Senior Brand & Visual Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Brand & Visual Designer

Company: XDS Bicycles

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Brand & Visual Design / Marketing Operations

Date Posted: April 24, 2026

Experience Level: 6-10 Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the creative direction and execution of all brand and visual design initiatives for XDS Bicycles' U.S. market launch, ensuring a cohesive and premium brand experience across all touchpoints.

• Develop and implement robust visual systems and templates to maintain brand consistency across diverse marketing assets, product graphics, packaging, and dealer environments.

• Collaborate closely with global creative and U.S. marketing teams to design compelling launch materials for new bicycle models, integrated marketing campaigns, and dealer activation programs.

• Drive the visual identity of XDS and X-LAB by translating brand ethos into impactful designs for advertising, digital content, product aesthetics, and physical retail spaces.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title is "Senior Brand & Visual Designer," the responsibilities and context strongly suggest a role that interfaces heavily with marketing operations, GTM strategy execution, and brand asset management. The emphasis on developing visual systems, templates, and managing assets across various channels aligns with operationalizing creative output for maximum market impact.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the creative strategy and execution for a wide range of marketing assets, including digital advertisements, social media content, campaign visuals, web design elements, catalogs, posters, app merchandising, and trade show graphics.

• Design and maintain visual systems and templates that ensure brand consistency and scalability across global and U.S. markets.

• Partner with the marketing department to conceptualize and design launch materials for new bicycle models, marketing campaigns, and dealer activation strategies.

• Ensure a uniform and premium brand language is applied across all customer touchpoints, from initial digital engagement to point-of-sale interactions.

• Design visually appealing and on-brand paint schemes, decals, and component graphics for bicycles, aligning with the brand's identity and performance-oriented ethos.

• Oversee the design of packaging for bicycles, accessories, manuals, and hangtags, prioritizing functionality, sustainability, and strong visual appeal.

• Collaborate with product development and manufacturing teams to ensure accuracy in material finishes, coatings, and color matching for product aesthetics.

• Create engaging in-store and dealer marketing materials, including point-of-purchase displays, signage, banners, posters, and merchandising kits.

• Develop impactful trade show booth visuals and experiential graphics for U.S. events and expos to enhance brand presence and engagement.

• Support the implementation and rollout of the U.S. dealer visual identity program, ensuring consistent brand representation at retail locations.

• Work cross-functionally with product, marketing, and supply chain teams located in both the U.S. and China, managing communication and project flow across different time zones.

• Manage relationships and projects with external design vendors, photographers, and printers as needed to achieve project objectives.

• Maintain strict adherence to visual standards and implement robust version control for all digital and print assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for strong project management and vendor management skills, crucial for operations roles. The emphasis on "visual systems and templates" and "maintaining version control" points to an operational approach to design, ensuring efficiency and consistency across a global brand's expansion.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Fine Arts, or a related field is typically expected for a Senior-level designer.

Experience: 6-10 years of professional experience in brand and visual design, with a strong preference for candidates with experience in consumer goods, outdoor recreation, sporting goods, or mobility brands.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in leading creative direction and executing visual design for marketing campaigns, product visuals, and physical retail environments.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, specifically Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects, for creating and manipulating design assets.

• Strong understanding of print production processes, packaging design principles, and color management to ensure high-quality output across physical mediums.

• Demonstrated ability to design across both digital and physical mediums, from social media graphics to large-scale booth displays and intricate product graphics.

• A refined aesthetic sensibility that effectively balances performance-oriented design with minimalism and visual clarity.

• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, often under tight deadlines and across different time zones.

Preferred Skills:

• Familiarity with 3D modeling and rendering tools such as Keyshot, Blender, or similar software for product visualization.

• Experience with Figma for UI/UX design and prototyping.

• Proficiency in After Effects for motion graphics and Premiere for video editing.

• A keen interest in pop culture and a solid understanding of bicycle design history to inform creative decisions.

• Experience working with a global brand or managing international design projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "ideal fit" skills like Keyshot, Blender, Figma, After Effects, and Premiere suggest a need for a designer who can not only create static visuals but also contribute to more dynamic content and potentially early-stage product visualization or UI/UX for digital platforms, indicating a broader operational scope beyond traditional graphic design.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing a minimum of 6-10 years of impactful brand and visual design work, with a strong emphasis on projects within consumer, outdoor, sporting goods, or mobility sectors.

• Demonstrations of end-to-end creative project management, from concept development to final asset delivery across various channels (digital, print, product, retail).

• Case studies or examples of developing and implementing consistent visual systems and brand guidelines to ensure brand integrity across diverse touchpoints.

• Evidence of designing for both digital platforms (web, social, app) and physical applications (print collateral, packaging, retail displays, trade show booths).

• Visual examples of successful collaboration with marketing, product, and manufacturing teams, highlighting contributions to product aesthetics, packaging, and promotional materials.

Process Documentation:

• Examples of workflow design for managing creative projects from briefing to final execution, including any templating or systemization approaches used.

• Documentation or case studies illustrating how visual consistency and brand standards were maintained across multiple campaigns, product lines, or retail implementations.

• Demonstrations of how design processes were adapted to accommodate cross-functional collaboration, especially with international teams or external vendors.

• Evidence of utilizing design tools for efficiency, such as creating reusable templates, style guides, or automated asset generation where applicable.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a design role with operational implications, a portfolio that demonstrates not just aesthetic skill but also process efficiency, system thinking, and project management capabilities is crucial. The emphasis on "visual systems and templates" and cross-functional collaboration implies a need to showcase how the designer operationalizes their creative output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $90,000 - $150,000 per year.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.

• Generous time off policy, providing flexibility for work-life balance.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and potentially dependents.

• Access to a modern office space located in Santa Monica, California, fostering a collaborative and inspiring work environment.

Working Hours: The role is on-site 5 days a week in Santa Monica, CA. While specific hours aren't detailed, a standard full-time work week of approximately 40 hours is assumed, with potential for flexibility depending on project demands and team collaboration needs, particularly with international teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is a standard benchmark for a Senior Brand & Visual Designer in a high-cost-of-living area like Los Angeles, especially for a role with significant responsibility in launching a new brand presence. The benefits listed are typical for full-time roles in the tech/consumer goods industry.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Manufacturing (Bicycles), Consumer Goods, Sporting Goods, Mobility. XDS Bicycles is one of the world's largest vertically integrated bicycle manufacturers, specializing in carbon-fiber frames. They are launching their X-LAB line-up of high-performance bicycles in the U.S., leveraging their extensive manufacturing scale, carbon expertise, and proprietary materials science.

Company Size: XDS manufactures over 8 million complete bikes and 300,000 carbon frames annually, indicating a very large, established global manufacturing operation. The U.S. presence, however, is likely in its nascent stages, suggesting a startup-like dynamic within a larger corporate structure for this specific role.

Founded: 1995. The company has a long history of manufacturing expertise and innovation, holding over 300 international patents.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Brand & Visual Designer will be a foundational member of the U.S. creative team, likely reporting to a Marketing Director or Head of Creative for the U.S. market.

• This role requires close collaboration with U.S. marketing, product, and supply chain teams, as well as with a global creative team based in China.

Methodology:

• The company emphasizes proprietary materials science, advanced manufacturing automation, and a data-driven approach to product development and market entry.

• Design processes are expected to be rigorous, ensuring consistency across global and U.S. markets, with a focus on translating technical expertise (carbon lay-ups, alloy compositions) into compelling brand narratives and visuals.

• A strong emphasis is placed on speed-to-market, supply-chain resilience, and cost leadership, which influences design execution and asset management strategies.

Company Website: https://xds.co/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's scale as a manufacturer is immense, but the U.S. market entry suggests a need for agility and a "build-it-as-you-grow" mentality within the U.S. operations. The designer will need to navigate both the established global processes and the emerging U.S. market needs.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level individual contributor role. It signifies a significant level of expertise and autonomy in brand and visual design. For operations professionals, this translates to a role where strategic creative application is key, and the ability to operationalize design processes is highly valued. The role is crucial for establishing the visual foundation of a new brand in a major market.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to U.S. leadership, likely within marketing or a dedicated creative function, with strong dotted-line reporting or collaborative ties to the global creative team. This dual reporting structure requires adept communication and stakeholder management.

Operations Impact: The Senior Brand & Visual Designer has a direct impact on how the XDS and X-LAB brands are perceived in the U.S. market. Their work will influence customer acquisition, brand loyalty, and market penetration by ensuring a consistent, premium, and compelling brand experience across all touchpoints, directly supporting Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Develop deep expertise in bicycle design aesthetics, performance branding, and the unique challenges of launching a premium brand in the U.S. cycling market.

• Leadership: Potential to grow into a Creative Director or Head of Design role for the U.S. market as the brand expands, leading a team and shaping broader creative strategy.

• Cross-functional Development: Gain exposure to marketing operations, product development, and supply chain management through close collaboration, enhancing understanding of the broader business operations.

• Global Exposure: Work with international teams, potentially leading to opportunities for global project involvement or relocation in the future.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an operations-minded candidate, this role offers a chance to build and scale the visual operations of a brand launch. The growth potential lies not just in design leadership but also in developing operational expertise related to global brand deployment.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is explicitly stated as "In-Person 5 Days/week" at an office in Santa Monica, California. This suggests a traditional office environment designed for collaboration.

Office Location(s): Santa Monica, California, a vibrant coastal city known for its tech and creative industries, offering a desirable work environment. Proximity to Los Angeles implies access to a rich talent pool and industry networks.

Workspace Context:

• The office is described as "beautiful Santa Monica, California," suggesting a modern, well-equipped workspace conducive to creative work and collaboration.

• As a key designer for a brand launch, access to necessary design tools, software, and potentially high-quality display equipment is expected.

• The environment likely fosters close collaboration with U.S. marketing and product teams, as well as interaction with global counterparts, necessitating effective remote collaboration tools and practices.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time and on-site 5 days a week. While standard business hours are implied, the need to collaborate with teams in different time zones (China) may require some flexibility in scheduling to attend meetings or review work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a 5-day on-site presence indicates a preference for in-person collaboration, crucial for a role involving hands-on design and team synergy during a critical brand launch phase.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of the resume and portfolio to assess relevant experience, aesthetic sensibility, and alignment with brand requirements.

• Creative/Portfolio Review: A deep dive into the candidate's portfolio, discussing specific projects, design choices, problem-solving approaches, and the impact of their work. This stage will likely involve presenting case studies.

• Skills Assessment: Potential for a design exercise or challenge to evaluate proficiency in key software (Adobe Creative Suite) and problem-solving capabilities under timed conditions.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with marketing, product, and potentially global team members to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: Discussion with senior leadership to cover strategic thinking, vision for the brand's visual identity in the U.S., and overall fit within the company's growth objectives.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 5-7 of your strongest projects that best represent your experience in brand identity, marketing collateral, product graphics, and packaging design, particularly within relevant industries (consumer, sporting goods).

• Showcase Process: For each project, explain your role, the problem you were solving, your design process (sketches, iterations, rationale), the tools used, and the final outcome/impact.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, include metrics or qualitative feedback that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., campaign engagement, brand perception improvements, successful product launches).

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Include examples of how you've developed or applied visual systems, templates, or brand guidelines to ensure consistency and efficiency.

• Address Cross-functional Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss how you've worked with diverse teams (marketing, product, engineering) and managed external vendors.

• Tailor to XDS: Research XDS Bicycles and the X-LAB brand. Understand their current aesthetic (if any) and articulate how your design philosophy aligns with or can elevate their brand in the U.S. market.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared for design challenges that may involve creating a campaign concept, adapting existing assets, or solving a visual communication problem for a new product launch.

• Practice articulating your design decisions clearly and concisely, focusing on the strategic rationale behind your creative choices.

• Understand how to manage time effectively during a design exercise and how to present your work professionally, even if it's an incomplete concept.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes not just creative talent but also the ability to manage projects, collaborate effectively, and demonstrate tangible impact, which are core operational competencies. A portfolio that highlights process and results will be key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Essential proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for graphic design, illustration, and layout.

• After Effects: Required for motion graphics and animation, crucial for digital marketing assets and potentially product feature visualization.

• Keyshot / Blender (Preferred): For 3D rendering and visualization, useful for product mockups, marketing imagery, and potentially early design iterations.

• Figma (Preferred): For UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaborative design workflows, increasingly used across marketing and product teams.

• Premiere (Preferred): For video editing and production of marketing content.

Analytics & Reporting: While not directly a designer's tool, understanding how to interpret analytics for digital asset performance (e.g., engagement rates on social media graphics, conversion rates on ad banners) will be beneficial. Designers may use tools that integrate with analytics platforms to optimize creative.

CRM & Automation: Familiarity with how design assets are utilized within CRM and marketing automation platforms (e.g., email templates, landing page banners) would be advantageous, though direct management is unlikely.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on specific software like Adobe Creative Suite, After Effects, and preferred tools like Keyshot, Blender, and Figma indicates a need for a technically proficient designer who can contribute to a multi-faceted visual output, supporting operational efficiency in content creation.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Excellence & Precision: A commitment to high-quality design and meticulous execution, reflecting the precision engineering and materials science of XDS bicycles.

• Innovation & Performance: Driving creative solutions that highlight the performance and technological advancements of XDS and X-LAB products.

• Collaboration & Integration: Working seamlessly with global and U.S. teams to ensure brand cohesion and efficient asset deployment.

• Efficiency & Scalability: Developing design systems and processes that can be scaled effectively across various markets and product lines.

• Passion for Mobility & Design: A genuine enthusiasm for cycling, mobility solutions, and design that inspires and connects with consumers.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Partnership: The role requires a highly collaborative approach, working closely with marketing, product development, and supply chain teams to translate business objectives into effective visual communication.

• Global Coordination: Effective communication and collaboration across different time zones and cultural contexts will be essential when working with the global creative team.

• Vendor Management: A professional and efficient style when managing external design vendors, photographers, and printers, ensuring clear briefs, timely feedback, and quality delivery.

• Feedback-Oriented: Openness to feedback from stakeholders and a willingness to iterate on designs to achieve the best possible outcome, while also defending design integrity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture and values emphasize a blend of creative excellence and operational rigor, crucial for a brand launch where consistency and efficiency are paramount.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a New Brand Identity: Being one of the first to define and implement the visual identity of XDS and X-LAB in the competitive U.S. market.

• Balancing Global Consistency with Local Relevance: Adapting global brand guidelines to resonate with the U.S. audience while maintaining brand integrity.

• Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Effectively communicating and collaborating with teams in China, navigating potential differences in workflow, communication styles, and design interpretations.

• Rapid Pace of Launch: Working within the dynamic environment of a brand launch, which often involves tight deadlines and evolving priorities.

• Technical Integration: Ensuring visual assets are optimized and compatible with various digital platforms and retail environments.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Bicycle Design: Gaining specialized knowledge in the aesthetics and engineering of high-performance bicycles.

• Brand Launch Strategy: Understanding the operational complexities and strategic considerations involved in launching a major consumer brand in a new market.

• Global Design Operations: Developing skills in managing design processes and assets across international teams and supply chains.

• Advanced Design Software: Opportunity to master or become proficient in preferred tools like Keyshot, Blender, Figma, and advanced After Effects/Premiere techniques.

• Mentorship: Potential to be mentored by global creative leaders or senior marketing professionals within XDS.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are typical for a senior role in a market entry scenario, offering significant opportunities for operational learning and strategic development in brand management and global GTM execution.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach establishing a distinct visual identity for XDS and X-LAB in the U.S. market, considering their global presence and manufacturing capabilities?" (Focus on process, research, and strategic alignment.)

• "Describe your process for developing and maintaining brand consistency across diverse marketing channels, from digital ads to retail signage." (Highlight templating, guideline creation, and asset management.)

• "Walk us through a time you had to collaborate with international teams or manage external vendors to deliver a critical design project. What were the challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on communication, project management, and problem-solving.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about XDS Bicycles and the opportunity to launch X-LAB in the U.S. market?" (Show genuine interest and understanding of their business.)

• "How do you envision your role contributing to the success of XDS's expansion in the U.S. beyond just design execution?" (Connect design to broader business objectives and operational support.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, perhaps by project type or by demonstrating your process from concept to execution.

• Storytelling: For each project, tell a clear story: the challenge, your solution, your role, the tools, and the impact. Quantify results where possible.

• Highlight Operations: Emphasize any aspects of your work that demonstrate efficiency, system thinking, scalability, or effective project/vendor management.

• Visual Clarity: Ensure your presentation slides are clean, visually appealing, and easy to follow, reflecting your design skills.

• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, your process, and how you handle feedback or challenges.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview questions will likely probe beyond pure design skill to assess strategic thinking, operational capabilities, and the ability to integrate into a global team during a significant market expansion.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Brand & Visual Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Ashby.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects most relevant to XDS's industry (bicycles, sporting goods, consumer products) and the responsibilities outlined, emphasizing brand systems, marketing collateral, and product/packaging design.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 6-10 years of experience, proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and other relevant tools, and any experience with international collaboration or brand launches. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to discuss your design philosophy, your approach to brand building, and specific examples of how you've managed creative projects from concept to completion, including any operational efficiencies you implemented.

• Research XDS: Thoroughly research XDS Bicycles, their manufacturing capabilities (as highlighted in the description), and their target market in the U.S. Understand their commitment to innovation and performance.

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

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