Senior Brand Designer, Topps.com

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Brand Designer, Topps.com

Company: Fanatics Collectibles

Location: Los Angeles, CA, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Creative & Media / Marketing / Brand Design

Date Posted: August 20, 2026

Experience Level: 7+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and evolve the creative vision for Topps.com, a critical digital platform for sports collectibles.

• Drive the visual and verbal identity of Topps.com, encompassing everything from typography and tone to motion graphics and logo usage.

• Own and champion digital brand guidelines to ensure consistent and creative application across all touchpoints.

• Direct creative strategies for product launches, go-to-market campaigns, and lifecycle marketing initiatives.

• Collaborate closely with Product Marketing, Growth, and E-Commerce teams to translate product features into compelling digital narratives and drive engagement and sales.

• Design and maintain brand-forward web surfaces, including marketing sites and blogs, ensuring clear storytelling and aesthetic appeal.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior individual contributor with significant leadership and creative direction responsibilities, focusing on elevating the digital presence of an iconic collectibles brand. The emphasis is on both strategic vision setting and hands-on execution within a fast-paced, product-first environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Brand & Identity Evolution: Spearhead the evolution of Topps.com's visual and verbal identity, defining standards for typography, tone of voice, layout, motion graphics, and logo application to create a cohesive and engaging brand experience.

• Digital Brand Guideline Ownership: Develop, maintain, and disseminate comprehensive digital brand guidelines, empowering internal teams and stakeholders to apply them with confidence and creativity across all digital assets.

• Campaign & Product Launch Creative Direction: Lead the creative direction for all feature launches, go-to-market campaigns, and lifecycle marketing efforts, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and business objectives.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Marketing, Product, E-Commerce, and Global Brand teams to deliver impactful creative solutions that drive collector engagement, sales, and support global product initiatives.

• Product Experience Integration: Collaborate with Product Design to infuse brand personality into the core product experience, including onboarding flows, microcopy, and moments of delight, focusing on how the product feels to the user.

• Web Surface Design: Design and continuously improve brand-forward web surfaces such as the marketing site, blog, and careers page, ensuring each page effectively communicates the brand story and maintains a high standard of visual appeal.

• Internal & Employer Branding: Create design assets for internal company events, initiatives, and recruiting efforts, reinforcing the Topps brand identity within the organization.

• Sales & Partner Enablement Materials: Design polished and personality-driven B2B materials, including sales decks and one-pagers, to effectively represent the Topps brand to partners and stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic brand leadership and hands-on design execution, with a strong emphasis on cross-functional collaboration and driving business outcomes through creative excellence in a digital-first environment.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience, is highly recommended.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7+ years of progressive experience in design and creative direction, with a significant focus on consumer-facing digital experiences and e-commerce platforms.

• A minimum of 3+ years in a leadership capacity, managing, mentoring, and guiding creative teams.

• Demonstrated success in building and scaling digital brand identities and comprehensive design systems. Required Skills:

• Creative Direction: Proven ability to set and execute a compelling creative vision for digital products and campaigns.

• Digital Brand Building: Expertise in developing and evolving brand identities for consumer-facing digital platforms, with a strong understanding of brand architecture.

• E-commerce & Commerce-Driven Design: Deep experience in designing user-centric, commerce-driven digital experiences that effectively drive sales and engagement.

• Design Systems & Brand Guidelines: Proficiency in creating, implementing, and scaling robust design systems and brand guidelines for digital applications.

• Figma Proficiency: Advanced skills in Figma for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaborative workflows.

• Adobe Creative Suite: Expert-level proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for various design tasks.

• Prototyping Tools: Experience with prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD, InVision) to create interactive user flows and present design concepts.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Exceptional ability to partner effectively with Product Management, Marketing, Engineering, and other stakeholders.

• Team Leadership & Mentoring: Proven experience in leading, mentoring, and inspiring creative teams to achieve high-quality output.

Preferred Skills:

• Portfolio Showcase: A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional digital brand building, e-commerce design, and web design work, with clear examples of impactful campaigns and brand evolution.

• Industry Experience: Background in sports, entertainment, collectibles, or consumer lifestyle brands.

• Business Acumen: Ability to balance creative strategy with a clear understanding of business impact and ROI.

• Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Expertise: Familiarity with building and optimizing direct-to-consumer brands and e-commerce strategies.

• Motion Graphics & Animation: Basic understanding or experience with motion graphics and animation for digital content.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirements emphasize a blend of hands-on design skills, strategic leadership, and a proven ability to influence cross-functional teams. The preferred skills indicate a desire for candidates who can immediately contribute to a dynamic, consumer-focused brand within the collectibles and sports industry.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Digital Brand Identity: Showcase examples of how you have developed or evolved a brand's visual and verbal identity specifically for digital platforms, demonstrating consistency across various touchpoints.

• E-commerce & Campaign Design: Present case studies of digital campaigns or e-commerce product launches where your design leadership directly contributed to user engagement, conversion rates, or sales. Highlight the strategic thinking behind your creative decisions.

• Design System Development: Include examples of design systems or comprehensive brand guidelines you've created or significantly contributed to, illustrating their structure, application, and impact on design consistency.

• Web & UX Design: Feature examples of user-facing websites or digital product interfaces you've designed, emphasizing user experience, visual hierarchy, and storytelling.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Leadership: Describe projects where you collaborated with diverse teams (e.g., Product, Marketing, Engineering) and how you led or mentored junior designers to achieve project goals.

Process Documentation:

• Brand Evolution Strategy: Detail your approach to evolving a brand's identity for a digital-first environment, including research, ideation, stakeholder alignment, and implementation phases.

• Campaign Creative Development: Outline your process for developing creative briefs, conceptualizing campaign ideas, producing assets, and measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

• Design System Implementation: Document your methodology for creating and implementing design systems, including component libraries, usage guidelines, and processes for iteration and maintenance.

• User-Centric Design Process: Explain your process for understanding user needs, translating them into design solutions, and iterating based on feedback and data, particularly within an e-commerce context.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are designed to assess a candidate's strategic thinking, hands-on design capabilities, and ability to manage brand consistency and drive business results through creative execution in a digital and e-commerce environment. Emphasis is placed on demonstrating leadership and process-driven approaches.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $140,120 - $175,150 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Retirement savings plan with company match (e.g., 401k).

• Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Opportunities for professional development, including training, conferences, and workshops.

• Employee discounts on Fanatics merchandise.

• Potential for performance-based bonuses or incentives.

• Access to a global digital sports platform and the excitement of the collectibles industry.

Working Hours: The standard working hours for this on-site role are approximately 40 hours per week. While the core hours will be defined, there may be flexibility required to meet project deadlines and campaign launches, particularly during peak periods.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific to the Los Angeles location and is based on current market data for senior-level design roles in the tech and e-commerce sectors. The benefits package is typical for a company of Fanatics' scale, offering robust coverage and professional growth opportunities. The working hours are standard, but the fast-paced nature of the industry may necessitate occasional extended hours.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Fanatics operates at the intersection of sports, e-commerce, and digital collectibles, positioning itself as a leading global digital sports platform. The company encompasses Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, serving hundreds of sports partners globally.

Company Size: Fanatics is a large enterprise, with over 22,000 employees globally. This scale provides significant resources and opportunities for impact, while the specific teams often operate with the agility of a startup.

Founded: Fanatics was founded in 1995, evolving significantly over the years to become a dominant force in sports merchandise and digital collectibles. Its growth trajectory, particularly with recent investments and strategic expansions, underscores its ambition and market leadership.

Team Structure:

• Operations Team Context: While this role is in Brand Design, it operates within the broader Fanatics Collectibles division. The design team likely collaborates closely with Product Management, Marketing (including Product Marketing and Growth), E-commerce operations, and potentially Licensing/Partnerships teams.

• Reporting Structure: The Senior Brand Designer will likely report to a Creative Director, Head of Design, or a senior Marketing leader within the Topps.com division. They are also expected to lead and mentor junior designers.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: High emphasis on seamless collaboration with Product, Marketing, and E-commerce teams to ensure brand consistency and drive business objectives across web, campaigns, and product features.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Creativity: Decisions are informed by fan engagement data, sales metrics, and market trends to ensure creative outputs resonate with collectors and achieve business goals.

• Agile & Iterative Design: The team likely employs agile methodologies, moving quickly to iterate on designs based on feedback, A/B testing, and evolving market needs.

• Product-First Approach: Every design decision is tied back to providing value to the collector, focusing on clarity, creativity, and connection with the target audience.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Fanatics' culture is characterized by rapid growth, a focus on innovation, and a deep connection to sports fandom. For a designer, this means working in a dynamic environment where creativity is valued, but always in service of business objectives and collector value. The scale of the company offers broad reach and impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is a Senior Individual Contributor with significant leadership potential. It represents a critical juncture in a designer's career, moving from execution to strategic vision-setting and team mentorship. The focus is on owning key brand elements and influencing product direction.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Brand Designer will report to a senior creative or marketing lead. They will also be responsible for mentoring and guiding junior designers, fostering a collaborative and high-performing creative environment.

Operations Impact: The Senior Brand Designer's work will directly influence the perception and engagement of Topps.com, a primary digital storefront for sports collectibles. Their creative direction will impact collector acquisition, retention, campaign success, and overall brand equity, thereby contributing significantly to revenue generation and market positioning within the collectibles space.

Growth Opportunities:

• Creative Leadership Advancement: Potential to grow into a Creative Director or Head of Design role, overseeing larger teams and broader creative initiatives across Fanatics Collectibles.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in areas like e-commerce design, brand strategy for digital platforms, or motion graphics within the collectibles niche.

• Cross-Divisional Mobility: Potential to move into design leadership roles within other Fanatics divisions (Commerce, Betting & Gaming) as the company continues to expand.

• Industry Influence: Opportunity to shape the visual language of the trading card and collectibles hobby, setting new standards for digital engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a clear path for career progression within Fanatics, allowing for both vertical growth in leadership and horizontal growth through specialization or movement to other divisions. The impact on a rapidly growing market segment is substantial.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role based in Los Angeles, CA. The environment is expected to be a modern, collaborative office space designed to foster innovation and teamwork.

Office Location(s): Los Angeles, California, United States. Specific office address details would be provided upon inquiry or during the interview process.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect an open or semi-open office layout designed to encourage spontaneous collaboration, brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional team interactions.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design software (Figma, Adobe Creative Suite), prototyping tools, and potentially advanced hardware to support creative work. The environment supports a hands-on approach to design.

• Team Interaction: Frequent interaction with fellow designers, product managers, marketers, and other creative professionals, fostering a dynamic and energetic workspace.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, approximately 40 hours per week. While standard business hours are expected, the fast-paced nature of the collectibles market and campaign launches may require flexibility to meet deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Los Angeles suggests a preference for in-person collaboration and team synergy. The workspace is likely equipped to support creative workflows, emphasizing a hands-on and interactive design process.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or Talent Acquisition will review applications and portfolios to assess basic qualifications and creative alignment.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the hiring manager to discuss experience, creative philosophy, leadership style, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Presentation & Design Challenge: Candidates will likely present their portfolio, showcasing relevant case studies. A design challenge might be assigned to assess problem-solving skills, creative approach, and execution within a specific timeframe. This may involve evolving an existing Topps.com element or creating a concept for a new campaign.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product, Marketing, or E-commerce teams to evaluate collaboration skills and understanding of business objectives.

• Final Interview: Potential final round with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision and long-term impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Relevance: Select 3-5 projects that best showcase your experience in digital brand building, e-commerce, campaign creative, and design leadership. Prioritize work related to consumer-facing digital products.

• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the creative solutions you developed, and the measurable business impact or results achieved.

• Highlight Process: Demonstrate your strategic thinking and problem-solving skills by detailing your design process, including research, user insights, iteration, and collaboration.

• Showcase Brand Expertise: Emphasize how you evolved or maintained brand identity, applied design systems, and ensured consistency across digital touchpoints.

• Technical Proficiency: Be prepared to discuss your proficiency with Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and prototyping tools, and how you leverage them effectively.

• Leadership Examples: If applicable, include examples of how you mentored junior designers or led creative initiatives.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brand: Thoroughly research Topps.com, its current branding, target audience (collectors), and the competitive landscape of sports collectibles.

• Focus on E-commerce & Engagement: Anticipate challenges that require you to think about driving sales, increasing user engagement, and enhancing the collector experience online.

• Demonstrate Process: Approach any challenge by outlining your thought process, research, potential solutions, and rationale, rather than just presenting a final design.

• Be Pragmatic & Bold: Balance innovative ideas with practical constraints and business objectives. Show you can be both a visionary and an executor.

• Prepare Questions: Have thoughtful questions ready for the interviewers about the team, the brand's future, design challenges, and company culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is structured to evaluate a candidate's creative talent, strategic thinking, leadership capabilities, and ability to thrive in Fanatics' fast-paced, collaborative environment. A strong, relevant portfolio and thoughtful preparation for potential design challenges are crucial.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for UI/UX design, prototyping, and collaborative workflows. Proficiency is expected for wireframing, interface design, and component creation.

• Adobe Creative Suite:

  • Photoshop: For image editing, manipulation, and creating high-fidelity mockups.
  • Illustrator: For vector graphics, logo design, icons, and complex illustrations.
  • InDesign: For layout design, potentially for brand guidelines, pitch decks, or marketing collateral.

• Prototyping Tools: Proficiency with tools like Figma's built-in prototyping features, or potentially others like Adobe XD or InVision, for creating interactive user flows and presentations.

Analytics & Reporting (Familiarity is a plus):

• Web Analytics Platforms: Understanding of how to interpret data from tools like Google Analytics to inform design decisions related to user behavior, conversion rates, and engagement.

• A/B Testing Tools: Familiarity with platforms used for A/B testing creative elements to optimize performance.

CRM & Automation (Indirect Involvement):

• While not a direct user role, understanding how design integrates with CRM platforms (like Salesforce) and marketing automation tools (like HubSpot, Marketo) to deliver personalized experiences or campaign assets can be beneficial.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core technology stack revolves around industry-standard design and prototyping tools, with an emphasis on Figma. Familiarity with analytics and marketing automation tools is a plus, indicating the role's connection to data-driven decision-making and marketing campaign execution.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Collector-Centricity: A fundamental value is to serve and delight sports collectors, ensuring every design choice enhances their experience and connection to the brand.

• Craftsmanship & Excellence: A commitment to high-quality design and execution, with an emphasis on detail, polish, and aesthetic appeal in all digital outputs.

• Speed & Agility: The ability to move quickly, iterate efficiently, and adapt to the fast-paced demands of the collectibles market and digital landscape.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: A strong belief in working together across functions, valuing diverse perspectives to achieve collective goals and foster innovation.

• Data-Informed Innovation: While bold ideas are encouraged, decisions are grounded in data and performance metrics to ensure creative strategies are effective and impactful.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: The design team works hand-in-hand with Product, Marketing, and E-commerce teams, fostering a highly integrated workflow where design input is sought early and often.

• Feedback-Driven Iteration: An open culture of constructive feedback, where designs are shared and refined collaboratively to ensure the best possible outcome.

• Knowledge Sharing: Encouragement of sharing best practices, new design techniques, and industry trends within the design team and across departments.

📝 Enhancement Note: Fanatics Collectibles values a blend of creative passion, business acumen, and collaborative spirit. The culture encourages designers to be both visionary leaders and hands-on contributors, driven by a deep understanding of the collector community and a commitment to continuous improvement.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand Legacy with Digital Innovation: Evolving the iconic Topps brand for a modern digital-first audience while respecting its heritage and collector expectations.

• Rapid Market Evolution: Keeping pace with the dynamic and rapidly changing sports collectibles market, including new product types, digital trends, and collector behaviors.

• Scaling Creative Output: Ensuring consistent brand quality and creative excellence across a growing portfolio of products, campaigns, and digital platforms.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Effectively managing stakeholder expectations and driving consensus among diverse teams with varying priorities.

• Data Integration: Translating complex data insights into actionable design strategies that demonstrably improve collector engagement and business outcomes.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Collectibles Culture: Gain unparalleled insight into the world of sports trading cards and collectibles, understanding the nuances of collector psychology and market dynamics.

• E-commerce Optimization: Develop expertise in designing for direct-to-consumer e-commerce platforms, focusing on conversion optimization and customer journey mapping.

• Brand Strategy for Digital Platforms: Enhance skills in defining and executing brand strategy specifically for web, mobile apps, and other digital touchpoints.

• Leadership Development: Opportunities to hone leadership and mentoring skills through managing junior designers and influencing cross-functional teams.

• Industry Exposure: Engage with industry trends through conferences, workshops, and direct collaboration with major sports leagues and athletes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role presents significant challenges related to brand evolution and market dynamism, but these are balanced by substantial growth opportunities in specialized design areas, leadership, and deep industry immersion within a high-growth sector.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach evolving the visual identity of Topps.com to feel both modern and honor its iconic legacy?" (Focus on your process for balancing heritage with innovation, and how you'd involve stakeholders.)

• "Describe a time you led a creative team through a challenging product launch or campaign. What were the key challenges, and how did you ensure success?" (Highlight leadership, problem-solving, and outcomes.)

• "How do you ensure brand consistency across multiple digital touchpoints, especially when working with different teams and product lines?" (Discuss your approach to design systems, guidelines, and cross-functional collaboration.)

• "Walk us through a complex e-commerce design challenge you've tackled. What were the business objectives, user needs, your design solutions, and the impact?" (Prepare a detailed case study focusing on ROI and user experience.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you most about Fanatics Collectibles and the Topps brand, and how do you see your design contributions impacting collectors?" (Showcase your passion for the brand and understanding of its audience.)

• "How do you foster a collaborative environment within a design team and with external partners like Product and Marketing?" (Discuss your communication style and methods for building consensus.)

• "Fanatics emphasizes speed and agility. How do you balance delivering high-quality creative work with the need to move quickly?" (Address your workflow, prioritization, and ability to iterate.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly define the problem, your specific role and contributions, the strategic approach, the design process, key decisions, and measurable outcomes.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs (e.g., increased conversion rates, engagement lift, improved brand perception).

• Showcase Process, Not Just Pixels: Explain the "why" behind your design choices. Discuss research, user testing, iterations, and how you collaborated with others.

• Highlight Leadership: For senior roles, clearly articulate instances where you led teams, mentored junior designers, or influenced strategic direction.

• Tailor to Topps.com: Emphasize projects that demonstrate experience with digital brands, e-commerce, campaign creative, and ideally, consumer lifestyle or collectibles.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, leadership, a deep understanding of digital brand building and e-commerce, and a genuine passion for the Topps brand and the collectibles market. A well-prepared portfolio presentation is paramount.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Brand Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided Greenhouse link.

• Curate and Refine Your Portfolio: Ensure your portfolio prominently features projects showcasing digital brand identity evolution, e-commerce design, campaign creative, and your leadership experience. Tailor the selection to highlight relevance to Topps.com and the collectibles market.

• Optimize Your Resume: Update your resume to clearly articulate your 7+ years of experience, leadership roles, and specific achievements in digital brand building, commerce-driven design, and design systems. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your Portfolio Presentation: Practice presenting your selected case studies, focusing on storytelling, process, collaboration, and quantifiable results. Be ready to discuss your approach to creative challenges and team leadership.

• Research Fanatics & Topps: Thoroughly understand Fanatics' business model, the Topps brand's heritage and current market position, and the collector community. Prepare thoughtful questions about the company culture, team dynamics, and future vision.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.