Visual Designer I at Careem

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Visual Designer I

Company: Careem

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Visual Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-13T10:47:52

Experience Level: Entry to Mid-Level (3-5 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (4 days office, 1 day remote, plus 30 days remote internationally)

🎨 Role Summary

Shape the future of visual design within Careem's extensive app ecosystem, impacting millions of users across the Middle East region.
Contribute significantly to the development and refinement of Careem's visual language, including illustration, iconography, and typography systems.
Craft engaging micro-interactions and motion design to enhance the overall user experience and bring expressive design to life.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product designers, engineers, and brand specialists, to ensure seamless implementation of visual design strategies.
Actively explore and integrate new design tools and workflows, including the application of AI-assisted visual design techniques and automation.
Develop and maintain comprehensive design guidelines and documentation to promote consistency and high-quality visual design execution across various teams and platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Visual Designer I", the experience requirement (3-5 years) and responsibilities listed (shaping visual language, collaborating with senior teams) indicate this role is more aligned with a Mid-Level or potentially Senior Visual Designer position within typical design career frameworks. The focus on contribution to visual language and collaboration suggests a need for established design skills and the ability to work semi-autonomously.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Design and iterate on visually compelling interfaces and product surfaces, ensuring consistency and aesthetic quality across Careem's diverse application suite.
Develop and evolve core components of Careem's visual language, including creating new illustration styles, refining iconography sets, and defining typographic hierarchies.
Design and implement engaging micro-interactions and motion graphics that enhance usability, provide feedback, and contribute to a delightful user experience.
Work collaboratively with product designers to translate user flows and wireframes into high-fidelity visual designs that align with brand guidelines and user needs.
Partner with engineering teams to ensure accurate implementation of visual designs, providing detailed specifications, assets, and participating in visual QA processes.
Collaborate with the brand team to ensure visual design aligns with overall brand strategy and contributes to a cohesive brand identity across all touchpoints.
Explore and experiment with emerging design tools and technologies, specifically focusing on leveraging AI for visual design tasks and workflow automation.
Create and maintain detailed documentation for visual design guidelines, style guides, and design system components to facilitate adoption and consistency across the organization.
Participate actively in design critiques, craft reviews, and motion handoffs, providing and receiving constructive feedback to elevate the quality of visual design output.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a focus on both individual design contribution (creating interfaces, motion) and systemic work (evolving visual language, documentation). This blend is characteristic of roles intended to build and scale design impact, requiring a solid foundation in visual design principles and collaborative practices. The mention of AI tools suggests a forward-thinking approach to design workflow.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Design, UI/UX Design, or a related creative field is typically preferred, although equivalent practical experience and a strong portfolio demonstrating relevant skills are often highly valued.

Experience: 3-5 years of professional experience specifically in visual design or motion design within the context of digital product development. A strong portfolio showcasing high-impact UI/UX visual design projects, contributions to brand systems, and demonstrated motion thinking is essential for evaluation.

Required Skills:

Proficiency in designing visually compelling user interfaces for mobile and web applications, demonstrating a strong understanding of layout, color, typography, and visual hierarchy.
Proven experience in contributing to or developing visual language systems, including illustration styles, iconography, and typographic scales.
Demonstrated ability to design and implement micro-interactions and motion graphics that enhance user experience and provide clear feedback.
Strong portfolio showcasing a range of visual design projects, highlighting problem-solving skills and the ability to translate concepts into polished visual deliverables.
Experience collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams, including product designers, engineers, and brand specialists, throughout the design process.
Ability to balance aesthetic precision with rapid iteration and problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.
Passion for design craft, attention to detail, and the ability to tell compelling stories through visual design.
Familiarity with or a strong curiosity for exploring and utilizing AI tools and automation in the visual design workflow.

Preferred Skills:

Experience working within a large-scale design system and contributing to its evolution and documentation.
Proficiency in motion design software and techniques for creating engaging animations and transitions.
Experience in illustration or icon design, with the ability to develop unique and expressive visual assets.
Understanding of front-end development principles and the technical feasibility of visual design implementations.
Experience working in a global or regional context, understanding cultural nuances in visual communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: The required skills align well with the responsibilities, emphasizing both core visual design expertise and the ability to contribute to systemic design efforts. The inclusion of AI tools as a required skill (even if exposure/curiosity) highlights the company's interest in adopting new technologies. Preferred skills offer insights into potential areas for growth within the role.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Your portfolio should prominently feature high-impact UI/UX visual design projects, showcasing your ability to create aesthetically pleasing and functional interfaces.
Include examples of your contribution to or creation of brand systems, demonstrating your understanding of visual language components like illustration, iconography, and typography.
Showcase projects that involve motion design or micro-interactions, illustrating your ability to add delight and enhance usability through animation.
Present a curated selection of projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your iterative design process.

Process Documentation:

For each project, clearly articulate your design process, including initial problem definition, research insights (if applicable), ideation, and iteration.
Explain the rationale behind your visual design decisions, demonstrating your understanding of user needs, business goals, and design principles.
Showcase how you collaborated with product designers, engineers, and other stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Visual Designer role, the portfolio is paramount. Emphasizing showcasing process alongside final deliverables is crucial for demonstrating strategic thinking and collaboration skills, not just aesthetic ability. Highlighting contributions to design systems and motion thinking aligns directly with the job responsibilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on market research for Visual Designer roles with 3-5 years of experience in Dubai, UAE, the estimated annual salary range is typically between AED 180,000 and AED 300,000. This estimate is based on average compensation data for mid-level design roles in the technology sector in Dubai, taking into account the cost of living and demand for skilled visual designers. The actual salary may vary based on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and qualifications, as well as company-specific compensation structures.

Benefits:

Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits: Access to medical coverage to support your well-being.
Fitness Reimbursements: Financial support for health activities, including gym memberships, health clubs, and training classes, encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
Unlimited Vacation Days: Flexible time off policy to recharge and maintain work-life balance (subject to company policy and team needs).
Opportunity to work remotely from any country in the world for 30 days per year, promoting global flexibility.
Hybrid Work Model: 4 days a week in the office (potentially 2 days for individual contributors in tech) and 1 day from home, offering a blend of in-person collaboration and remote flexibility.
Opportunity to learn and grow from experienced colleagues and inspiring leaders within the organization.
Chance to contribute to a purposeful organization focused on creating impact in the region.

Working Hours: Full-time position with a standard work week, typically around 40 hours. The hybrid work model offers flexibility in terms of location for part of the week and extended remote work options annually, supporting a balanced design workflow.

📝 Enhancement Note: Providing an estimated salary range for Dubai is crucial as it's not specified. The estimate is based on typical market rates for similar experience levels and roles in the region's tech industry. Detailing the specific benefits mentioned (healthcare, fitness, vacation) and translating the work model into practical terms for a designer adds significant value.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Technology / Software Development, specifically focused on building an "Everything App" for the greater Middle East. This involves transportation, food and grocery delivery, payments, and more, offering a diverse range of design challenges and opportunities across various service verticals.

Company Size: Careem is a large organization with over 6,000 employees globally. Working within a large company means exposure to established processes, collaboration with diverse teams, and the potential for significant impact on a large user base. It also implies the existence of a potentially mature design team and established design systems.

Founded: Founded in 2012, Careem has over a decade of history in the region. Being part of a company with a strong legacy and recent investment from e& (formerly Etisalat) indicates stability and continued focus on growth and innovation in the regional market.

Team Structure:

The Visual Design role will likely sit within a broader design team, potentially reporting to a Lead Visual Designer or Design Manager.
Expect close collaboration with Product Designers responsible for user experience flows and information architecture.
Interaction with engineering teams will be frequent for design handoff and implementation.
Collaboration with the Brand team is essential to ensure visual consistency and alignment with overall brand strategy.
Working in a large organization suggests potential for specialized design teams focusing on different aspects (e.g., brand, product, marketing).

Methodology:

Given the focus on digital products and collaboration, expect methodologies that support iterative design and development, such as Agile or Lean UX.
Emphasis on user-centered design is likely, involving user research insights informing visual design decisions.
The mention of contributing to a visual language suggests a focus on design systems and component-based design approaches.

Company Website: http://www.careem.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Inferring the design team structure and methodology is based on the company's size, industry, and the specific responsibilities listed, which point towards a structured design environment that utilizes modern design practices and cross-functional collaboration. The "Everything App" concept provides context for the breadth of design challenges.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: Based on the 3-5 years of experience requirement, this role is positioned at an Entry to Mid-Level within the Visual Design discipline. The "I" in "Visual Designer I" might suggest a junior designation internally, but the responsibilities align more closely with a professional with a few years of experience capable of independent contribution and collaboration.

Reporting Structure: You will likely report to a more senior designer (Lead Visual Designer, Senior Visual Designer) or a Design Manager. This structure provides mentorship opportunities and guidance for career development within the visual design track.

Design Impact: As a Visual Designer at Careem, your work will directly impact the visual experience of millions of users across a wide range of services within the Everything App. Your contributions to the visual language and interface design will be highly visible and play a significant role in shaping user perception and engagement.

Growth Opportunities:

Advancement within the Visual Design track to a Senior Visual Designer role, taking on more complex projects, leading design initiatives, and potentially mentoring junior designers.
Opportunities to specialize in specific areas of visual design, such as motion design, illustration, iconography, or design systems.
Potential to move into a Product Design role, leveraging your visual design foundation with increased focus on user experience research and interaction design.
Growth into a Design Leadership position, managing teams and contributing to strategic design direction.
Continuous learning and development opportunities through access to internal training, workshops, and potentially external conferences or resources.

📝 Enhancement Note: Analyzing the career level and growth opportunities is based on the stated experience requirements and the typical career progression within design teams in large tech companies. The potential for specialization and leadership is inferred from the scale of the organization and the nature of the role's responsibilities.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: Hybrid work model with a requirement to be in the office 4 days a week (potentially 2 days for tech individual contributors) in Dubai and 1 day remote. The office environment is likely a modern workspace designed to facilitate collaboration among design and product teams.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Careem also lists numerous other office locations across the Middle East and North Africa, indicating a distributed team structure with the potential for collaboration across different regions.

Design Workspace Context:

Expect dedicated design workspaces equipped with necessary hardware and software for visual design work.
Collaboration spaces are likely available to facilitate teamwork, design critiques, and cross-functional meetings.
The hybrid model suggests a blend of in-person interaction for brainstorming and collaboration, and remote work for focused design tasks.

Work Schedule: The work schedule follows a hybrid model with a focus on in-office presence for the majority of the week. The unlimited vacation policy and the option to work remotely from anywhere for 30 days a year provide significant flexibility for managing personal time and experiencing different work environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Information about the work environment is directly derived from the provided details about the hybrid work model and location. Assumptions about the office type and design workspace are based on typical setups for design teams in tech companies of this size.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Initial screening call with a recruiter to discuss your background, experience, and interest in the role. Be prepared to briefly highlight relevant visual design projects from your portfolio.
Portfolio review with members of the design team, where you will walk through selected case studies, explaining your process, decisions, and impact. Focus on projects showcasing UI/UX visual design, motion, and system contributions.
Design challenge or take-home assignment to assess your practical visual design skills, problem-solving abilities, and potentially your approach to working within constraints or with specific brand elements.
Interviews with the hiring manager and potentially other team members (Product Designers, Engineers, Brand) to assess your technical skills, collaboration style, cultural fit, and potential for growth within the team.
Potential final interview with a design leader to discuss your career aspirations and alignment with the broader design vision at Careem.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Curate your portfolio to showcase your strongest visual design work that is most relevant to Careem's product space and the requirements of this role (UI/UX, motion, systems).
For each project, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your role, your process, key decisions, and the outcome or impact of your design. Use compelling visuals and concise text.
Be prepared to discuss your approach to visual design challenges, your collaboration style, and how you incorporate feedback.
Highlight any projects where you contributed to or worked with design systems, visual languages, or brand guidelines.
If you have motion design work, present it in an easily viewable format (e.g., embedded videos or GIFs).

Challenge Preparation:

If given a design challenge, carefully read and understand the prompt. Ask clarifying questions if needed.
Allocate your time effectively between understanding the problem, ideation, execution, and preparing your presentation.
Focus on demonstrating your visual design skills, problem-solving process, and ability to articulate your design rationale.
If the challenge involves working with existing elements, pay attention to consistency and integration.
Prepare a clear and concise presentation of your solution, explaining your design decisions and process.

ATS Keywords: Visual Design, UI Design, UX Design, Motion Design, Digital Products, Product Design, Brand Systems, Illustration, Iconography, Typography, Micro-interactions, Design Systems, Collaboration, Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Prototyping, User Interface, User Experience, Design Process, Design Thinking, Visual Language, Style Guide, Design Guidelines, Visual QA, Problem Solving, Iteration, Storytelling, Craft, Attention to Detail, AI Tools, Automation, Mobile Design, Web Design, Cross-functional Teams, Agile, Lean UX, User-Centered Design, Design Handoff, Case Study, Portfolio, Creative Review.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process and preparation tips are based on standard hiring practices for design roles in tech companies, specifically tailored to a Visual Designer position. Emphasizing portfolio content, case study structure, and preparation for a potential design challenge provides actionable advice for candidates. The ATS keywords are compiled based on the job description's content and common terms used in visual design roles.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

Proficiency in industry-standard UI/UX design tools such as Figma or Sketch is essential for creating interfaces and collaborating with the team.
Experience with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects) is likely required for illustration, photo editing, and motion design tasks.
Familiarity with prototyping tools integrated within Figma/Sketch or standalone tools like InVision or Principle for creating interactive prototypes and demonstrating motion.
Experience working with design systems and component libraries within design tools is highly valuable for maintaining consistency and efficiency.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Tools for design handoff to engineers, such as Zeplin or the handoff features within Figma/Sketch, will be used to provide specifications and assets.
Collaboration platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams for communication and project updates with cross-functional teams.
Project management tools such as Jira or Asana may be used to track design tasks and integrate with development workflows.
Documentation tools, potentially within the design system platform or separate, for creating and maintaining style guides and visual design guidelines.

Research & Testing:

While primarily a visual design role, some exposure to tools used in user research and testing (e.g., for accessing insights or reviewing test results) might be relevant in a collaborative environment.
Analytics platforms might be referenced to understand the impact of visual design changes on user behavior.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools and technology stack are inferred based on the requirements of a Visual Designer role in a modern tech company focusing on digital products. Proficiency in core UI/UX and graphic design tools is assumed, with additional tools for collaboration, handoff, and system management commonly used in such environments.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

A strong emphasis on creating visually compelling and expressive design that uplifts the everyday experience for users across the region. This suggests a value placed on craft, aesthetics, and the emotional impact of design.
Balancing design precision with speed and iterative problem-solving indicates a culture that values both quality and agility in the design process.
Passion for craft, storytelling, and finding delight in the details highlights a focus on the nuances of visual design and the ability to communicate effectively through visuals.
Curiosity and willingness to explore new tools and workflows, including AI, suggests a culture of innovation and continuous learning within the design team.
Collaboration and working closely with product, engineering, and brand teams are likely core values, emphasizing teamwork and shared ownership of the product's success.

Collaboration Style:

Expect a collaborative environment with close interaction between visual designers, product designers, and engineers.
Regular design critiques and feedback sessions are likely part of the workflow to ensure high-quality output and continuous improvement.
Emphasis on clear communication and effective handoff processes to ensure seamless implementation of designs by engineering teams.
Working closely with the brand team to ensure visual consistency and alignment across all touchpoints.

📝 Enhancement Note: The design values and collaboration style are inferred directly from the language used in the job description, such as "uplift the everyday experience," "balance design precision with speed," "passion for craft," and "collaborate with product designers, engineers, and brand teams." These phrases provide insights into the desired mindset and working relationships within the team.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Designing for a diverse user base across multiple countries and cultures in the Middle East region, requiring sensitivity to regional nuances and preferences in visual communication.
Maintaining visual consistency and evolving the visual language across a large and growing "Everything App" ecosystem with multiple services and features.
Balancing the need for high-quality, expressive design with the demands of a fast-paced, iterative product development environment.
Integrating new technologies and workflows, such as AI-assisted design, into the existing design process effectively.
Collaborating effectively with distributed teams and stakeholders across different locations and time zones.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Gain experience designing for a large-scale, high-impact product used by millions of users.
Deepen your expertise in visual language systems and contributing to a comprehensive design system.
Develop your skills in motion design and micro-interactions to create more engaging user experiences.
Explore and implement new design tools and technologies, including AI-driven workflows.
Opportunity to collaborate with and learn from experienced designers, engineers, and product managers.
Potential for cross-cultural design experience by working on features for different regions.

📝 Enhancement Note: Identifying design challenges involves considering the company's scale, product type ("Everything App"), and regional focus. Growth opportunities are linked to overcoming these challenges and the potential for specialization and increased responsibility within the team.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

Be prepared to walk through your design process for a specific project from your portfolio, focusing on how you approached the visual design challenge, your decision-making process, and your collaboration with other team members.
Discuss how you balance aesthetic goals with usability and technical constraints in your visual design work.
Explain your approach to contributing to or working within a design system.
Describe a time you received constructive feedback on your design and how you incorporated it.

Company Culture Questions:

Research Careem's values and mission. Be prepared to discuss why you are interested in working for Careem and how your values align with theirs.
Ask questions about the design team structure, collaboration style, and how visual design contributes to the overall product strategy.
Inquire about the team's approach to design critiques and feedback.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Select 2-3 key projects that best showcase your skills in UI/UX visual design, motion, and system contributions.
For each project, structure your presentation as a compelling case study: Problem, Role, Process, Solution, and Impact.
Use clear visuals and concise language to explain your design decisions and rationale.
If applicable, showcase motion design through embedded videos or animated GIFs.
Be prepared to answer questions about your process, tools, and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation advice is tailored to a visual design role, emphasizing portfolio presentation, process discussion, and cultural fit. The suggested questions cover key areas that hiring managers typically assess in design interviews.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application through this link.
Tailor your resume to highlight your visual design experience, skills, and any contributions to design systems or motion design. Use relevant ATS keywords found in the job description.
Prepare a strong online portfolio showcasing your best UI/UX visual design work, including case studies that explain your process and impact. Ensure your portfolio is easily accessible and well-organized.
Be ready to discuss your portfolio projects in detail during interviews, focusing on your design decisions, collaboration, and problem-solving approach.
Research Careem's products, brand, and design work to understand their aesthetic and approach. This will help you tailor your application and responses.

⚠️ 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.

Visual Designer I