate the vision and user experience of creative concepts to internal teams and external clients.
Translate static design mockups and creative briefs into dynamic, polished, and performant web experiences using modern front-end technologies.
Partner with designers, campaign managers, and account teams to define project scope, technical requirements, and deliver interactive campaign assets on time and to specification.
Utilize existing design system components and front-end libraries while identifying opportunities to innovate and push creative boundaries within the advertising space.
Ensure all deliverables meet technical standards, including web accessibility guidelines (WCAG AA), and are optimized for various browsers and devices.
Iterate rapidly on designs and technical implementations based on feedback, user testing results, and project deadlines.
Clearly articulate technical approaches, constraints, and possibilities to non-technical stakeholders, fostering effective cross-functional communication.
Actively participate in creative brainstorms and ideation sessions, contributing technical feasibility insights and innovative solutions.
Demonstrate proficiency in creative tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma to understand design assets and collaborate effectively with design peers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on execution, technical proficiency, and collaboration within a fast-paced creative environment. The focus on advertising campaigns and entertainment partners indicates a need for understanding brand guidelines and engaging user experiences in a marketing context.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Design, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is typically preferred for this level of role. Relevant certifications in front-end development or design tools can also be beneficial.

Experience: 3+ years of hands-on experience as a front-end technologist, engineer, or UX prototyper is required. Experience in digital advertising, especially within an agency or studio setting, is highly valued. A strong online portfolio showcasing coding samples and interactive design work is essential.

Required Skills:

Proficiency in core front-end programming languages: JavaScript/NodeJS, HTML, and CSS.
Demonstrated experience with responsive and adaptive design principles and implementation.
Proven experience with web, mobile web, or mobile app front-end development.
Experience with UI design principles and best practices, particularly for complex workflows and user-facing interfaces.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to deliver high-quality work efficiently under tight deadlines.
Fluency with basic creative tools including Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma for reviewing and utilizing design assets.
Experience with version control systems, such as Git.

Preferred Skills:

4+ years of experience in front-end technology roles, demonstrating increasing levels of responsibility and technical expertise.
Strong understanding of UX best practices and the campaign lifecycle within the entertainment, media, or branded content industries.
Experience with game development technologies (e.g., Unity, Phaser) is a plus, indicating potential for creating highly interactive and engaging experiences.
Familiarity with accessibility standards (WCAG AA) and implementing accessible web experiences.
Experience with front-end frameworks and libraries (e.g., React, Vue, Angular).
Knowledge of animation libraries and techniques for creating dynamic visual effects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The combination of front-end development skills with design tool proficiency and UX understanding reinforces the "Design Technologist" title. The preference for experience in entertainment/media and game development technologies points to the specific context of the IMDb Creative Studio.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

An available online portfolio demonstrating a range of interactive projects, prototypes, and executed advertising campaigns.
Include coding samples showcasing your proficiency in front-end languages and your ability to build complex, performant web experiences.
Case studies that detail your involvement in projects, highlighting your technical contributions, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work.
Visual presentation of your work should be clean, professional, and easy to navigate, effectively showcasing your technical and creative abilities.

Process Documentation:

For each project, briefly explain the initial creative brief or problem statement and your approach to translating design concepts into functional code.
Detail the ideation and iteration process, including how you collaborated with designers and stakeholders to refine the user experience and technical implementation.
If applicable, describe any testing or validation methods used to ensure the performance and accessibility of the final deliverable.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio for this role must not only demonstrate technical coding skills but also the ability to translate design vision into reality and collaborate effectively with creative teams. Highlighting interactive projects and coding samples is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The advertised salary range for this position in the Los Angeles County market is $118,600 to $205,000 per year. This range reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets, with Los Angeles typically falling within the higher end of the spectrum due to the cost of living and market demand for skilled design technologists in the entertainment industry. The final offer will depend on factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Benefits:

Comprehensive medical coverage, including health, dental, and vision insurance options.
Financial benefits such as a 401(k) retirement plan with company match, stock options (dependent on position offered), and potential sign-on payments.
Access to a wide range of other employee benefits offered by Amazon, which may include paid time off, parental leave, employee discounts, and various wellness programs.
Opportunities for equity grants as part of the total compensation package.

Working Hours: This is a full-time on-site position. While specific hours are not detailed, full-time roles at Amazon typically involve a standard 40-hour work week. Flexibility may be required to meet campaign deadlines and collaborate with global teams, but the primary work location is the Santa Monica office.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific to the Los Angeles market, reflecting the competitive nature of the tech and entertainment industries in this region. The benefits package is typical of a large tech company, offering a robust combination of health, financial, and work-life balance support.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Amazon operates across a vast range of industries, but this specific role is within IMDb, focusing on the entertainment and advertising sectors. The IMDb Creative Studio functions like a boutique agency within the larger Amazon structure, partnering with top entertainment brands.

Company Size: Amazon is a global company with over 700,000 employees. Working within the IMDb Creative Studio offers the agility and creative energy of a smaller team while leveraging the resources and scale of a large organization.

Founded: Amazon was founded in 1994. IMDb was founded in 1990 and acquired by Amazon in 1998, demonstrating a long history in the entertainment information space.

Team Structure:

The IMDb Creative Studio is described as a tight-knit, multidisciplinary group.
The team includes designers, producers, program managers, and likely other creative and technical roles.
This role is an individual contributor position, focusing on executing interactive creative solutions.
Collaboration is key, working closely with internal sales teams and external entertainment clients.

Methodology:

The team focuses on delivering both custom advertising campaigns and scalable ad products.
There is a balance between rapid custom builds ("velocity") and thoughtful productization.
Creativity, velocity, and precision are prioritized in their workflow.
The team values collaboration, autonomy, and craft in their approach to work.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding the "boutique agency within Amazon" model is crucial. This suggests a culture that values both creative output and efficient execution, with a focus on client-facing projects within the entertainment space. The emphasis on "velocity and precision" indicates a fast-paced environment.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Design Technologist, requiring 3+ years of experience. The focus is on execution and technical contribution rather than team leadership.

Reporting Structure: While not explicitly stated, Design Technologists typically report to a Design Manager, Technical Lead, or Creative Director within a creative or engineering team. Given the studio structure, reporting to a Creative Lead or Studio Manager is likely.

Design Impact: As a Design Technologist within the Creative Studio, your work directly impacts the interactive advertising experiences seen by millions of IMDb users. Your technical expertise in bringing creative concepts to life is central to the team's success and the value delivered to entertainment partners.

Growth Opportunities:

Advancement within the Design Technologist track to a more senior level, taking on more complex projects and potentially mentoring junior technologists.
Opportunities to specialize in specific areas of interactive advertising technology, such as advanced animation, game engine integration, or emerging platforms.
Potential to move into related roles within Amazon or IMDb, such as Front-End Engineer, UX Engineer, or Technical Program Manager, leveraging your combined design and technical skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The individual contributor focus at the mid-level suggests a path for growth within the technical execution domain, potentially leading to senior roles with greater technical leadership or specialization in specific interactive technologies relevant to the entertainment industry.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: The role is based in the Santa Monica, CA office. The description mentions the IMDb Creative Studio operating like a "boutique agency," suggesting a potentially collaborative and creative workspace distinct from typical large corporate offices.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Santa Monica, CA. Santa Monica is a hub for technology and entertainment companies, offering a vibrant work environment with access to industry events and networking opportunities.

Design Workspace Context:

The environment is likely designed to foster collaboration among a multidisciplinary team of designers, producers, and technologists.
Access to necessary hardware and software for both creative design work and technical development will be provided.
Opportunities for informal collaboration and knowledge sharing within the close-knit team are expected.

Work Schedule: This is a full-time, on-site position. The nature of delivering advertising campaigns may require flexibility to meet deadlines, but a standard work schedule is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Santa Monica emphasizes the importance of in-person collaboration within the Creative Studio. The "boutique agency" description implies a focus on creative output and potentially a more dynamic and less rigidly structured environment than some larger Amazon teams.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Expect an initial screening call to discuss your background and interest in the role, focusing on your experience as a Design Technologist and your portfolio.
Subsequent interviews will likely involve technical assessments (potentially coding challenges or architectural discussions), portfolio reviews with design and engineering leads, and behavioral interviews assessing your collaboration skills and cultural fit.
Be prepared to discuss specific projects from your portfolio in detail, explaining your technical approach, design rationale, and collaboration process.
A design/technical challenge or take-home assignment may be part of the process to evaluate your ability to translate creative concepts into functional code.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Curate your portfolio to specifically highlight interactive advertising campaigns, prototypes, or projects that demonstrate your ability to bridge design and code.
For each project, clearly articulate your role and the specific technical contributions you made.
Showcase coding samples (e.g., via GitHub links or embedded code snippets) that demonstrate clean code, technical proficiency, and adherence to best practices.
Use case studies to tell the story of your projects, including the problem, your approach, the technical implementation, and the outcome.

Challenge Preparation:

Review common front-end development concepts and be prepared to solve coding problems in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
Practice translating design mockups into responsive and performant web code efficiently.
Be ready to explain your thought process and technical decisions during the challenge.
If a take-home assignment is given, manage your time effectively and aim for a polished, well-documented solution.

ATS Keywords: Design Technologist, Front-End Development, UX Prototyping, Interactive Design, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, NodeJS, Responsive Design, Adaptive Design, UI Design, Web Development, Mobile Development, Digital Advertising, Creative Studio, Agency Experience, Entertainment Industry, Media, Branded Content, WCAG AA, Accessibility, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, Figma, Git, React, Vue, Angular, Unity, Phaser, Prototyping, Wireframing, User Interface, User Experience, Collaboration, Communication, Technical Skills, Creative Tools, Portfolio, Case Studies, Coding Samples, Performance Optimization, Cross-Browser Compatibility, Animation, Version Control.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Design Technologist role will likely combine technical coding assessments with portfolio reviews focused on the intersection of design and development. Preparing to discuss specific projects in detail, highlighting both the creative and technical aspects, is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

Adobe Photoshop: Used for reviewing and potentially manipulating raster-based design assets provided by the design team. Proficiency in extracting assets and understanding layer structures is important.
Sketch: A vector-based design tool commonly used for UI/UX design. You will need to be comfortable working with Sketch files to access design specifications, assets, and layouts.
Figma: A popular collaborative interface design tool. Proficiency in Figma will be essential for accessing design files, inspecting elements, and collaborating with designers in real-time.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Specific collaboration tools are not mentioned, but given Amazon's scale, internal tools or standard industry platforms like Slack, Jira, or similar project management software are likely used for communication and task tracking.
Handoff involves translating designs from tools like Sketch and Figma into functional code, requiring a strong understanding of design specifications and asset management.
Documentation may involve creating technical specifications or contributing to internal knowledge bases.

Research & Testing:

While not explicitly listed as primary responsibilities for this role, interaction with user research findings and testing results may inform iterative development. Familiarity with basic analytics concepts to understand the performance of implemented campaigns could be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on proficiency in design tools like Photoshop, Sketch, and Figma highlights the need for this role to work directly with design assets and collaborate closely with designers. The technical stack is centered around core front-end technologies.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

Creativity: The studio environment encourages innovative and visually striking solutions for advertising campaigns.
Velocity: The team operates with a focus on rapid execution and delivery to meet campaign deadlines.
Precision: Attention to detail in both technical implementation and visual fidelity is highly valued.
Autonomy: Team members are likely given a degree of autonomy in how they approach and execute their work.
Craft: There is an emphasis on producing high-quality, well-crafted interactive experiences.

Collaboration Style:

Close collaboration with a multidisciplinary team including designers, producers, and program managers is essential.
Interaction with internal sales teams and external entertainment clients requires effective communication and partnership.
Participation in brainstorms and ideation sessions indicates an inclusive approach to creative problem-solving.

📝 Enhancement Note: The described team culture emphasizes a balance between creative output and efficient execution within a collaborative, client-focused environment. The values of creativity, velocity, and precision are likely key drivers of the team's success in the advertising space.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Translating complex and sometimes unconventional creative concepts into technically feasible and performant interactive experiences.
Working within tight deadlines inherent in the advertising industry while maintaining high standards of quality and accessibility.
Keeping up with evolving web technologies and interactive design trends to push the boundaries of what's possible in creative advertising.
Ensuring cross-browser and cross-device compatibility for campaigns that reach a broad audience on various platforms.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Opportunities to deepen expertise in specific front-end technologies or explore areas like animation, WebGL, or game development technologies relevant to interactive advertising.
Potential for learning and applying new tools and techniques for performance optimization and accessibility in web development.
Exposure to a wide range of entertainment brands and advertising challenges, providing diverse project experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges in this role are directly tied to the nature of interactive advertising – balancing creative ambition with technical constraints and tight timelines. Growth opportunities lie in mastering these challenges and specializing in relevant technologies.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

Be prepared to discuss your approach to translating static designs into interactive prototypes and final code. Share examples from your portfolio where you had to make technical decisions based on design requirements.
Explain your process for ensuring responsiveness and performance across different devices and browsers.
Describe how you collaborate with designers to understand their vision and provide technical feasibility feedback throughout the design process.

Company Culture Questions:

Research Amazon's leadership principles and be prepared to discuss how your past experiences align with them, particularly principles related to customer obsession, invent and simplify, and bias for action.
Ask questions about the collaboration dynamics within the Creative Studio and how the team balances creativity with execution speed.
Inquire about how the team stays updated on design and technology trends in the advertising space.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Select 2-3 key projects from your portfolio that best showcase your skills as a Design Technologist, particularly focusing on interactive advertising or prototyping.
For each project, clearly explain the problem, your role, the technical stack used, the challenges you faced, and the solutions you implemented.
Be prepared to walk through your code for selected projects and explain your technical decisions.
Highlight the impact of your work, such as performance improvements, increased user engagement, or successful campaign delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating both technical coding skills and the ability to effectively collaborate with creative teams to deliver interactive experiences. Highlighting projects that align with the entertainment advertising context of IMDb will be beneficial.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application through this link.
Customize your resume to highlight relevant experience as a Design Technologist, front-end developer, or UX prototyper, using keywords from the job description.
Ensure your online portfolio is up-to-date, easily accessible, and prominently features interactive projects and coding samples.
Prepare to discuss your portfolio in detail during the interview process, focusing on your technical contributions and collaboration with design teams.
Research IMDb and its Creative Studio to understand their work and tailor your application and interview responses accordingly.

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

Design Technologist, IMDb, Creative Studio