Senior Brand Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Brand Designer

Company: Spare

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Brand Design / Creative Operations

Date Posted: April 13, 2026

Experience Level: Senior (5-10 years)

Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the definition and evolution of Spare's comprehensive visual brand language, ensuring consistency across all digital and physical touchpoints.

• Develop and execute high-craft design assets, including presentations, campaign materials, motion graphics, and event experiences, with a strong emphasis on storytelling and audience engagement.

• Partner closely with Marketing and Product teams to shape creative strategy, produce compelling product showcase videos, and build scalable design systems that empower cross-functional teams.

• Leverage AI-assisted workflows and a broad toolkit (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Webflow) to drive efficiency and innovation in brand asset creation and management.

• Act as a creative bar-setter, bringing a strong point of view and advocating for design excellence to elevate the company's brand presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a critical, hands-on contributor responsible for defining and executing a brand's future visual identity, not merely maintaining existing assets. The emphasis on "defining what comes next" and "creative ownership" suggests a significant strategic and executional mandate for the Senior Brand Designer.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Brand Visual Language Development: Define, document, and continuously evolve Spare's core visual identity, including typography, color palettes, imagery style, and graphic elements, ensuring a cohesive and modern aesthetic.

• Asset Creation & Execution: Produce a wide range of high-quality brand assets, such as pitch decks, sales collateral, social media content, event branding materials, motion graphics, and animated explainers.

• Product Storytelling & Video Production: Collaborate with Product and Marketing teams to conceptualize and create short, impactful product showcase videos (1-3 minutes) that clearly communicate feature value and drive engagement.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Act as a creative equal and strategic partner to the Marketing team, contributing to campaign briefs, providing creative direction, and ensuring brand consistency across all marketing initiatives.

• Design System & Framework Development: Build and maintain scalable design systems, template libraries, and design frameworks to empower other teams (Marketing, Sales, etc.) to produce on-brand materials independently.

• AI Workflow Integration: Proactively explore and implement AI tools and techniques to enhance creative workflows, accelerate asset production, and explore new creative possibilities.

• Brand Consistency Oversight: Ensure brand integrity across all touchpoints, including website presence, digital advertising, social media channels, and physical activations.

• Creative Standard Setting: Serve as a benchmark for design quality within the organization, mentoring junior designers (if applicable) and elevating the overall creative output of the company.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic brand building and hands-on execution, with a strong emphasis on systems thinking and AI integration. The expectation to "partner with Marketing as a creative equal" and "help shape briefs" indicates a proactive, strategic role rather than a purely execution-focused one.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• 5-10 years of professional experience in brand design, with a significant portion focused on evolving or building brand identities from the ground up.

Required Skills:

• Brand Identity Development: Proven ability to define and articulate a comprehensive visual brand language.

• Graphic Design Expertise: Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects, Premiere, Illustrator, Photoshop) for creating polished assets.

• Motion Graphics & Animation: Strong proficiency in creating engaging motion graphics and animations for digital platforms and video content.

• Video Editing: Skill in editing and producing professional-quality video content.

• System Design Thinking: Experience in building scalable design systems, template libraries, and style guides.

• AI-Assisted Design: Demonstrated fluency and practical application of AI tools within creative workflows.

• Storytelling & Narrative: Ability to craft compelling visual narratives for diverse audiences and platforms.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven experience working effectively with Marketing, Product, and other stakeholders.

• Creative Confidence & Articulation: Ability to present a strong point of view, articulate design rationale, and advocate for creative decisions.

• Taste & Aesthetic Judgment: Exceptional eye for detail, composition, and contemporary design trends.

Preferred Skills:

• UI/UX Design Principles: Understanding of user interface and user experience principles to inform brand application in digital products.

• Webflow Proficiency: Experience with Webflow for website design and development, or similar visual development platforms.

• Presentation Design: Expertise in creating impactful and visually compelling presentations.

• Event & Experiential Design: Experience designing for physical spaces, activations, and events.

• Art Direction: Ability to guide and inspire creative output, potentially overseeing external resources.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "proof" and "not looking for potential" in the requirements summary, combined with the skill set, strongly suggests this is a role for a seasoned professional who can immediately contribute and elevate the brand. The explicit mention of AI tools as "native extensions" and "force multipliers" indicates a forward-thinking approach to creative technology.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Brand Transformation Case Studies: Detailed examples showcasing the evolution of a brand's visual identity, including the strategic rationale, design decisions, and execution across multiple touchpoints. Clearly demonstrate a "before and after" state.

• Systems & Scalability Examples: Showcase the creation of design systems, template libraries, style guides, or frameworks that enable consistent, scalable brand application.

• Motion & Video Showcase: A dedicated section highlighting motion graphics, animation, and video editing capabilities, demonstrating storytelling and technical skill in these areas.

• Cross-Format Application: Evidence of applying brand identity across diverse formats such as digital (web, social, ads), sales collateral, presentations, and potentially physical activations.

• AI Workflow Integration Examples: If possible, include examples that illustrate how AI tools were used to enhance the creative process or output.

Process Documentation:

• Brand Guideline Documentation: Examples of comprehensive brand guidelines that clearly articulate visual language, usage rules, and best practices.

• Workflow Optimization: Descriptions of how design processes were streamlined or improved through system implementation or the adoption of new tools (e.g., AI).

• Collaboration Methodology: Evidence of working with cross-functional teams, detailing how creative input was integrated into broader marketing or product strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily geared towards demonstrating strategic brand building, execution across multiple formats, and the ability to create scalable systems, reflecting the senior nature and strategic impact of the role. The explicit request for "how you've shaped a brand's visual identity" emphasizes transformation and ownership.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $135,000 - $185,000 CAD per year (This range is based on the provided salary data for a Senior Brand Designer in Vancouver, Canada, reflecting industry benchmarks for experienced professionals in this field and location.)

Benefits:

• Equity (Stock Options)

• Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and Holidays

• Professional Development Budget for learning and growth

• Hybrid Work Model with 3 days in-office collaboration

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time work hours (approximately 40 hours per week), with flexibility expected to meet project deadlines and team collaboration needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range and benefits are typical for a senior-level creative role in a tech company in a major Canadian city. The inclusion of equity and a professional development budget are strong indicators of investment in employee growth and long-term commitment. The hybrid model specifies a clear expectation for in-office presence.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (AI-powered solutions for cities, SaaS)

Company Size: Spare is a growing company, described as "growing fast" with over 200 communities relying on their technology. This suggests a dynamic, mid-stage startup or scale-up environment.

Founded: Not specified, but the company is established enough to have over 200 community clients and significant product ambitions.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: The Senior Brand Designer reports to the Director of Design, indicating a structured design leadership. The role implies close collaboration with an existing design team.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role emphasizes strong partnerships with Marketing and Product teams, suggesting a collaborative, integrated approach to go-to-market and product development.

• Reporting Hierarchy: The Senior Brand Designer will report directly to the Director of Design.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Brand Evolution: While not explicitly stated for design, the company's focus on "AI-powered technology that helps cities run better" implies a data-informed approach to product development and strategy, which can influence brand messaging and design choices.

• Agile and Iterative: Fast-paced growth suggests an agile environment where rapid iteration and adaptation are key.

• Quality Focus: The company emphasizes "care deeply about quality" and producing "high-craft work," indicating a commitment to excellence in both product and brand presentation.

Company Website: https://spare.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Spare operates in the B2G/B2B SaaS space, providing AI solutions for urban management. This context implies a need for a brand that conveys trust, innovation, reliability, and a forward-thinking yet grounded approach. The "hybrid" work model and emphasis on collaboration suggest a culture that values both independent work and in-person team synergy.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior individual contributor role within the Design function, specifically focused on Brand Design. It sits at a level where significant strategic input and independent execution are expected. It's not a management role in terms of direct reports, but it carries significant leadership in shaping the brand's visual direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Brand Designer reports to the Director of Design. This provides a clear line of mentorship, strategic alignment, and performance feedback. Collaboration with Marketing and Product teams is also a key part of the structure.

Operations Impact: The Senior Brand Designer's impact is critical for Spare's market perception, customer acquisition, and brand recognition. By defining and executing a strong visual language, this role directly influences how the company is perceived by cities, partners, and potential employees. High-quality brand assets are essential for sales enablement, marketing campaigns, and establishing trust in a technology-driven sector. The role's success is measured by the brand's distinctiveness, consistency, and effectiveness in communicating Spare's mission and value proposition.

Growth Opportunities:

• Strategic Brand Leadership: Potential to grow into a Brand Director or Head of Brand role as the company scales, taking on more team management and broader strategic oversight.

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like motion design, product storytelling, or AI-driven creative workflows.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Expand influence by leading brand initiatives across different departments and contributing to broader company strategy.

• Career-Defining Work: The role offers a unique opportunity to shape the brand of a growing tech company at a pivotal moment, creating a significant portfolio piece and career milestone.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path here is primarily focused on increasing strategic influence and specialization within the brand design discipline, rather than necessarily moving into people management, aligning with the senior individual contributor model. The opportunity to "do career-defining work" is a significant draw for ambitious designers.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid role requiring 3 days per week in the Vancouver HQ. This indicates a modern office environment designed for collaboration, potentially with shared workspaces, meeting rooms, and amenities that support creative work.

Office Location(s): Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Specific office address not provided, but it's the company's HQ.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office serves as a central point for team collaboration, brainstorming sessions, and in-person alignment with Marketing and Product teams on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Mondays.

• Creative Resources: Likely equipped with necessary hardware, software licenses, and potentially specialized equipment or software for motion graphics and video production.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for spontaneous interaction, feedback exchange, and building team camaraderie within the design and broader company teams.

Work Schedule:

• The role is full-time, with an expectation of approximately 40 hours per week. The hybrid model allows for remote work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, offering a balance between focused individual work and collaborative in-office time.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model with specific in-office days suggests a structured approach to balancing remote flexibility with the benefits of in-person collaboration, particularly for creative roles that thrive on shared ideation and feedback.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

1. Application Submission: Submit resume and portfolio link via Ashby. The portfolio is crucial for this role.

2. Portfolio Review: Initial screening will heavily rely on the portfolio to assess brand-building experience, visual language development, execution across formats, and AI proficiency.

3. Hiring Manager Interview (Director of Design): Discussion focused on your experience, approach to brand building, strategic thinking, and how you've handled similar challenges. This stage will likely delve into specific portfolio pieces.

4. Team/Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with members of the Design team and potentially key stakeholders from Marketing or Product to assess collaboration style, communication, and cultural fit.

5. Design Challenge/Case Study Presentation: A practical exercise designed to evaluate your ability to solve a brand-related problem, define a visual direction, or create a sample asset. This will likely be presented to the Director of Design and potentially other stakeholders.

6. Final Interview: Potentially with a senior leader (e.g., Head of Marketing, CEO) to discuss overall fit and strategic alignment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Brand Transformation: Clearly highlight projects where you were instrumental in defining or significantly evolving a brand's visual identity. Use "before and after" visuals and explain the strategic "why."

• Demonstrate Breadth: Include examples of your work across diverse formats: web, social media, presentations, motion graphics, video, and any physical/event-based design.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: Show examples of design systems, style guides, or template libraries you've created. Explain how they facilitate scalability and consistency.

• Articulate Your Process: For each significant project, explain your thought process, creative decisions, problem-solving approach, and the impact of your work.

• Integrate AI: If you have examples of using AI tools effectively in your workflow, showcase them and explain the benefits gained.

• Keep it Concise & High-Quality: Focus on your strongest, most relevant work. Ensure all visuals are high-resolution and presented professionally.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand Spare's Mission: Research Spare's AI solutions for cities, their target audience, and their current brand positioning.

• Anticipate Brand Challenges: Think about potential challenges a company like Spare might face in visually communicating complex technology and building trust with municipalities.

• Prepare for "Define & Execute": Be ready to demonstrate both strategic thinking (how would you approach this brand challenge?) and tactical execution (show examples of how you'd bring it to life).

• Practice Presentation Skills: Prepare to clearly articulate your ideas, design rationale, and the impact of your work within a limited timeframe.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on the portfolio as a primary screening tool, along with a potential design challenge, indicates a practical, execution-oriented hiring process. Candidates should be prepared to "show, don't just tell."

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Essential for core design, motion graphics, and video editing. Specific applications mentioned include:

  • After Effects (Motion Graphics, Animation)
  • Premiere (Video Editing)
  • Illustrator (Vector Graphics, Logo Design)
  • Photoshop (Image Editing, Digital Assets)

• Figma: Critical for collaborative design, UI/UX prototyping, and design system development.

• Webflow: Preferred for website design and development, indicating a need for designers comfortable with or able to learn this platform for creating and managing the company's web presence.

• AI Design Tools: Explicitly mentioned as a required skill. This could encompass a range of tools for image generation, ideation, asset creation, or workflow automation (e.g., Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Adobe Firefly, or specialized AI design plugins).

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly relevant to the Senior Brand Designer's core responsibilities, but awareness of how brand assets are used in marketing automation platforms or CRM-driven communications might be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack is modern and leans towards collaborative, digital-first platforms, with a strong emphasis on motion, video, and the integration of emerging AI tools. Proficiency in these tools is non-negotiable for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Quality & Craftsmanship: A deep commitment to producing "high-craft work" and maintaining exceptionally high standards. The brand must be "unmistakable."

• Innovation & Future-Forward: Embracing AI-powered technology and looking to "define what comes next," indicating a culture that values forward-thinking solutions and pushing boundaries.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Working "closely with Marketing" and "as a creative equal" highlights a value placed on teamwork, shared ownership, and integrated approaches.

• Impact & Purpose: Building technology that "helps cities run better" suggests a mission-driven culture where employees are motivated by making a tangible difference.

• Taste & Aesthetic Excellence: A fundamental appreciation for design quality and the ability to execute with "taste" is paramount.

Collaboration Style:

• Strategic Partnership: The designer is expected to be a proactive partner, not just a task-taker, contributing creatively to strategy and briefs.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Close working relationships with Marketing and Product are essential, requiring strong communication and the ability to translate strategic objectives into visual outcomes.

• Systemic Enablement: A collaborative approach that involves building systems and frameworks to empower other teams, fostering a culture of shared responsibility for brand consistency.

• Feedback & Iteration: While "taste is non-negotiable," the collaborative environment likely involves constructive feedback loops and iterative refinement of creative work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture appears to be a blend of high-performance, mission-driven, and collaborative, with a strong emphasis on creative excellence and embracing new technologies. The expectation for "creative confidence" suggests a culture that values strong opinions and articulate advocates for design.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Defining a New Brand Identity: Evolving a brand from "good to unmistakable" for a growing tech company in a complex B2G/B2B SaaS market requires significant strategic vision and execution.

• Balancing AI with Human Creativity: Effectively integrating AI tools while maintaining unique brand voice, artistic integrity, and avoiding generic outputs.

• Communicating Complex Technology: Visually translating the value and impact of AI-powered urban solutions into understandable and compelling narratives for diverse audiences.

• Maintaining Consistency Across Growth: Ensuring brand cohesion across an expanding range of touchpoints and as the company scales rapidly.

• Hybrid Collaboration Dynamics: Maximizing the effectiveness of the hybrid work model for creative ideation and execution.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI Design: Opportunity to become a leader in applying AI tools for brand design and creative workflows.

• Strategic Brand Leadership: Potential to influence and shape the brand strategy for a significant player in the urban tech space.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining deeper insights into product development and marketing strategies through close collaboration.

• Industry Influence: Contributing to a brand that is at the forefront of integrating technology with urban management, potentially setting new standards.

• Career-Defining Portfolio Piece: The chance to create work that will be a significant highlight on any designer's resume.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a growth-stage company with ambitious product goals and a need to mature its brand presence. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a chance to make a significant impact and develop expertise in cutting-edge areas.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you took a brand from good to unmistakable. What was your process, and what were the key decisions you made?" (Focus on brand evolution, strategic thinking, and execution.)

• "How do you approach building a visual language for a brand in a complex sector like urban technology or AI?" (Highlight your understanding of target audiences, competitive landscape, and conveying technical concepts.)

• "Walk us through a project where you significantly improved brand consistency or scalability through design systems or templates." (Demonstrate your systems thinking and process optimization skills.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about Spare's mission and the impact of our technology on cities?" (Show genuine interest in the company's purpose.)

• "How do you approach collaboration with Marketing and Product teams? Describe a time you had to influence stakeholders with a creative point of view." (Prepare examples of effective cross-functional partnership and advocacy.)

• "What does 'high-craft' mean to you in the context of brand design, especially for a tech company?" (Articulate your standards for quality and execution.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Organize your portfolio by case study, starting with the most relevant (brand transformation/evolution). For each case study, clearly state the challenge, your role, your process, the solution (visuals!), and the impact/results.

• Storytelling: For each project, tell a clear narrative. What was the problem? How did you solve it? What was the outcome? Focus on the "why" behind your design decisions.

• Highlight Specific Skills: Ensure your presentation explicitly showcases your motion graphics, video editing, AI integration, and systems design capabilities through relevant project examples.

• Conciseness: Be prepared to present your strongest pieces efficiently within the allotted time for the design challenge or interview slot.

• Professionalism: Ensure your presentation slides or digital portfolio are as polished and well-designed as the work itself.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes practical application and strategic thinking. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their process, articulate their rationale, and demonstrate their ability to translate strategy into high-quality, scalable design solutions, particularly with an eye towards emerging technologies like AI.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Brand Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Ashby platform using the provided link.

• Curate Your Portfolio: Select 3-5 of your strongest, most relevant projects that specifically demonstrate your ability to define, evolve, and execute a brand's visual identity across multiple formats. Prioritize projects showcasing brand transformation, systems thinking, and motion/video work. Ensure AI integration examples are included if possible.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description such as "Brand Design," "Visual Language," "Motion Graphics," "AI-assisted Workflows," "Design Systems," and "Cross-Functional Collaboration." Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "Increased brand recognition by X%," "Developed templates used by Y teams").

• Prepare Your Narrative: Be ready to articulate your design philosophy, your process for building and evolving brands, and your excitement for Spare's mission. Practice presenting your portfolio case studies concisely and compellingly.

• Research Spare: Thoroughly understand Spare's product, mission, target audience, and current brand presence. Consider how your design approach can elevate their communication and market perception.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description incorporates AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions relevant to a Senior Brand Designer role in the tech sector. Candidates are strongly encouraged to review the original job posting and conduct their own research to fully understand the role and company requirements.