Brand Visual Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Brand Visual Designer
Company: TEKsystems
Location: Menlo Park, California, United States
Job Type: CONTRACTOR
Category: Creative & Media / Art & Design / Technology
Date Posted: 2025-10-14
Experience Level: Senior (8+ years)
Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the visual direction of in-product experiences for web and mobile applications, focusing on elevating creative output and brand expression.
• Define holistic visual systems, including illustration, animation, and interactive moments, to build connections between products and users.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, marketing, engineering, and research teams to uphold and advance craft standards.
• Propose and execute creative concepts as an individual contributor, delivering designs that are strategically impactful and resonate with product goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Visual Designer, indicated by the 8+ years of experience requirement and the expectation to lead creative development and provide direction. The focus on "in-product experiences" suggests a strong emphasis on UI/UX design within a product development lifecycle, rather than purely marketing or brand collateral.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the creative development of visual elements and comprehensive visual systems, collaborating closely with product designers, art directors, communication designers, illustrators, animators, and external partners.
• Direct and execute the design of creative assets across various styles and mediums, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and brand integrity.
• Produce sketches, storyboards, prototypes, and detailed design specifications to effectively guide the development of art and product features.
• Deliver final products that are not only delightful and strategically impactful but also exhibit an exceptionally high level of design craft and polish.
• Foster strong cross-functional collaboration, skillfully balancing stakeholder needs and translating complex requirements into clear, compelling design solutions.
• Clearly articulate design concepts and strategic vision to a diverse group of cross-functional teams and vendors, driving towards shared milestones and project success.
• Cultivate and sustain a culture of excellence within the team, with a sharp focus on elevating craft and ensuring superior quality in all design outputs.
• Partner with product research and engineering teams to identify opportunities for product enhancements that amplify brand expression and elevate the overall quality of work.
• Lead the development of culturally sensitive and appropriate creative assets tailored for multiple global markets, ensuring relevance and utility.
• Align on key priorities with cross-functional teams to establish shared goals, define critical milestones, and set measurable objectives for design initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic leadership and hands-on execution, common for senior design roles. The inclusion of "global markets" and "culturally sensitive" creative points to a need for nuanced understanding of diverse user bases.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio and proven experience in visual and interaction design are paramount. A degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field would be beneficial.
Experience: 8+ years of hands-on experience in interaction design and visual design, demonstrating proficiency in designing across multiple platforms (web, mobile, etc.).

Required Skills:

• 8+ years of experience in interaction design and visual design, with proven proficiency across various platforms.
• 8+ years of experience collaborating cross-functionally with teams such as product, design, engineering, marketing, and user research.
• Demonstrated experience building and shipping applications or software across a variety of platforms.
• Proven ability to lead design direction across multidisciplinary teams, identifying visual design opportunities and enhancing the overall product experience.
• Skill in representing work to broad cross-functional stakeholders, clearly and succinctly articulating goals and concepts.
• Ability to flex thinking from strategy to creative execution, encompassing user experience and tactical details.
• Deep understanding of how and when to operate at a high-level strategic view versus zooming in on granular details.
• Excellent presentation, interpersonal, and communication skills, with the capability to articulate complex or abstract concepts persuasively.
• Ability to receive and incorporate design feedback effectively and efficiently.
• Experience fostering an inspiring and inclusive team culture, empowering all members to contribute.
• Knowledge of design principles related to design systems, brand identity, marketing, and publishing.
• Understanding of UX design principles, digital product design, information hierarchy, user-flow, and typography.
• Experience coordinating, directing, and providing creative direction to contractors, agencies, and in-house designers.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with animation and illustration integrated into product experiences.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies.
• Experience in designing for complex B2B or enterprise-level software products.
• Proficiency in creating and maintaining design system documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The extensive experience requirement (8+ years) and the emphasis on leading direction and cross-functional collaboration indicate this is a senior-level role requiring significant autonomy and strategic input. The "Must-Have Skills" list is comprehensive and covers both hard design skills and soft skills critical for senior roles.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• An online portfolio is mandatory, showcasing a strong collection of relevant, high-quality finished design work.
• Include in-process examples or case studies that demonstrate your design thinking, problem-solving approach, and how you evolved concepts from initial brief to final execution.
• For each portfolio piece, briefly outline the project objectives, your design process, the challenges encountered, and the measurable impact or outcomes achieved.
• Demonstrate an understanding of brand guideline adherence and how you applied them to ensure consistency and brand integrity across projects.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how you have documented design processes, from initial concept development through to final implementation and iteration.
• Evidence of creating and utilizing design specifications, style guides, or system documentation to ensure consistency and facilitate handover to development teams.
• Examples of how you have contributed to or led the definition of visual systems that scale across different product features and platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of "Portfolio Essentials" highlights the critical importance of a well-curated portfolio that demonstrates not just aesthetic skill but also strategic thinking, problem-solving, and measurable impact. This is a standard expectation for senior design roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $65.00 - $110.00 per hour.
Benefits:

• Medical, Dental & Vision insurance.
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital coverage.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with pre-tax and Roth post-tax contribution options.
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for employee and dependents).
• Short and long-term disability coverage.
• Health Spending Account (HSA).
• Transportation benefits.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave), eligibility may vary.

Working Hours: This is a full-time contractor role, typically expecting a 40-hour work week. Flexibility may be available, but consistent availability during core business hours for collaboration is expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is for an hourly contractor position. Benefits are listed as potentially available for temporary roles, with specific eligibility criteria applying. This range is competitive for senior-level contract design roles in the San Francisco Bay Area, considering the cost of living.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology Services & Staffing (TEKsystems is a leading provider of business and technology services). The client is a tech company focusing on product development.
Company Size: TEKsystems is a large global organization (80,000+ employees worldwide). The client company size is not specified but operates with dedicated product creative teams.
Founded: TEKsystems was founded in 1983. The client's founding date is not specified.

Team Structure:

• The Brand Design team is part of a larger Product Creative team, which includes art directors, communication designers, illustrators, and animators.
• This role involves significant collaboration with cross-functional teams including product management, engineering, marketing, and user research.
• The designer will work within a product development framework, likely with project managers or design leads overseeing broader initiatives.

Methodology:

• Emphasis on a holistic visual systems approach, connecting products with users through integrated visual design, illustration, animation, and interactive moments.
• Strong focus on brand guideline adherence to ensure consistency and brand integrity at scale.
• Collaborative design process involving ideation, prototyping, and iterative refinement based on feedback.
• Data-driven insights from research and product analytics are likely used to inform design decisions.

Company Website: https://careers.teksystems.com/us/en

📝 Enhancement Note: TEKsystems acts as a staffing agency providing talent to client companies. The culture described is that of the client company where the designer will be embedded. The emphasis on "partners in transformation" and "accelerate business transformation" from TEKsystems' description suggests a client base focused on innovation and change.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Visual Designer / Art Director (Contractor). This role is for an experienced individual contributor with leadership potential in visual strategy and execution.
Reporting Structure: The designer will likely report to a Design Manager, Art Director, or Lead Designer within the Brand Design team. They will collaborate closely with Product Managers and Engineering Leads.
Operations Impact: The Visual Designer's work directly influences the user experience and brand perception of the client's web and mobile applications. Their contributions are critical for creating engaging, intuitive, and visually compelling product interfaces that drive user adoption and satisfaction.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas like motion graphics, illustration for digital products, or advanced design system development.
• Leadership: Potential to lead design initiatives, mentor junior designers, and influence visual strategy for new product features or platforms.
• Industry Exposure: Gain experience working with a leading tech company on innovative product designs, expanding professional network and portfolio with high-impact projects.
• Skill Development: Continuous learning in emerging design trends, tools, and methodologies relevant to digital product design.

📝 Enhancement Note: As a contractor role, direct career progression within the client company might be limited, but the experience gained is highly valuable for future roles. The emphasis on "leading creative development" and "driving visual direction" suggests significant autonomy and influence for a senior individual contributor.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote.
Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the primary job posting location is Menlo Park, California, likely indicating the client company's headquarters or a significant operational hub. Remote work is permitted within the United States.

Workspace Context:

• A collaborative virtual environment where communication and feedback are facilitated through digital tools.
• Access to the client's design tools and technology stack is expected, though specific hardware might be BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or provided by TEKsystems.
• Opportunities for interaction with a diverse, global team of designers, product managers, and engineers.

Work Schedule: Standard professional work hours are expected, generally around 40 hours per week. Flexibility may exist, but candidates must be available for meetings and collaborative sessions during core business hours relevant to the client's primary operational time zones (likely Pacific Time, given the Menlo Park location).

📝 Enhancement Note: The fully remote nature of the role offers flexibility but requires strong self-discipline and proactive communication to maintain team cohesion and project momentum.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter from TEKsystems will likely conduct an initial screening to assess basic qualifications and fit.
• Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: A more in-depth interview, often with the hiring manager and/or senior designers from the client company. This will focus on your portfolio, design process, problem-solving abilities, and technical skills. Expect to walk through specific projects and discuss your contributions and rationale.
• Cross-functional Interview: An interview with stakeholders from product, engineering, or marketing to assess collaboration skills, communication, and ability to align with broader business objectives.
• Final Interview/Offer: May involve a final discussion with leadership or a confirmation of terms.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase your ability to drive visual direction in product experiences. Prioritize work that demonstrates your impact on web and mobile applications.
• Detail Your Process: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your design process (ideation, sketching, prototyping, iteration), the challenges, your solutions, and—crucially—the measurable outcomes or impact.
• Highlight Brand Application: Explicitly show how you applied or evolved brand guidelines, demonstrating consistency and brand integrity.
• Showcase Visual Systems: If possible, include examples of how you've contributed to or created cohesive visual systems that scale.
• Prepare for Questions: Be ready to discuss your design decisions, defend your choices, explain your collaboration style, and articulate how you handle feedback.

Challenge Preparation:

• While not explicitly mentioned, be prepared for potential design exercises or case studies that might test your conceptual thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to articulate a design vision under time constraints.
• Practice presenting your portfolio concisely and effectively, focusing on storytelling and demonstrating your strategic thinking.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio is the most critical component for this role. Candidates should prepare to "show, don't just tell" their design capabilities and impact. The emphasis on "design thinking," "problem-solving approach," and "measurable impact" means simply showing pretty pictures is insufficient.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design Software: Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects), Figma, Sketch, InVision, or similar industry-standard design and prototyping tools.
• Prototyping Tools: Figma, InVision, Adobe XD, or similar for creating interactive prototypes.
• Collaboration Tools: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom for communication and virtual meetings.
• Project Management: Tools like Jira, Asana, Trello may be used by cross-functional teams.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Familiarity with how design impacts user analytics (e.g., conversion rates, engagement metrics) is beneficial, though direct analytics tool proficiency might not be required for this specific role.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to this design role, but understanding how design integrates with product features that may utilize CRM data is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping tools like Figma, Sketch, and the Adobe Creative Suite is essential. The ability to collaborate effectively through digital platforms is also key for a remote role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A strong emphasis on high-quality design execution, attention to detail, and a passion for elevated visual standards.
• Collaboration & Partnership: Valuing strong working relationships with cross-functional peers, fostering open communication and mutual respect.
• Strategic Impact: Designing with a clear understanding of product goals and business objectives, aiming for solutions that deliver measurable value.
• Innovation & Exploration: Encouraging creative exploration, proposing new concepts, and pushing the boundaries of visual expression in product experiences.
• User-Centricity: A deep commitment to understanding and serving the end-user, ensuring designs are intuitive, delightful, and effective.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive & Communicative: Actively engaging with team members, sharing progress, seeking input, and providing constructive feedback.
• Iterative & Open to Feedback: Embracing a design process that involves continuous refinement based on input from stakeholders and user testing.
• Holistic & Integrated: Working to ensure visual design is seamlessly integrated with UX, functionality, and overall product strategy.
• Team-Oriented: Contributing positively to team dynamics, fostering an inclusive environment, and supporting collective goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture described aligns with high-performing creative teams within leading tech companies, emphasizing both individual excellence and collective success. The values highlight a blend of artistic passion and business acumen.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand Consistency with Product Innovation: Ensuring that new visual elements and experiences align with established brand guidelines while also feeling fresh and innovative for the product.
• Navigating Complex Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing expectations and incorporating feedback from diverse stakeholders across product, engineering, and marketing.
• Adapting to Rapid Iteration Cycles: Working within an agile development environment that requires quick turnarounds and the ability to iterate on designs rapidly.
• Maintaining High Craft Standards Remotely: Ensuring consistent quality and attention to detail in a fully remote setting, requiring strong self-management and communication.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunities to explore and implement cutting-edge visual design, animation, and interactive design techniques.
• Cross-Functional Acumen: Gaining deeper insights into product strategy, engineering constraints, and marketing objectives through close collaboration.
• Global Design Exposure: Understanding and catering to design preferences and cultural nuances across different international markets.
• Portfolio Enhancement: Building a robust portfolio with high-visibility projects from a major tech client, which can significantly boost future career prospects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are typical for senior design roles in fast-paced tech environments. The growth opportunities are primarily derived from the experience of working on significant product initiatives with a reputable client.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance strong brand guidelines with the need for innovative product design. How did you approach it?" (Focus on your process for creative problem-solving and brand stewardship).
• "Walk me through a project in your portfolio where you faced significant stakeholder disagreement. How did you navigate that and achieve a resolution?" (Highlight communication, negotiation, and persuasive skills).
• "How do you approach creating visual systems that scale across different platforms and features?" (Demonstrate your understanding of design systems, modularity, and consistency).
• "Tell me about a time your design significantly impacted a product's success. What metrics did you track, and what was the outcome?" (Emphasize your ability to connect design to business impact and data).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about our client's brand and products? How do you see visual design playing a role in their user experience?" (Research the client company and their product offerings beforehand).
• "How do you foster an inclusive and collaborative design environment, especially in a remote setting?" (Discuss your approach to team dynamics and communication).
• "Describe your ideal working relationship with product managers and engineers." (Show your understanding of cross-functional collaboration).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame each project as a narrative – the challenge, your journey, and the impactful resolution.
• Focus on "Why": Be ready to explain the rationale behind every design decision, linking it back to user needs, product goals, or brand strategy.
• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs. If direct metrics aren't available, articulate the intended impact and how you would measure it.
• Highlight Your Role: Clearly define your specific contributions, especially in team projects, to showcase your individual capabilities.
• Concise and Engaging: Keep your presentation focused and engaging, allowing ample time for Q&A.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should heavily focus on the portfolio and the ability to articulate design thinking, process, and impact. Be prepared to discuss both creative vision and practical execution within a product development context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Brand Visual Designer position:

• Submit your application through the TEKsystems careers portal.
• Portfolio Preparation: Ensure your online portfolio is up-to-date, easily accessible, and clearly showcases your best work relevant to product visual design, interaction design, and brand application.
• Resume Tailoring: Customize your resume to highlight the 8+ years of experience, specific design skills (visual, interaction, systems), cross-functional collaboration achievements, and experience shipping products. Use keywords from the job description.
• Interview Practice: Rehearse your answers to common design interview questions, focusing on your portfolio projects and your ability to articulate your design process and impact. Practice presenting your portfolio concisely.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research the client company (if identifiable) and their products to understand their brand, target audience, and design aesthetic. This will help you tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest.

⚠️ 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 (TEKsystems) before making application decisions. The role is a contract position, and benefits eligibility may vary.