Senior Brand & Visual Designer
๐ Job Overview
Job Title: Senior Brand & Visual Designer
Company: CWILL
Location: New Jersey, United States
Job Type: FULL_TIME
Category: Brand & Visual Design / Marketing Operations
Date Posted: 2026-07-29
Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (3+ years)
Remote Status: Fully Remote
๐ Role Summary
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Lead the definition and execution of CWILL's comprehensive visual identity, impacting millions of shoppers daily across over 30,000 Shopify stores.
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Drive brand consistency and scalability through the ownership and evolution of the company's brand system and design language.
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Design and iterate on high-impact marketing collateral, including websites, landing pages, and campaign assets, to attract and engage merchants.
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Develop and implement user-facing UI components for embedded widgets and in-product overlays within Shopify merchant storefronts, ensuring seamless brand integration.
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Foster a collaborative environment by closely partnering with engineering teams to ensure precise design implementation, moving beyond traditional file handoffs.
๐ Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a "founding design role" within the US, indicating significant autonomy and the opportunity to shape design processes and standards from the ground up. The focus on "post-purchase and retention suite" for Shopify brands suggests a need for design that emphasizes trust, efficiency, and customer loyalty, which are key metrics in GTM and revenue operations.
๐ Primary Responsibilities
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Develop and maintain a robust brand system that ensures visual consistency and scalability across all CWILL touchpoints, from marketing to product interfaces.
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Design and optimize marketing website, landing pages, and campaign pages, aligning with GTM strategies and conversion rate optimization (CRO) goals.
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Create and refine consumer-facing UI components, such as embedded widgets and in-product overlays, ensuring a cohesive and branded experience for millions of shoppers.
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Produce a wide range of external-facing assets, including event and booth graphics, social media content, and pitch decks, to support marketing and sales enablement efforts.
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Collaborate directly with engineering teams to translate design concepts into functional, pixel-perfect implementations, ensuring design integrity and efficient handoff.
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Contribute to product UI design, focusing on areas where brand aesthetics intersect with user experience, such as onboarding flows, empty states, and notification templates.
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Manage and evolve a comprehensive design system that supports both brand and product design needs, facilitating efficient iteration and scalability.
๐ Enhancement Note: The responsibility for "consumer-facing UI components" and "embedded widgets" within Shopify stores highlights a crucial link to customer experience (CX) and merchant success, which are direct drivers of retention and revenue. This role will need to understand how design impacts user behavior and adoption, aligning with broader revenue operations objectives.
๐ Skills & Qualifications
Education: Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Experience: Minimum of 3 years of progressive experience in Brand Design, Visual Design, or Marketing Website Design, with a preference for candidates with B2B SaaS or DTC ecommerce backgrounds.
Required Skills:
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Proven track record in Brand Design and Visual Design, demonstrated through a strong portfolio showcasing web, product UI, and brand system expertise.
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Hands-on experience designing consumer-facing components, including landing pages, event assets, web widgets, and embedded UIs within third-party platforms.
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Proficiency in Figma for design creation, prototyping, and detailed spec handoffs to engineering teams.
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Fluency in end-to-end digital design, encompassing websites, UI components, illustration, and typography.
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Demonstrated ability to thrive in ambiguous, 0-to-1 environments, making confident decisions and driving projects from concept to completion.
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Strong understanding of brand system development and maintenance for scalability and consistency. Preferred Skills:
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Direct experience within the Shopify ecosystem, including familiarity with platforms like Klaviyo, Yotpo, Loop, Narvar, or AfterShip.
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Prior experience building or leading a design team, with a potential for future IC to Manager transition.
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Background encompassing both post-purchase experiences and customer retention strategies.
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Exposure to designing for AI-native product experiences.
๐ Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "portfolio that makes us stop scrolling" and "shipping designs that actually get built" underscores the need for candidates who not only possess strong aesthetic skills but also understand practical implementation and the tangible impact of their work on user engagement and revenue.
๐ Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements
Portfolio Essentials:
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Showcase a diverse range of projects that clearly articulate your role in defining and executing brand identity across multiple channels (web, product, marketing).
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Include case studies detailing the design process for consumer-facing UI components and web widgets, emphasizing user impact and problem-solving.
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Demonstrate your ability to manage and scale brand systems, highlighting examples of their application and evolution.
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Present projects that illustrate collaboration with engineering teams and successful implementation of designs.
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Highlight work demonstrating a strong understanding of B2B SaaS or DTC ecommerce marketing principles and visual communication strategies. Process Documentation:
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Provide examples of how you approach design system documentation, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and scalability for cross-functional teams.
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Showcase your workflow for translating ambiguous requirements into concrete design solutions, including research, ideation, iteration, and final delivery.
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Illustrate your process for collaborating with engineers, including handoff procedures, feedback loops, and quality assurance for design implementation.
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Present methodologies for iterating on designs based on data, user feedback, or evolving business objectives, demonstrating a data-informed approach to design.
๐ Enhancement Note: Given this is a "founding design role," the portfolio should also implicitly demonstrate the candidate's ability to establish design processes and standards where none currently exist, showcasing their initiative and strategic thinking in building a design function.
๐ต Compensation & Benefits
Salary Range: $90,000 - $120,000 USD per year, plus bonus potential. The final salary will be negotiated based on individual experience and qualifications.
Benefits:
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401(k): Retirement savings plan to support long-term financial security.
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Paid Time Off (PTO): Generous leave policy for rest and rejuvenation.
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Paid Holidays: Recognized holidays for time off.
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Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
Working Hours: Standard 40-hour work week, with flexibility to accommodate remote work and project deadlines.
๐ Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is typical for a Senior Brand & Visual Designer in the New Jersey area, considering the remote work flexibility. The bonus structure suggests a performance-driven component, aligning with revenue and growth objectives. The inclusion of a 401(k) and comprehensive insurance points to a stable, established company prioritizing employee well-being.
๐ฏ Team & Company Context
๐ข Company Culture
Industry: E-commerce Technology / SaaS (Software as a Service)
Company Size: Small (likely under 50 employees, given the "small team, no bureaucracy" and "founding role" descriptions). This implies a fast-paced, agile environment with high visibility for individual contributions.
Founded: The company is bootstrapped and profitable, suggesting financial stability and a focus on sustainable growth rather than rapid, venture-funded expansion.
Team Structure:
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As a founding US design role, the individual will likely be the sole designer initially, reporting directly to leadership (e.g., Head of Product, CEO, or CTO).
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Close collaboration with engineering and potentially marketing/GTM teams is expected.
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The small team size suggests a flat hierarchy and direct access to decision-makers. Methodology:
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Emphasis on defining and shipping visual identity from "0 to 1," indicating a proactive, iterative, and experimental approach.
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Focus on user-facing components and merchant experience suggests a customer-centric, data-informed design process.
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Bootstrapped and profitable nature implies a pragmatic, efficient, and ROI-focused operational mindset.
Company Website: https://cwill.com/ (Derived from domain_derived)
๐ Enhancement Note: The "founding design role" implies a strong need for self-starters who can build processes and standards. The bootstrapped nature suggests a culture that values efficiency, direct impact, and fiscal responsibility, which are critical for operations-focused roles.
๐ Career & Growth Analysis
Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior Individual Contributor (IC) with significant leadership potential. It's a "founding" role, meaning the individual will set the standard for design within the company. The scope includes brand, marketing, and product UI, offering broad exposure.
Reporting Structure: The Senior Brand & Visual Designer will likely report directly to a senior leader such as the Head of Product, CTO, or CEO, given the small team size and founding nature of the role.
Operations Impact: The visual identity and user experience designed by this role directly influence merchant acquisition (marketing website), merchant adoption and satisfaction (UI components, widgets), and ultimately, customer retention for those merchants. This has a direct impact on CWILL's revenue growth and market position.
Growth Opportunities:
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Design Leadership: Potential to build and lead a design team as the company scales.
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Strategic Influence: Shape the overall brand direction and product aesthetics, influencing GTM strategy and product roadmap.
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Cross-Functional Expertise: Deepen understanding of e-commerce, SaaS, and retention strategies through close collaboration with product, engineering, and GTM teams.
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Skill Specialization: Opportunity to become an expert in the Shopify ecosystem and post-purchase/retention design.
๐ Enhancement Note: The "IC โ Manager transition" as a 'nice to have' strongly suggests that the company anticipates growth and is looking for someone who can evolve into a leadership position, offering a clear career progression path beyond the initial senior IC role.
๐ Work Environment
Office Type: Fully Remote. This role is based in the United States, with a specific concentration or preference for New Jersey.
Office Location(s): While the role is remote, the mention of "New Jersey, United States" suggests that either the company has a presence there, or there's a preference for candidates within that time zone or state for potential future meetups or team gatherings.
Workspace Context:
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Collaborative Environment: Expect close collaboration with remote engineering and leadership teams, requiring strong communication skills and proficiency with remote collaboration tools.
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Operations Tools & Technology: Access to standard design software (Figma) and project management tools will be provided. The environment is likely lean and agile, prioritizing effective tool utilization.
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Team Interaction: Regular virtual meetings, design critiques, and brainstorming sessions will be key for interaction and alignment.
Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected, with flexibility to manage tasks and projects effectively across time zones. The focus will be on output and meeting deadlines rather than strict adherence to office hours.
๐ Enhancement Note: The "New Jersey, United States" location requirement for a remote role is unusual. It could indicate a historical presence, a legal requirement for payroll, or a preference for candidates within that specific US state for timezone alignment or potential future localized team events.
๐ Application & Portfolio Review Process
Interview Process:
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Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess qualifications and visual craft.
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Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where the candidate presents their portfolio, highlighting key projects, design process, and impact. Expect questions on brand systems, UI component design, and collaboration.
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Skills Assessment/Design Challenge: Potentially a small, focused design exercise or a discussion around a hypothetical problem to evaluate problem-solving skills, approach to ambiguity, and Figma proficiency.
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Team/Leadership Interviews: Conversations with founders/leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and alignment with the company's vision.
Portfolio Review Tips:
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Curate for Impact: Select projects that best demonstrate your ability to define and execute brand identity, design consumer-facing UI, and work within a system. Prioritize work that shows tangible results or solves complex problems.
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Showcase Process: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, your design process (research, ideation, iteration), the tools used (especially Figma), and the outcome.
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Highlight Collaboration: Include examples of how you've worked with engineers or other stakeholders, emphasizing communication and problem-solving during implementation.
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Address Ambiguity: If possible, include a project that started from a "0 to 1" stage to demonstrate your comfort with ambiguity and ability to create from a blank canvas.
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Tailor to CWILL: Briefly explain why your skills and experience are a strong fit for CWILL's mission, product (post-purchase/retention for Shopify), and the founding nature of this role.
Challenge Preparation:
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Understand CWILL's Product: Research CWILL's offering and target market (Shopify brands, post-purchase, retention). Think about the visual language that would resonate with these merchants and their customers.
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Brand System Thinking: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building or evolving a brand system for a growing SaaS company.
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UI Component Design: Consider common UI patterns for e-commerce post-purchase experiences (returns, exchanges, order tracking, customer service) and how their visual design impacts user trust and efficiency.
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Figma Proficiency: Be ready to discuss your Figma workflow, including best practices for component libraries, auto-layout, and design system management.
๐ Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a "founding design role" suggests interviews will heavily scrutinize the candidate's ability to operate independently, define strategic direction, and build processes from scratch, not just execute existing ones.
๐ Tools & Technology Stack
Primary Tools:
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Figma: The core design tool for UI design, prototyping, and design system management. Proficiency is a must.
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Design System Tools: Experience with building, maintaining, and scaling design systems within Figma or similar platforms.
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Prototyping Tools: Figma's built-in prototyping capabilities, or potentially other tools for more advanced interactive prototypes.
Analytics & Reporting:
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While not a direct design tool, understanding how to interpret data from analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Shopify Analytics, product analytics tools like Mixpanel or Amplitude) to inform design decisions would be beneficial. CRM & Automation:
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Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation platforms is a plus, especially for understanding how branding and design integrate with GTM workflows. Experience with Shopify itself is highly valued.
๐ Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma and "design systems" points to an expectation of modern, scalable design practices. The "consumer-facing UI components" and "widgets" suggest the need for designers who understand how their work integrates into broader e-commerce platforms and influences transactional customer journeys.
๐ฅ Team Culture & Values
Operations Values:
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Craftsmanship & Quality: A commitment to high visual standards and meticulous execution in all design outputs.
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Ownership & Initiative: Taking full responsibility for design outcomes and proactively driving projects forward, especially in a founding role.
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Collaboration & Communication: Openly sharing work, seeking feedback, and working effectively with cross-functional teams, particularly engineering.
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Efficiency & Pragmatism: Designing solutions that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also scalable, implementable, and aligned with business goals, reflecting the bootstrapped nature of the company.
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Customer-Centricity: Designing with a deep understanding of both the merchant user and the end shopper, focusing on creating positive and effective experiences.
Collaboration Style:
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Direct and Transparent: Given the small team, expect open communication channels and direct feedback loops.
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Cross-Functional Integration: Design work will be tightly integrated with product development and GTM strategies, requiring close partnership with engineering, marketing, and leadership.
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Iterative and Agile: A culture of continuous improvement, where designs are tested, iterated upon, and refined based on feedback and performance data.
๐ Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "no bureaucracy" and "direct access to leadership" suggests a culture that values speed, directness, and impact. Operations professionals would find this environment appealing if they thrive on autonomy and being close to decision-making processes.
โก Challenges & Growth Opportunities
Challenges:
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Establishing Design Foundation: As the first US designer, the primary challenge will be building the brand system, design processes, and visual identity from scratch with limited existing assets.
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Balancing Brand and Product: Effectively merging distinct brand aesthetics with functional product UI components, ensuring both are cohesive and effective.
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Remote Collaboration: Maintaining strong communication and alignment with a distributed team, particularly engineers, to ensure design fidelity.
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Ambiguity and Prioritization: Navigating a fast-paced startup environment where priorities can shift, requiring adaptability and strong organizational skills.
Learning & Development Opportunities:
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Design Leadership Development: Opportunity to define and grow the design function, potentially leading to team management.
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E-commerce & SaaS Expertise: Deep dive into the Shopify ecosystem, post-purchase workflows, and retention strategies, becoming a subject matter expert.
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Product-Brand Integration: Gain extensive experience in how brand strategy directly influences product design and user experience in a SaaS context.
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Founding Team Experience: Learn firsthand about building a profitable, bootstrapped tech company from the ground up.
๐ Enhancement Note: The "0 -> 1 ambiguity" is a significant challenge but also a prime growth opportunity. Candidates who excel in building foundational elements will find this role particularly rewarding and a strong stepping stone for future leadership roles in operations or product design.
๐ก Interview Preparation
Strategy Questions:
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"How would you approach building a comprehensive brand system for a new SaaS product from the ground up?" (Focus on process, tools, and scalability.)
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"Describe a time you had to collaborate closely with engineers to ensure a complex design was implemented accurately. What was your process?" (Highlight communication, handoff, and problem-solving.)
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"Given CWILL's focus on post-purchase and retention for Shopify brands, what are some key visual design considerations for building trust and encouraging repeat business?" (Connect design to business objectives.) Company & Culture Questions:
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"What excites you about the e-commerce/Shopify ecosystem and CWILL's mission?" (Show genuine interest and research.)
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"How do you typically handle ambiguity or shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment?" (Demonstrate adaptability and proactivity.)
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"How do you see brand design contributing to the overall success of a SaaS company like CWILL?" (Articulate the business value of design.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:
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Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly explain the "why" (the problem), the "what" (your solution), and the "how" (your process and collaboration).
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Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, improved user engagement, reduced support tickets).
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Showcase Figma Skills: Be prepared to walk through key Figma files, demonstrating your use of components, auto-layout, and design system principles.
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Connect to CWILL: Explicitly link your experience and skills to CWILL's specific needs, especially regarding brand systems, UI components for Shopify, and their post-purchase/retention focus.
๐ Enhancement Note: Given the founding nature of the role, interviewers will be looking for strategic thinking, a proactive mindset, and the ability to not just execute but to define and build. Be ready to discuss your philosophy on design systems, brand consistency, and the intersection of design with business outcomes.
๐ Application Steps
To apply for this Senior Brand & Visual Designer position:
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Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.
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Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight your strongest work in brand systems, web design, and consumer-facing UI components relevant to e-commerce or SaaS. Ensure it clearly demonstrates your Figma proficiency and ability to work in ambiguous environments.
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Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your years of experience, specific skills (Figma, brand systems, UI design), and accomplishments in B2B SaaS or DTC ecommerce. Use keywords from the job description naturally.
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Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio, focusing on storytelling, process, and impact. Prepare to discuss your approach to building a design function from scratch and how you collaborate with engineering.
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Company Research: Thoroughly research CWILL's website, product offering, and mission. Understand their target market (Shopify brands) and the importance of post-purchase and retention. Consider how your design expertise can directly contribute to their GTM and revenue goals.
โ ๏ธ 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
The ideal candidate has 3+ years of experience in brand, visual, or marketing website design with a strong portfolio across web and product UI. You must be proficient in Figma and comfortable working in an ambiguous, fast-paced environment.