Senior Graphic Designer

Catface
Full_timeAustin, United States

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Graphic Designer Company: Catface Location: Austin, Texas Job Type: OTHER Category: Marketing & Creative Operations Date Posted: 2025-07-23 Experience Level: 5-10 Years Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

  • Leads a design team to produce high-quality visual content for merchandise, packaging, and digital platforms, ensuring brand consistency across all touchpoints.
  • Manages multiple design projects from concept to completion, prioritizing tasks and ensuring on-time delivery in a fast-paced environment.
  • Develops creative concepts and design strategies that align with marketing goals and brand identity for a prominent YouTube creator and merchandise company.
  • Creates advanced graphic assets, illustrations, and layouts for print, digital, e-commerce, and social media, maintaining brand aesthetic and quality standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is titled "Senior Graphic Designer," the responsibilities like "Design Leadership," "Project Management," and "Concept Development" indicate a strong operational component, bridging creative execution with team and project oversight. This suggests a need for individuals who can not only design but also manage creative workflows and mentor junior team members, aligning with the broader operational needs of a growing entertainment and merchandise company. The emphasis on brand consistency and managing multiple projects points to a Revenue/Marketing Operations adjacent function where creative output directly impacts revenue streams.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

  • Design Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of graphic designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance creative environment. Establish and maintain rigorous design standards and quality benchmarks for all creative deliverables.
  • Project & Workflow Management: Oversee the end-to-end design process for multiple concurrent projects, ensuring efficient resource allocation, workflow optimization, and timely delivery against project deadlines and stakeholder expectations.
  • Creative Concept & Strategy Development: Drive the conceptualization and development of innovative design strategies and visual content that align with the company's brand identity, marketing objectives, and target audience engagement.
  • High-Quality Design Execution: Produce exceptional graphic design, illustrations, vector art, and layouts for a diverse range of media, including packaging, e-commerce platforms, marketing campaigns, digital advertisements, and social media content.
  • Brand Stewardship & Development: Champion and enforce brand guidelines across all creative output, working collaboratively with management and marketing teams to evolve the brand identity and ensure consistent visual representation across product lines and company initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of creative leadership and project oversight. For operations professionals, this means understanding how to translate creative briefs into actionable design tasks, manage the production pipeline, and ensure that creative assets effectively support marketing and sales objectives. The emphasis on "Brand Consistency & Development" suggests a role in maintaining brand integrity, a critical aspect of GTM operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

  • 4-5 years of professional graphic design experience, with a preference for candidates with experience in creative or marketing agencies.
  • Proven track record of leading design projects and/or teams, demonstrating strong project management and leadership capabilities.
  • Experience in developing and maintaining brand guidelines and ensuring visual consistency across diverse platforms.

Required Skills:

  • Advanced Adobe Creative Suite Proficiency: Expert-level command of Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop for vector illustration, photo editing, and graphic creation.
  • Creative Concept Development: Demonstrated ability to generate innovative design concepts and translate them into compelling visual narratives that align with brand strategy.
  • Project Management & Organization: Exceptional organizational and time-management skills to effectively manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate design concepts, provide constructive feedback, and present work effectively to stakeholders and team members.
  • Brand Consistency Management: Deep understanding of brand identity principles and the ability to consistently apply brand guidelines across various design applications.

Preferred Skills:

  • Experience with chibi, kawaii, or cute aesthetic design styles.
  • Familiarity with digital content creators and the unique design needs of online influencers and entertainment platforms.
  • Experience with packaging design and production processes.
  • Basic understanding of digital marketing principles and e-commerce visual merchandising.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "4-5 years of experience" combined with "leading design projects" suggests a role that is beyond a junior designer, demanding strategic thinking and operational execution. The preference for agency experience points to an understanding of client-facing project management and fast-turnaround workflows, which are highly valued in operations roles.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

  • Diverse Project Examples: Showcase a range of design projects, including branding, illustration, packaging, e-commerce graphics, and campaign visuals, demonstrating proficiency across different media.
  • Process & Problem-Solving: Include case studies that highlight your design process, from concept ideation and client/stakeholder collaboration to final execution and problem-solving, emphasizing how you achieved project goals.
  • Brand Consistency Demonstration: Provide examples that clearly illustrate your ability to maintain and evolve brand identity and ensure visual consistency across multiple applications and platforms.
  • Impact & Results: Where possible, include examples that quantify the impact of your design work, such as improved engagement, conversion rates, or successful product launches.

Process Documentation:

  • Workflow Design: Demonstrate understanding of designing efficient creative workflows, from brief intake and concept development to asset delivery and archival.
  • System Integration: Show experience in how design processes integrate with broader marketing technology stacks, e-commerce platforms, and project management systems.
  • Performance Measurement: Illustrate how you approach measuring the effectiveness of design assets, potentially through A/B testing or analyzing engagement metrics for digital content.

📝 Enhancement Note: For an operations-focused candidate, the portfolio should not just showcase aesthetic quality but also the candidate's ability to manage creative projects efficiently, adhere to processes, and demonstrate the business impact of their design work. This aligns with the operational need to drive measurable results through creative output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

  • Based on industry averages for Senior Graphic Designers in Austin, Texas, with 5-10 years of experience, a competitive salary range is estimated to be between $85,000 - $115,000 annually. This estimate considers the company's focus on high-growth digital entertainment and merchandise, as well as the cost of living in Austin.

Benefits:

  • Comprehensive Health Coverage: Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision health benefits provided to support employee well-being.
  • Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with company contribution to assist with long-term financial planning.
  • Work-Life Balance: Flexible time off policy to promote a healthy work-life integration.
  • On-Site Amenities: In-office perks including provided lunch, snacks, and drinks, along with an onsite fitness center to support employee health and convenience.
  • Professional Development: A Learning Stipend is offered to support continuous learning and skill enhancement relevant to the role and industry.
  • Unique Office Perks: Opportunities for pets in the office once a month, fostering a friendly and engaging work environment.

Working Hours:

  • Standard full-time hours, typically 40 hours per week. The role requires flexibility to adapt to project demands and deadlines in a fast-paced creative environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided benefits are comprehensive and align with attracting and retaining talent in competitive markets. For operations professionals, benefits that support well-being and professional development are key indicators of a company's commitment to its employees' long-term success and productivity. The "Learning Stipend" is particularly relevant for continuous improvement in operational methodologies and creative tools.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Digital Entertainment, E-commerce, Merchandise, Media Production Company Size: The company size is not explicitly stated, but its association with a YouTube channel boasting over 25 million subscribers and major retail partnerships (Walmart, Target, Amazon) suggests a rapidly growing, dynamic, and likely mid-to-large-sized organization with significant operational scale. This implies a need for structured processes and efficient team collaboration. Founded: The company was founded to capitalize on the success of the "Aphmau" YouTube channel and the "MeeMeows" plushie line. This origin story points to a culture that is entrepreneurial, innovative, and responsive to creator economy trends and market demands.

Team Structure:

  • The Senior Graphic Designer will likely lead a team of junior and mid-level graphic designers.
  • This team will report into a Creative Director or Head of Marketing/Brand.
  • Collaboration is expected with various departments, including Marketing, E-commerce, Product Development, and potentially content creators themselves, requiring strong cross-functional communication skills.

Methodology:

  • Data-Informed Creativity: While creative-led, decisions are likely informed by viewership data, sales performance, and market trends to ensure design choices resonate with the target audience and drive business outcomes.
  • Agile Workflow: Given the fast-paced nature of digital entertainment and merchandise, the company likely employs agile or iterative processes for design and product development, allowing for quick adaptation and feedback integration.
  • Brand-Centric Operations: A strong emphasis on maintaining and evolving brand identity across all touchpoints suggests a highly organized approach to brand management and creative operations.

Company Website: www.catface.me

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Catface's position as a creator-economy-driven company is crucial. Operations professionals will find that the pace is high, and there's a strong emphasis on leveraging digital platforms and e-commerce for revenue generation. The culture is likely a blend of creative passion and business acumen.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Senior" level, indicating a move from individual contributor to a role with leadership and management responsibilities. It requires not only advanced design skills but also the ability to manage workflows, mentor others, and contribute to strategic creative direction. Reporting Structure: The Senior Graphic Designer will likely report to a Creative Director, Head of Marketing, or a similar senior leadership role. They will, in turn, manage a team of designers. This structure requires strong communication and collaboration with both superiors and direct reports. Operations Impact: The Senior Graphic Designer's work directly impacts the company's revenue through visually appealing merchandise, effective e-commerce graphics, and on-brand marketing materials. High-quality creative assets are essential for driving consumer engagement, brand loyalty, and sales conversions, making this role critical to the Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy.

Growth Opportunities:

  • Leadership Progression: Potential to advance into a Creative Director role, overseeing larger creative teams and broader brand strategy.
  • Specialization: Opportunity to become a subject matter expert in specific design niches relevant to the company, such as character design, packaging innovation, or digital asset optimization.
  • Cross-Functional Exposure: Develop a deeper understanding of marketing operations, e-commerce strategy, and product lifecycle management through close collaboration with other departments.
  • Skill Development: Continuous learning opportunities through the provided Learning Stipend, workshops, and exposure to new creative tools and industry trends.

📝 Enhancement Note: For operations professionals, this role offers a pathway into creative leadership with direct P&L impact. The growth opportunities are tied to both creative excellence and operational efficiency, providing a well-rounded career trajectory within a burgeoning industry.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The company offers an onsite work environment in Austin, Texas, suggesting a collaborative physical space designed to foster teamwork and idea sharing. Office Location(s): Austin, Texas, provides a vibrant tech and creative hub, offering access to a diverse talent pool and a dynamic business ecosystem. Workspace Context:

  • Collaborative Hub: The office environment likely facilitates direct interaction with the design team and cross-functional colleagues, crucial for efficient project execution and brainstorming.
  • Creative Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Adobe Creative Suite) and potentially other project management or asset management tools.
  • Team Interaction: Opportunities for daily interaction with colleagues, fostering knowledge sharing, mentorship, and a strong sense of team cohesion, which are vital for operational efficiency. Work Schedule:
  • A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with the flexibility to manage workload and meet project deadlines. This requires efficient time management and the ability to prioritize tasks effectively, a core competency in operations roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on an onsite environment in Austin suggests a company that values in-person collaboration for creative ideation and team synergy, which can streamline operational processes and accelerate project timelines.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

  • Initial Application & Resume Review: Submission of resume and work examples is mandatory. Applications without these will not be considered.
  • First Interview (Screening): An initial conversation to assess experience, creative vision, and cultural fit. Be prepared to discuss your background and interest in Catface.
  • Art Test: Following the initial interview, candidates will undergo an art test to evaluate practical design skills, creative problem-solving, and adherence to brand aesthetics.
  • Second Interview (Team/Manager): A more in-depth discussion with the hiring manager and potentially team members to evaluate leadership potential, project management approach, and team collaboration skills.
  • Final Interview (Executive/Stakeholder): A potential final round with senior leadership to discuss strategic alignment and overall fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

  • Curate Selectively: Showcase your strongest, most relevant work. For this role, prioritize examples demonstrating leadership, project management, brand consistency, and expertise in illustration, packaging, and e-commerce graphics.
  • Tell a Story: For each piece, explain the brief, your creative process, challenges faced, solutions implemented, and the results achieved. Highlight your operational approach to managing the project.
  • Demonstrate Brand Understanding: Clearly show how you adapted to or developed brand guidelines. For Catface, showcasing work with similar aesthetics (e.g., cute, kawaii) would be a significant advantage.
  • Quantify Impact: If possible, include metrics or outcomes that demonstrate the business value of your design work (e.g., increased engagement, sales uplift).

Challenge Preparation:

  • Art Test: Practice designing within specific creative constraints and time limits. Focus on clean execution, adherence to brand identity, and creative problem-solving.
  • Situational Questions: Prepare to answer questions about how you manage competing priorities, handle feedback, mentor junior designers, and resolve creative conflicts.
  • Portfolio Walkthrough: Be ready to present your portfolio confidently, articulating your thought process and operational approach for each project.

📝 Enhancement Note: The mandatory art test and portfolio submission highlight the critical nature of practical skills and demonstrated experience. Operations candidates should focus on how their portfolio showcases not just creative output but also their ability to manage creative operations efficiently and effectively.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

  • Adobe Illustrator: Essential for vector illustration, logo design, and creating scalable graphics for various applications.
  • Adobe Photoshop: Crucial for image editing, retouching, digital painting, and creating raster-based graphics for web and print.
  • Adobe Creative Suite: Proficiency across the broader suite, including InDesign for layout and potentially After Effects for motion graphics, is highly beneficial.

Analytics & Reporting:

  • Web Analytics Tools (e.g., Google Analytics): Understanding how to interpret data on website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates to inform design decisions.
  • E-commerce Platform Analytics: Familiarity with analytics dashboards from platforms like Shopify, Amazon Seller Central, or similar, to understand product performance and visual merchandising impact.
  • Social Media Analytics: Ability to interpret engagement metrics, reach, and audience demographics from platforms like Instagram, YouTube, etc.

CRM & Automation:

  • Project Management Software (e.g., Asana, Trello, Jira): Experience using project management tools to track tasks, manage workflows, and collaborate with team members.
  • Digital Asset Management (DAM) Systems: Familiarity with systems used to store, organize, and distribute creative assets efficiently.
  • Cloud Storage & Collaboration Tools (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, Slack): Essential for team collaboration, file sharing, and communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the core requirements are design tools, an understanding of analytics and project management software is key for an operations-minded candidate. This role requires bridging creative output with measurable business results, necessitating familiarity with tools that support data analysis and workflow management.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

  • Creativity & Innovation: A drive for original ideas and novel design solutions that capture attention and effectively communicate brand messaging.
  • Collaboration & Teamwork: A commitment to working effectively with colleagues across departments, sharing knowledge, and supporting team goals.
  • Brand Integrity: A dedication to upholding and enhancing the company's brand identity and visual standards in all creative endeavors.
  • Efficiency & Agility: The ability to adapt quickly to changing project needs, manage time effectively, and deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilizing insights from analytics and market trends to inform creative choices and ensure maximum impact.

Collaboration Style:

  • Cross-Functional Integration: Expect to work closely with marketing, e-commerce, and product teams, requiring clear communication and a collaborative approach to project execution.
  • Feedback & Iteration: An environment that encourages constructive feedback and iterative design processes to refine creative output and meet project objectives.
  • Knowledge Sharing: A culture that values sharing best practices, creative techniques, and insights, fostering continuous learning and improvement within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes a balance between creative expression and operational discipline. Operations professionals will thrive in an environment that values efficiency, collaboration, and a data-informed approach to creative output.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

  • Balancing Creative Vision with Brand Constraints: Effectively translating the company's unique brand aesthetic and the demands of a large creator audience while adhering to strict brand guidelines.
  • Managing High Volume & Rapid Turnaround: Delivering a consistent volume of high-quality creative assets under tight deadlines in a fast-paced digital entertainment and merchandise market.
  • Leading and Mentoring a Team: Successfully guiding and developing junior designers, ensuring consistent quality and fostering a positive team dynamic.
  • Adapting to Evolving Trends: Staying ahead of visual trends in digital entertainment, e-commerce, and merchandise design to keep the brand fresh and engaging.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

  • Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunities to explore and master new design software, illustration styles, and digital art techniques relevant to the company's niche.
  • Brand Strategy Involvement: Gain exposure to broader brand strategy discussions and contribute to the evolution of the company's visual identity.
  • E-commerce & Merchandise Ops: Develop a deeper understanding of the operational aspects of e-commerce, supply chain for merchandise, and digital marketing campaign execution.
  • Industry Trends & Conferences: Potential access to industry events, workshops, and online courses to stay current with the latest creative tools and marketing strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents an excellent opportunity for growth by tackling challenges that require both creative mastery and operational acumen. The ability to manage creative workflows and mentor a team directly contributes to operational efficiency and team development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

  • Leadership & Mentorship: "Describe your experience leading design teams. How do you motivate junior designers and ensure consistent quality and brand adherence?"
  • Project Management: "Walk me through a complex design project you managed from concept to completion. What were your key processes, and how did you handle challenges and deadlines?"
  • Creative Problem-Solving: "How do you approach developing creative concepts for a brand with a strong existing identity like Aphmau? Describe a time you had to balance creative innovation with brand guidelines."
  • Stakeholder Management: "How do you collaborate with non-design stakeholders (e.g., marketing, product teams) to ensure design deliverables meet business objectives?"

Company & Culture Questions:

  • Brand Alignment: "What are your thoughts on the Catface brand and the 'Aphmau' aesthetic? How would your design approach contribute to its growth?"
  • Team Dynamics: "What is your preferred team collaboration style? How do you provide and receive constructive feedback?"
  • Adaptability: "This is a fast-paced environment. How do you prioritize your work and adapt to changing project scopes or deadlines?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

  • Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly outline the objective, your role, the process, challenges, solutions, and outcomes. Use a clear, concise, and engaging story.
  • Highlight Operational Aspects: Emphasize your project management, time allocation, and feedback integration processes within your case studies.
  • Showcase Brand Expertise: Clearly demonstrate your understanding of brand consistency and ability to work within established visual frameworks, especially for the "cute" or "kawaii" aesthetic.
  • Prepare for Live Design Tasks: Be ready to discuss your approach to the art test and any potential live design exercises during the interview process.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just creative talent but also their ability to manage creative projects efficiently, lead teams, and align their work with business objectives, showcasing their operational strengths.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Graphic Designer position:

  • Submit your application through the provided link on Catface's career page.
  • Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight leadership experience, project management skills, proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, and any experience relevant to digital entertainment or merchandise design. Use operations-relevant keywords such as "workflow management," "brand consistency," "project delivery," and "team leadership."
  • Curate Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio clearly showcases your strongest design work, with a focus on projects demonstrating your ability to manage creative processes, maintain brand consistency, and achieve project objectives. Include case studies that detail your problem-solving approach and operational methodology.
  • Prepare for the Art Test: Familiarize yourself with the company's brand aesthetic and practice designing within time constraints.
  • Research Catface & Aphmau: Understand the company's mission, target audience, and the unique style of the "Aphmau" channel. This will help you articulate your vision and cultural fit during interviews.

⚠️ 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.

Application Requirements

Candidates should have four to five years of professional graphic design experience, preferably in a creative or marketing agency. Proficiency in Adobe software and excellent communication skills are essential.