Visual Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Visual Designer Company: Canonical - Jobs Location: Home based - Europe, Milan (Italy) Job Type: Full-Time Category: Creative & Media / Art & Design Date Posted: September 18, 2025 Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years) Remote Status: Remote Solely

🚀 Role Summary

• This role is focused on visual design for Brand and Design Systems, contributing to Canonical's mission of making complex open-source software accessible and intuitive.
• You will be responsible for evolving brand guidelines and applying them to communications materials, UI design systems, and graphic design for digital products.
• The position requires a strong understanding of usability, accessibility, and web standards to create clear, stylish, and user-centric designs.
• This is a remote position within the EMEA region, requiring international travel for company events.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is described as "Visual Designer" but the responsibilities strongly indicate a focus on UI/UX design with a significant emphasis on branding and design systems. The "exceptional academic track record" and "undergraduate degree in a technical subject or compelling narrative" suggest a high bar for candidates, potentially beyond typical visual design roles, hinting at a need for strong analytical and problem-solving skills alongside creative aptitude.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and refine brand guidelines, ensuring consistent application across all company communications and digital assets.
• Design and maintain the UI design system, creating components and patterns that enhance user experience and product consistency.
• Create compelling graphic design for digital products, focusing on clarity, aesthetics, and user engagement.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and other designers to translate complex technical concepts into visually appealing and understandable designs.
• Ensure all designs adhere to usability best practices, accessibility standards (WCAG), and modern web standards.
• Contribute to the overall visual strategy of Canonical, aligning design efforts with brand identity and product goals.
• Present design solutions and rationale effectively to stakeholders, incorporating feedback to drive design iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the raw description mentions "agency, company or freelance design experience," it's implied that this role requires a deep understanding of applying design principles within a corporate, product-focused environment, particularly for a technology company with a strong open-source ethos. Responsibilities will likely involve not just aesthetic creation but also strategic application of design to solve user and business problems.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Undergraduate degree in a technical subject or a compelling alternative path with demonstrable technical aptitude. Experience: Mid-level experience (2-5 years) in visual design, UI design, or graphic design, preferably within a technology or software company. Agency, company, or freelance design experience is valued.

Required Skills:

• Exceptional visual design skills with a strong portfolio showcasing brand application, UI design, and graphic design.
• Proficiency in design software such as Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Deep understanding of UI/UX principles, usability heuristics, and user-centered design methodologies.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and best practices for inclusive design.
• Familiarity with web standards and responsive design principles.
• Excellent written and spoken English with strong presentation and communication skills.
• Confidence to respectfully share ideas, provide feedback, and engage in constructive critique.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines in a remote, distributed environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability.
• Appreciation for diversity and proven ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural, multi-national organization.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in building or contributing to design systems.
• Familiarity with open-source software and the technology landscape.
• Understanding of brand strategy and its application in digital products.
• Experience with animation or motion graphics for UI elements.
• Basic understanding of HTML/CSS to inform design decisions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "exceptional academic track record" and a "technical subject" degree, combined with a "compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path," suggests that candidates with strong technical acumen or a highly analytical approach to design will be highly regarded. This goes beyond typical visual design requirements, indicating a need for designers who can comprehend and articulate complex technical concepts visually.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated portfolio demonstrating a range of visual design projects, with a focus on brand application, UI design for digital products, and design system contributions.
• Case studies that clearly articulate the design problem, your process, the solutions you implemented, and the measurable impact (e.g., improved usability, enhanced brand perception).
• Examples of how you have applied brand guidelines and maintained visual consistency across different mediums.
• Demonstration of proficiency in industry-standard design tools and an understanding of their application in a product development lifecycle.

Process Documentation:

• Ability to document design processes, component specifications, and usage guidelines for the UI design system.
• Clear articulation of your design thinking methodology, from initial concept generation to final asset delivery.
• Evidence of participation in design reviews, feedback loops, and iterative design improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given Canonical's focus on open-source and complex software, a portfolio should ideally showcase how the candidate has translated technical information or complex functionality into straightforward and engaging visual experiences. Demonstrating an understanding of how design integrates with engineering workflows and product roadmaps will be crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for a Mid-Level Visual Designer in EMEA, with remote work considerations, the estimated annual salary range is €45,000 - €70,000. This is an estimate and actual compensation will be determined by experience, performance, and location within EMEA.

Benefits:

• Personal learning and development budget of USD 2,000 per year for professional growth and skill enhancement.
• Annual compensation review to ensure recognition of performance and market competitiveness.
• Performance-driven annual bonus or commission.
• Recognition rewards for outstanding contributions.
• Generous annual holiday leave.
• Comprehensive maternity and paternity leave policies.
• Employee Assistance Program for well-being support.
• Opportunity to travel to new locations for company events and team sprints.
• Priority Pass and travel upgrades for long-haul company events, facilitating comfortable international travel.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are expected, approximately 40 hours per week. Flexibility is inherent in a remote, distributed team, but adherence to core working hours for collaboration and availability within the EMEA time zone is anticipated.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on typical mid-level visual designer roles in the EMEA region, considering the remote nature and the company's global structure. Canonical's compensation philosophy emphasizes performance and global fairness, so actual figures could vary significantly. The benefits package is robust, particularly the learning budget and travel provisions, which are key for a distributed workforce.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Open Source Software, Technology. Canonical is a pioneer in open-source solutions, with Ubuntu being a foundational platform for cloud, AI, IoT, and data science. Company Size: Canonical is a significant player with over 1200 colleagues in more than 75 countries, indicating a large, globally distributed organization. Founded: Canonical was founded in 2004, establishing a long history and a mature, established culture, particularly in distributed collaboration since its inception.

Team Structure:

• The central Design team is composed of diverse design colleagues, fostering a collaborative and learning-oriented environment.
• Designers work closely with colleagues throughout the organization, including product management and engineering.
• The reporting structure is likely within a dedicated design leadership framework, supporting individual growth and team alignment.

Methodology:

• Canonical emphasizes a data-driven approach to product development and design, leveraging insights to inform decisions.
• Workflow planning and optimization are critical, especially within a distributed team setting, requiring clear processes and communication.
• Automation and efficiency practices are likely integral to their operations, reflecting their software development background.

Company Website: https://canonical.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Canonical's "founder led, profitable and growing" status suggests a stable yet dynamic environment. Their long-standing commitment to remote work since 2004 means they have well-established practices and tools for distributed collaboration, which is a significant cultural differentiator.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This Visual Designer role is positioned at a mid-level (2-5 years of experience). It requires independent work, contribution to core design systems and brand guidelines, and the ability to mentor junior colleagues, indicating a path towards senior or lead design roles. Reporting Structure: The role sits within the central Design team and will likely report to a Design Manager or Lead, with close collaboration across product, engineering, and marketing functions. Operations Impact: As a Visual Designer, your impact will be on the user experience and perception of Canonical's products and brand. High-quality visual design directly influences product adoption, user satisfaction, and brand loyalty, especially in the competitive open-source software market.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in UI design systems, brand strategy, or accessibility within the tech industry.
• Leadership: Potential to move into Senior Visual Designer, Lead Designer, or Design System Manager roles, guiding teams and strategy.
• Skill Development: Leverage the annual USD 2,000 learning budget for courses, conferences, or certifications in areas like advanced design tools, UX research, or project management.
• Cross-functional Exposure: Gain experience working with global teams across engineering, product, and marketing, broadening understanding of the software development lifecycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "leadership and commitment to skills development and mentorship" suggests that growth opportunities will involve not just individual contribution but also guiding others and taking on more strategic responsibilities within the design function.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position, meaning there is no central office for this role. Office Location(s): While the role is home-based in the EMEA region, Canonical has offices globally, and team members travel internationally for in-person sprints twice a year in various locations.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is digital and distributed, requiring strong self-discipline and effective use of collaboration tools.
• Access to Canonical's suite of internal tools and technologies will be provided to support design work and communication.
• Opportunities for team interaction are primarily through virtual meetings, asynchronous communication, and planned in-person sprints.

Work Schedule: The role operates on a flexible schedule within the EMEA time zone, allowing for autonomy in managing work hours, provided collaboration and availability for team synchronization meetings are maintained.

📝 Enhancement Note: Canonical's established remote culture means the work environment is optimized for distributed collaboration, with clear expectations for asynchronous communication and virtual teamwork. The twice-yearly in-person meetings are a key component for team cohesion and strategic alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, resume, and portfolio to assess qualifications and alignment with the role and company.
• Technical/Design Interview: A discussion with design colleagues or leads focusing on your design philosophy, problem-solving skills, and technical proficiency. Expect to walk through portfolio pieces.
• Skills Assessment/Challenge: A practical design exercise or case study to evaluate your ability to apply design principles to a relevant problem, potentially involving brand application, UI design, or design system thinking.
• Cultural/Team Fit Interview: Conversations with potential team members and hiring managers to assess your work ethic, collaboration style, and alignment with Canonical's values and distributed work culture.
• Final Interview: A discussion with senior leadership to confirm fit and discuss overall contributions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Showcase 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that demonstrate your skills in visual design, branding, and UI.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly outline the challenge, your role, your process, the design decisions made, and the outcomes achieved. Use visuals to support your narrative.
• Highlight Technical Aptitude: Since a technical degree or equivalent is preferred, demonstrate how you approach design problems analytically and how you integrate technical understanding into your visual solutions.
• Showcase Brand & System Thinking: Include examples where you've applied brand guidelines meticulously or contributed to UI systems, emphasizing consistency and usability.
• Accessibility & Standards: Explicitly mention how you consider usability, accessibility, and web standards in your design process.

Challenge Preparation:

• Prepare to articulate your design process clearly and concisely, focusing on efficiency and effectiveness.
• Be ready to discuss how you handle feedback, collaborate with engineers, and ensure design quality in a remote setting.
• Familiarize yourself with Canonical's product portfolio and brand identity to tailor your responses and design approach.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "exceptional academic track record" and a "technical subject" degree suggests that interviewers might probe deeply into your analytical capabilities and how you approach complex problem-solving from a design perspective. Be prepared to discuss technical constraints and architectural considerations that might influence design choices.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable given industry trends and collaborative nature), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
• Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Confluence, Jira.
• Version Control (for Design Systems): Potentially Git-based systems if integrated with code repositories.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a direct responsibility, familiarity with how design impacts user behavior and product metrics tracked by analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Product-specific analytics) is beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the Visual Designer role, but understanding how design integrates with marketing automation and CRM platforms could be a plus for broader GTM context.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is a strong contender for the primary design tool due to its collaborative features, which are essential for a distributed team and design system work. Proficiency in this tool, along with a strong understanding of its capabilities for component libraries and prototyping, will be highly valued.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Excellence: A commitment to achieving outstanding results and maintaining high standards in all aspects of work, from design execution to collaboration.
• Collaboration: Openness to sharing ideas, providing and receiving feedback respectfully, and working effectively with diverse, global colleagues.
• Passion for Technology: A genuine interest in open-source software, technology, and its potential to impact millions of users worldwide.
• Accountability & Self-Motivation: Taking ownership of tasks, driving projects forward independently, and demonstrating a strong work ethic in a remote environment.
• Curiosity & Flexibility: A desire to learn, adapt to new challenges, and explore innovative design solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Distributed First: Emphasis on asynchronous communication and leveraging digital tools for seamless collaboration across time zones.
• Respectful Dialogue: Encouraging open and honest feedback exchange to foster continuous improvement and innovation.
• Cross-functional Integration: Working closely with engineering, product management, and marketing to ensure design aligns with business objectives and technical feasibility.
• In-person Sprints: Leveraging twice-yearly travel for intensive team alignment, strategy sessions, and relationship building.

📝 Enhancement Note: Canonical's values of "excellence" and "passion for technology" are deeply embedded in their culture, especially given their role in the open-source community. Candidates are expected to not only be skilled designers but also passionate advocates for the company's mission and technology.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Remote Collaboration: Effectively communicating design ideas, gathering feedback, and ensuring alignment without constant in-person interaction requires strong communication skills and proactive engagement.
• Balancing Brand and Product: Translating Canonical's strong brand identity into intuitive and functional user interfaces across diverse products.
• Technical Complexity: Designing for complex open-source software requires a willingness to learn and understand technical underpinnings to create effective visual solutions.
• Global Consistency: Maintaining visual consistency and adherence to brand guidelines across a wide range of global communications and digital assets.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Design System Mastery: Deepen expertise in the architecture, implementation, and governance of design systems.
• Accessibility Leadership: Become a go-to expert for accessibility standards and best practices within the design team and company.
• Cross-Disciplinary Knowledge: Gain a deeper understanding of software development, cloud technologies, and open-source ecosystems through close collaboration.
• Global Design Practice: Learn to navigate and design for diverse international audiences and cultural nuances.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenge of designing for "complex open-source software" suggests that candidates will need to demonstrate a capacity for learning and adapting to technical details, rather than just focusing on aesthetics. This aligns with the preference for candidates with a technical background or strong analytical skills.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a project where you significantly evolved a brand's visual identity or applied it across multiple platforms. What was your process, and what were the key challenges?" (Focus on brand application and strategic thinking).
• "How do you approach designing for complex technical products? Walk us through an example where you translated intricate functionalities into an intuitive user experience." (Focus on technical understanding and problem-solving).
• "Discuss your experience with UI design systems. What are the critical components of a successful design system, and how do you ensure its adoption and evolution?" (Focus on design system knowledge and collaboration).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Canonical is a leader in open-source software. How does this mission influence your approach to design, and what excites you about working for a company like ours?" (Focus on passion and alignment with mission).
• "Given our distributed work model, how do you ensure effective collaboration and communication with team members across different locations and time zones?" (Focus on remote work skills and collaboration).
• "Describe a time you had to respectfully challenge a decision or provide critical feedback to a colleague or stakeholder. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on communication and interpersonal skills).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: For each case study, use a clear narrative: Problem -> Your Role/Process -> Solution -> Outcome. Quantify results where possible.
• Highlight Technical Aptitude: Explicitly connect your design decisions to technical understanding or problem-solving. If you have a technical degree, explain how it informs your design thinking.
• Demonstrate Brand & System Thinking: Show how you maintain visual consistency and adhere to guidelines. If you have design system experience, present component examples and usage guidelines.
• Engage and Discuss: Be prepared for interactive discussions about your work. Anticipate questions about your design choices, trade-offs, and how you would approach future challenges at Canonical.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss not just the aesthetics of your work but also the strategic thinking, problem-solving methodologies, and technical considerations that underpin your design decisions. This is crucial given Canonical's emphasis on technical excellence and its role in the open-source ecosystem.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Visual Designer position:

• Submit your application via the provided link on the Canonical Jobs portal.
• Portfolio Customization: Curate your online portfolio to prominently feature 3-5 of your most relevant projects, focusing on visual design, branding, UI, and any design system contributions. Ensure clear case studies with problem-solution-outcome narratives.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight experience in visual design, UI/UX, brand application, accessibility, and collaboration within technology environments. Use keywords like "visual design," "UI design," "brand guidelines," "design systems," "usability," and "accessibility."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, rationale, and technical understanding. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions related to collaboration, feedback, and problem-solving. Rehearse your portfolio walkthrough.
• Company Research: Thoroughly research Canonical, Ubuntu, their products, and their commitment to open-source. Understand their brand identity and the specific challenges of designing for a global technology company.

⚠️ 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.