Senior Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Graphic Designer

Company: cocokind

Location: San Francisco, California, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Marketing & Creative Operations

Date Posted: 2026-05-07T00:00:00

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the strategic development and execution of cocokind's visual identity across all brand touchpoints, ensuring a cohesive and impactful brand narrative.

• Drive campaign visual concepting and creative direction, translating overarching marketing objectives into compelling visual systems for digital, retail, product, and packaging.

• Own and evolve the brand's visual identity, setting high standards for design quality and ensuring consistency across all marketing and product collateral.

• Manage and mentor the Junior Graphic Designer, fostering a collaborative and high-performing creative team culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant leadership and management responsibilities, requiring a blend of strategic thinking, hands-on design execution, and people management within a fast-paced, community-focused beauty brand. The emphasis on "community-first" and "challenging industry norms" suggests a need for creative innovation that resonates with a discerning, socially conscious consumer base.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Spearhead the visual concept development and creative direction for all brand and product campaigns, from ideation to final execution.

• Maintain and evolve the overarching visual identity of cocokind, ensuring brand consistency and integrity across all marketing channels, including social media, paid media, email, and website.

• Translate high-level campaign concepts into comprehensive creative systems that span social media graphics, physical and digital retail environments, paid advertising assets, and packaging design.

• Direct and oversee photoshoots, collaborating closely with photographers, stylists, and models to capture compelling imagery that aligns with brand aesthetics and campaign objectives.

• Collaborate with external creative partners, agencies, and vendors to ensure high-quality design output and adherence to brand guidelines.

• Partner cross-functionally with Brand Marketing, Product Development, and Digital teams to deeply understand business goals and translate them into effective creative strategies.

• Establish, refine, and document design processes and workflows to enhance efficiency, quality, and collaboration within the creative team and with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Provide constructive feedback, mentorship, and guidance to the Junior Graphic Designer and other team members, fostering skill development and a positive team dynamic.

• Champion design excellence by setting and maintaining high standards for all creative deliverables, ensuring they are on-brand, on-message, and impactful.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for a designer who can operate both strategically (evolving brand identity, setting standards) and tactically (directing photoshoots, executing designs). The emphasis on process refinement points to an expectation of proactive improvement in how creative work is produced and managed.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is strongly implied by the experience level and responsibilities.

Experience: Minimum of 6+ years of progressive experience in graphic design, with a significant portion focused on campaign development, brand system management, and creative direction within a consumer-facing industry, preferably beauty or CPG.

Required Skills:

• Proven experience in leading visual concept development and creative direction for integrated marketing campaigns.

• Demonstrated ability to own and evolve a brand's visual identity, ensuring consistency across diverse platforms and touchpoints.

• Strong portfolio showcasing conceptual thinking, execution excellence, and a deep understanding of multi-channel design (digital, social, retail, packaging).

• Expertise in typography, layout design, composition, and visual hierarchy.

• Proficiency in creating engaging product renderings and compelling visual storytelling.

• Hands-on experience with industry-standard design software: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects is a plus).

• Experience with project management tools such as Asana for workflow tracking and collaboration.

• Demonstrated experience in directly managing, mentoring, or leading junior designers, with a focus on team development and fostering a positive creative culture.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, translating business objectives into creative solutions.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently from concept to completion.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience directing photoshoots (concept, casting, styling, on-set direction).

• Familiarity with animation or motion graphics principles.

• Understanding of CPG or beauty industry trends and consumer behavior.

• Experience with sustainability-focused branding initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "6+ years" and the emphasis on "owning campaigns and brand systems" suggest a role that demands not just execution but also strategic oversight and brand stewardship. The explicit mention of Figma alongside Adobe Creative Suite indicates a modern design workflow.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio is mandatory, showcasing a minimum of 6 years of professional graphic design experience.

• Portfolios must demonstrate robust conceptual thinking, creative problem-solving, and sophisticated execution across a variety of media.

• Include case studies that detail the evolution of brand identity or the development of cohesive visual systems for campaigns.

• Showcase examples of work for digital platforms (social media, web banners, email), physical retail (in-store displays, signage), product packaging, and paid media assets.

• Provide evidence of leading creative direction for campaigns, including examples of how concepts were translated across multiple channels.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates should be prepared to discuss their process for translating campaign briefs into visual concepts.

• Demonstrate experience in establishing and refining design workflows for efficiency and quality control.

• Be ready to explain how they manage feedback, iterate on designs, and ensure brand consistency throughout the creative process.

• Showcase experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams and external partners to achieve project goals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a strong portfolio is critical for this role, as it serves as the primary evidence of conceptual ability, execution skill, and strategic brand thinking. The expectation is for a portfolio that not only looks good but also tells a story about the candidate's process and impact.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Senior Graphic Designer role with 6+ years of experience, people management responsibilities, and in a high-cost-of-living area like San Francisco, the estimated salary range is $120,000 - $145,000 annually. This estimate accounts for the specified experience level, the hybrid work arrangement, and the competitive benefits package offered.

Benefits:

• Competitive Salary (Details based on experience and qualifications)

• Performance-based bonus opportunities.

• Unlimited flexible time-off policy, promoting work-life balance.

• $500 home office set-up stipend to ensure an ergonomic and productive remote workspace.

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage, including full medical, vision, and dental plans.

• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for pre-tax savings on eligible expenses.

• Employee life insurance coverage.

• 401K plan for retirement savings.

• $10,000 Lifetime Fertility & Family Building Program, supporting employees' family planning goals.

• $50/month wellness budget for personal health and well-being initiatives.

• $75/month remote work budget to support remote work expenses.

• Employee, family, and friends discounts on cocokind products.

Working Hours: The standard workweek is 40 hours. Given the hybrid nature, employees are expected to be in the San Francisco office 2-3 days per week, with flexibility for remote work on other days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is an estimation based on market data for similar roles in San Francisco. The extensive benefits package highlights cocokind's commitment to employee well-being, work-life balance, and family support, which are attractive aspects for senior-level candidates.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Beauty & Skincare, with a strong emphasis on clean beauty, sustainability, and community engagement. cocokind operates within a competitive and rapidly evolving consumer packaged goods (CPG) market, differentiating itself through transparency, affordability, and ethical practices.

Company Size: While not explicitly stated, the presence of a Junior Graphic Designer and a Director of Marketing suggests a growing, mid-sized company with established marketing and creative functions. The "fast-moving, collaborative, and passionate team" description points to a dynamic startup or scale-up environment.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the company's mission to "challenge industry norms" and its focus on sustainability and inclusivity imply a modern brand ethos that likely emerged in the last decade, aligning with the growth of the clean beauty movement.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Graphic Designer will lead a small but crucial creative function, directly managing one Junior Graphic Designer.

• This role reports to the Director of Marketing, indicating integration within the broader marketing strategy and execution team.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Creativity: While design-focused, the role is expected to align creative outputs with business goals and potentially leverage data insights from marketing and sales.

• Process Optimization: A key responsibility is to establish and refine processes, indicating a culture that values efficiency and continuous improvement in how work is done.

• Community-Centric Approach: The brand's "community-first" ethos suggests that creative work should resonate with and engage its target audience, fostering authenticity and connection.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is described as authentic, creative, and community-driven, which is vital for a beauty brand's identity. The emphasis on challenging norms and sustainability suggests a progressive and mission-oriented workplace.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level position, signifying a high degree of autonomy, responsibility, and strategic input. The role is expected to not only execute design tasks but also to shape the brand's visual direction and mentor junior talent. It represents a significant step up from a mid-level designer role, often involving more strategic planning and leadership.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Graphic Designer reports directly to the Director of Marketing. This places them within the marketing department, ensuring close alignment with marketing strategies and campaign objectives. They will also manage the Junior Graphic Designer, establishing a direct reporting relationship for that individual.

Operations Impact: The Senior Graphic Designer's impact is critical to the brand's perception and market success. By defining and executing the visual identity, this role directly influences customer acquisition, engagement, brand loyalty, and product appeal. Strong creative direction can elevate the brand's presence in a crowded market, drive sales, and reinforce its mission of sustainability and inclusivity. The role's success will be measured by the effectiveness of campaigns, the consistency of brand visuals, and the growth and output of the design team.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Development: Managing the Junior Graphic Designer offers direct people management experience, a key step for aspiring creative leaders.

• Strategic Brand Influence: Opportunity to significantly shape and evolve the visual identity of a growing, mission-driven brand.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Deep collaboration with marketing, product, and digital teams provides broad business understanding and project scope.

• Skill Expansion: Potential to lead creative direction for photoshoots, explore new design technologies, and contribute to broader brand strategy discussions.

• Career Progression: Potential pathways could lead to Art Director, Creative Director, or Head of Creative roles within cocokind or similar organizations, depending on performance and company growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is ideal for a designer looking to move into a leadership position with significant creative control and strategic influence within a mission-driven company. The growth opportunities are geared towards developing leadership and expanding strategic responsibilities.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in San Francisco and operates on a hybrid model, requiring 2-3 days per week in the office. This suggests a collaborative office environment designed for teamwork, brainstorming, and in-person interaction, balanced with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): San Francisco, California, 94105. This central location in a major metropolitan hub offers accessibility and a vibrant work environment.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office is likely designed to facilitate brainstorming sessions, team meetings, and cross-functional collaboration, essential for campaign development and brand strategy.

• Creative Tools & Technology: Access to necessary design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite) and potentially studio resources for creative projects will be available.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model allows for regular face-to-face interaction with the marketing team, the Junior Graphic Designer, and other colleagues, fostering a strong sense of team and shared purpose.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour workweek is expected, with hybrid flexibility. This arrangement allows for focused individual work at home and collaborative, in-person work at the office, balancing productivity with team cohesion.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment is a key feature, offering a balance between focused remote work and collaborative in-office time. This setup is designed to support both individual creative tasks and team-based strategic initiatives.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and creative output.

• Portfolio Presentation: A session where you'll present your portfolio, discuss your process, highlight key campaigns, and explain your approach to brand identity and creative direction. Be prepared to discuss your management/mentorship style.

• Cross-functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from marketing, product, and other departments to evaluate collaboration skills and understanding of business objectives.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the Director of Marketing to assess cultural fit, leadership potential, and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 5-7 of your strongest, most relevant projects that demonstrate conceptual thinking, brand system development, and multi-channel campaign execution.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the brief, your role, the challenges, your creative process, the solutions, and the impact (if quantifiable).

• Highlight Leadership: Include examples that showcase your ability to lead creative direction, manage projects, and mentor others.

• Showcase Brand Thinking: Emphasize how you understand and apply brand guidelines, and how you evolve a brand's visual identity.

• Demonstrate Tool Proficiency: Briefly mention the tools used for each project.

• Be Ready for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design philosophy, how you handle feedback, and your approach to managing junior designers.

Challenge Preparation:

• While a specific design challenge isn't mentioned, be prepared for a hypothetical scenario or a review of a past project where you might be asked to "re-imagine" a campaign element or discuss how you'd approach a new product launch's visual strategy.

• Practice articulating your creative process concisely and confidently.

• Think about how you would balance creative vision with business objectives and team capacity.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is a critical stage. Candidates should prepare to not only showcase their visual work but also to articulate their strategic thinking, creative process, and leadership capabilities, especially regarding people management.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for collaborative design, prototyping, and building design systems. Proficiency is expected for efficient workflow and team collaboration.

• Adobe Creative Suite:

  • Photoshop: For image editing, manipulation, and digital asset creation.
  • Illustrator: For vector graphics, logos, icons, and complex illustrations.
  • InDesign: For layout design, print collateral, and potentially packaging design layouts.
  • After Effects (Preferred): For motion graphics, animated social content, and video elements.

• Asana: A project management tool used for task tracking, workflow management, and team coordination. Familiarity is key for managing projects efficiently.

Analytics & Reporting: While not a primary function, understanding how design impacts engagement metrics (e.g., click-through rates, social engagement) is beneficial. Familiarity with visual analytics dashboards may be a plus.

CRM & Automation: Not directly relevant to the core design function, but understanding how visual assets are deployed through marketing automation platforms or CRM-related campaigns could be advantageous.

Other Potential Tools:

• Presentation software (e.g., Google Slides, Keynote) for portfolio presentations and internal pitches.

• Cloud storage and collaboration tools (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox) for file sharing.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite is non-negotiable. Experience with Asana is also a direct requirement, indicating the company's reliance on structured project management tools for creative operations.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Authenticity: A core value reflected in transparent communication, honest product formulation, and genuine community engagement. Design work should reflect this authenticity.

• Creativity & Innovation: Encouraging new ideas and challenging industry norms is central to cocokind's mission. Design should be innovative and push creative boundaries.

• Community-First: The brand prioritizes its community, fostering connection and listening to feedback. Design should resonate with and engage this community.

• Sustainability & Inclusivity: These are foundational values that should be considered in all brand communications and design decisions.

• Care: A focus on well-being, both for skin and for employees, suggests a supportive and considerate work environment.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: This role requires seamless collaboration with marketing, product, and digital teams, emphasizing clear communication and shared understanding of objectives.

• Feedback-Driven: A culture that is "open to feedback" means designers must be receptive to constructive criticism and willing to iterate.

• Proactive & Efficient: The expectation to establish and refine processes suggests a drive for efficiency and proactive problem-solving within the team.

• Mentorship & Team Building: A strong emphasis on developing junior talent and building a positive creative team culture is a key aspect of the collaboration dynamic.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values are deeply intertwined with its mission and brand identity. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate how their approach to design and collaboration aligns with these core principles, particularly authenticity, community, and sustainability.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand Evolution with Consistency: Evolving the visual identity while maintaining core brand recognition and consistency across all touchpoints can be challenging.

• Fast-Paced Environment: Adapting to shifting priorities and tight deadlines in a dynamic company requires strong project management and adaptability.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on creative vision and objectives can require strong communication and negotiation skills.

• Managing Junior Talent: Developing and guiding a junior designer while also managing a demanding workload requires effective mentorship and delegation.

• Measuring Design Impact: Quantifying the direct impact of design on business outcomes can be difficult, requiring a strategic approach to metrics and reporting.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Leadership Skills: Direct experience in managing and mentoring a junior designer offers significant leadership development.

• Strategic Brand Impact: The opportunity to shape a brand's visual identity offers deep strategic experience.

• Cross-Industry Learning: Exposure to different facets of a consumer brand (product, marketing, digital) broadens understanding.

• Creative Innovation: Working within a company that encourages challenging norms provides a platform for creative exploration and pushing boundaries.

• Potential for Advanced Roles: Growth into Art Director or Creative Director positions within the company or in the broader industry.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents a significant opportunity for a designer to grow into a leadership position, tackling challenges related to brand strategy, team management, and creative execution within a mission-driven context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for developing a visual concept for a new brand campaign, from brief to final assets."

• "How would you approach evolving cocokind's visual identity while maintaining brand recognition and consistency?"

• "Walk us through a time you successfully managed or mentored a junior designer. What was your approach, and what were the results?"

• "How do you ensure your creative work aligns with broader business objectives and marketing strategies?"

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What attracts you to cocokind's mission and values, particularly our focus on community and sustainability?"

• "How do you foster a collaborative and inclusive environment within a creative team?"

• "Describe a time you had to navigate conflicting feedback from different stakeholders. How did you resolve it?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your presentation logically, perhaps by project type or by demonstrating your evolution in different skill areas.

• Narrative: For each project, tell a compelling story: the problem, your solution, your process, and the outcome. Use clear, concise language.

• Visuals: Ensure your presentation slides are clean, on-brand, and visually appealing. Zoom in on key details where necessary.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, include metrics that demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., engagement rates, conversion improvements, brand recall).

• Management Focus: Be prepared to discuss your leadership style and how you support the growth of junior team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to articulate their process, leadership philosophy, and understanding of cocokind's brand values. The portfolio presentation is a key opportunity to demonstrate strategic thinking and creative problem-solving.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Graphic Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on the cocokind careers page.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects demonstrating brand system development, campaign direction, multi-channel execution, and people management experience. Emphasize work relevant to the beauty or CPG industry if possible.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 6+ years of experience, specific achievements in campaign leadership, brand system ownership, and any mentoring or management roles. Use keywords like "Visual Identity," "Creative Direction," "Figma," "Adobe Creative Suite," and "People Management."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your creative process, leadership philosophy, and how you align design with business goals. Prepare to present your portfolio confidently and answer questions about your experience with specific tools like Figma and Asana.

• Company Research: Deeply understand cocokind's mission, values, brand aesthetic, and target audience. Be ready to discuss how your design philosophy aligns with their "community-first," sustainability, and inclusivity principles.

⚠️ 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.