Senior Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Graphic Designer

Company: Three Ships Beauty

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Creative & Design Operations

Date Posted: October 02, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid (2 days in office/week)

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead visual design and art direction for brand campaigns, packaging, and digital assets, ensuring a cohesive and elevated brand presence across all touchpoints.

• Drive creative execution from initial concept through final delivery, translating brand strategy and business goals into impactful visual solutions.

• Evolve and maintain brand visual guidelines, establishing best practices for typography, layout, hierarchy, and graphic systems to ensure brand consistency and distinctiveness.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including marketing, e-commerce, sales, and copywriting to deliver integrated creative projects.

• Manage multiple workstreams simultaneously, from concept ideation and mood boarding to production, vendor management, and final asset delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is primarily a Graphic Designer position, its emphasis on art direction, brand strategy, and cross-functional collaboration positions it within the broader scope of creative operations, requiring a strategic understanding of how design impacts overall Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies. The requirement to manage vendor relationships and production workflows also touches upon operational efficiency.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Packaging & Product Design: Conceptualize and execute packaging designs, including gift-with-purchase items, merchandise, and product mock-ups, ensuring adherence to regulatory and structural requirements.

• Retail & Physical Brand Materials: Design and adapt assets for Point-of-Sale (POS) displays, signage, in-store collateral, lookbooks, line sheets, PR mailers, and stockist materials, supporting visual merchandising and experiential activations.

• Print Production & Vendor Management: Prepare production-ready artwork, manage prepress processes (paper stock, finishes, color matching), and oversee external print vendors from quoting to quality control.

• Digital & E-commerce Asset Creation: Design high-impact assets for product detail pages (PDPs), banners, icons, infographics, site elements, email campaigns, paid media, and social media platforms, optimized for each channel's specifications.

• Design Systems & Template Development: Build and maintain scalable design systems, templates, and flexible frameworks to ensure brand consistency and streamline creative workflows for the team.

• Asset Management & Version Control: Organize and maintain design files, templates, and asset libraries (e.g., Google Drive, Brand Shop) with clean version control for efficient team access.

• Campaign Art Direction & Visualization: Support the visual direction of campaigns across various channels, develop mood boards and concepts, and utilize AI tools for product visualization.

• Photography & Studio Support: Assist with photography pre-production and post-production for high-fidelity shoots and execute "lo-fit" photography at the in-house studio.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with copywriters, marketing, e-commerce, growth, wholesale, and retail teams to ensure integrated creative output and manage project approvals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for strong project management and process adherence, particularly in areas like print production, vendor management, and asset organization. The role requires not just creative execution but also the operational oversight to ensure efficient and consistent delivery of visual assets across diverse channels.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Diploma or degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

Experience: 6+ years of professional graphic or brand design experience, ideally within the beauty, fashion, retail, lifestyle, or a similarly visual consumer brand sector.

Required Skills:

• Sophisticated Design Thinking: Demonstrated ability to translate brand strategy and business goals into creative visual concepts, as evidenced by a strong portfolio.

• Adobe Creative Cloud Proficiency: Expert-level skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for design, production, and image manipulation.

• Digital Design Tools: Proficiency in Figma and Canva for collaborative design and asset creation.

• Production Design Expertise: Strong skills in layout, typesetting, packaging structure, and preparing files for both print and digital applications.

• Photo & Image Editing: Advanced capabilities in cropping, resizing, color correction, and retouching images.

• Packaging Design Lifecycle: Experience managing packaging design from concept through final artwork handoff, including understanding regulatory and structural constraints.

• Retail & Physical Asset Design: Proven experience designing POS displays, signage, in-store collateral, and adapting brand assets for various physical formats.

• Print Production Knowledge: Solid understanding of print specifications (paper stock, finishes, color matching, file prep, prepress) and managing print vendors.

• Digital Optimization: Understanding of platform-specific sizing, responsive design, accessibility, and image optimization for e-commerce and digital platforms.

• Brand Guideline & Design System Management: Experience working within and evolving established brand guidelines and design systems to ensure consistency.

• Project Leadership: Proven ability to lead projects from concept to final production, managing multiple workstreams and approvals.

• Organizational Skills: Exceptional ability to manage multiple projects, maintain version control, and ensure file hygiene.

• Communication & Presentation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present work and provide/receive creative feedback effectively to both creative and non-creative stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI image and render tools for product visualization.

• Familiarity with creative testing and performance marketing workflows.

• Experience designing for DTC brands on Shopify and Klaviyo.

• Experience with motion design or short-form video editing (After Effects, Premiere Pro, or similar).

• Experience with GWP, merchandise, branded props, product mock-ups, or PR/influencer gifting.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirements emphasize a blend of creative and operational skills. Proficiency in tools like Figma and Canva, coupled with strong organizational abilities and experience managing production workflows and vendors, are critical for success in this role, indicating a need for candidates who can balance artistic vision with practical execution.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated Design Craft: Showcase sophisticated design thinking and execution across a range of projects including brand identity, campaign visuals, packaging, retail displays, and digital assets.

• Process & Workflow Examples: Include examples that illustrate your approach to project management, from brief intake and concept development through to production and final delivery.

• Brand Consistency & Evolution: Highlight projects where you've maintained or evolved brand guidelines, demonstrating an understanding of brand systems and their application across diverse channels.

• Problem-Solving & ROI: Present case studies that showcase how your design solutions addressed specific business challenges or achieved measurable results (e.g., increased engagement, improved conversion rates, successful product launches).

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Candidates should be prepared to discuss their methods for designing efficient creative workflows, including how they manage briefs, approvals, and revisions.

• System Implementation & Automation: While not explicitly a systems role, demonstrate an understanding of how design systems and templates can streamline processes and improve output consistency.

• Measurement & Performance Analysis: Be ready to discuss how design impacts performance metrics and how you approach analyzing the effectiveness of creative assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "Senior" title and the emphasis on leading projects, a portfolio that clearly demonstrates process ownership, efficient workflow management, and the ability to drive projects to completion is crucial. The inclusion of AI tools for visualization and familiarity with DTC platforms suggests a need for candidates who embrace modern operational tools within the creative function.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $75,000.00 - $90,000.00 CAD per year (base salary).

Benefits:

• Annual Bonus Earning Opportunity: Eligibility for an annual bonus program, rewarding contributions to company success.

• Stock Options: All full-time permanent team members are granted stock options, fostering long-term ownership and investment in the company's future.

• Learning & Development: An annual allowance of $500.00 CAD for courses, training, or conferences to support continuous learning and curiosity.

• Comprehensive Health Benefits: A package covering medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-term disability for employees and their families.

• Paid Time Off: Two (or more) weeks of vacation, plus a full paid week off between Christmas and New Year's.

• Birthday Off: An annual paid day off for your birthday.

• Wellness Days: Unlimited Wellness Days to support physical and mental health.

• Summer Fridays: Half-day Fridays throughout the summer months.

• Product Perks: Over $500.00 worth of free skincare products annually, plus a 30% friends and family discount on all products.

• Social Events: Opportunities for fun team offsites and social gatherings.

Working Hours: Full-time, with flexible work hours and a hybrid work model. The standard work week is approximately 40 hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The compensation and benefits package is highly competitive, reflecting the senior nature of the role and the company's commitment to employee well-being and long-term engagement. The inclusion of stock options and a generous product allowance are significant perks within the beauty industry. The salary range provided is based on the explicit information in the job description.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Beauty & Wellness (Skincare focus), Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) and Retail.

Company Size: The description implies a growing company with multiple teams (marketing, e-commerce, sales, creative), suggesting a mid-sized organization where individual contributions have a significant impact. The "family" analogy used in the company description reinforces a close-knit culture.

Founded: Three Ships Beauty is a results-driven brand focused on natural ingredients and real science. While the founding date isn't specified, the company's emphasis on growth and expanding into new markets indicates a dynamic and forward-thinking environment.

Team Structure:

• The Senior Graphic Designer reports directly to the Associate Creative Director, indicating a clear reporting line within a creative department.

• Close collaboration is expected with brand marketing, e-commerce, growth, wholesale, and retail teams, highlighting a cross-functional operational structure.

• The team values a blend of "hustle" (hard work, resourcefulness) and "compassion" (positivity, trust), suggesting a supportive yet driven work environment. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Creativity: The brand emphasizes "real science" and "clinically-proven performance," suggesting that creative decisions are informed by data and performance metrics, not just aesthetics.

• Efficiency and Scalability: The need to build scalable design systems and templates points to a focus on operational efficiency within the creative process.

• Continuous Improvement: The value of "Curiosity" and the encouragement to explore new tools and trends indicate a culture of ongoing learning and adaptation.

Company Website: https://threeshipsbeauty.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture appears to balance a passion for natural beauty and scientific efficacy with a strong emphasis on hard work, integrity, and collaboration. The "family" aspect suggests a supportive environment, while "hustle" and "curiosity" point to a drive for results and innovation. This blend is important for operations professionals to understand for cultural fit.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level individual contributor role. It signifies a high degree of autonomy, responsibility for leading projects, and the expectation to mentor or guide others implicitly through best practices. The role is pivotal in shaping the visual identity and operational execution of creative assets.

Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the Associate Creative Director, indicating a clear path for creative direction and feedback. This structure allows for focused mentorship and alignment with higher-level creative strategy.

Operations Impact: The Senior Graphic Designer's work directly influences brand perception, customer engagement, and sales performance across all channels. By ensuring visual consistency and creating compelling assets, they contribute significantly to the overall Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy and the operational efficiency of creative asset deployment. Their ability to manage production workflows and vendor relationships also impacts project timelines and budgets.

Growth Opportunities:

• Creative Leadership: Potential to advance to an Art Director or Associate Creative Director role, taking on more strategic oversight and team leadership.

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in specific areas such as packaging design, digital campaign creative, or motion graphics.

• Cross-Functional Exposure: Gain broader experience by working closely with marketing, e-commerce, and sales teams, potentially leading to roles in integrated marketing or brand management.

• Skill Development: Leverage the $500 annual allowance for courses, training, or conferences to expand technical skills (e.g., advanced AI tools, motion design) or strategic knowledge (e.g., performance marketing creative).

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" designation implies a need for demonstrated leadership in project execution and a strong understanding of how design integrates with business operations. The growth opportunities suggest a company that invests in its employees' development, offering clear paths for career progression within the creative and potentially broader GTM functions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work model, requiring candidates to be available to work from the Toronto, ON office 2 times per week. This suggests a blend of remote flexibility and in-person collaboration.

Office Location(s): Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Specific office details are not provided, but accessibility and proximity for local candidates would be a consideration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The hybrid model and emphasis on cross-functional collaboration suggest an environment where team members work together both remotely and in person, fostering idea exchange and synergy.

• Tools & Technology: Access to Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Canva, and potentially AI image/render tools is expected, supporting efficient and modern design workflows. The company likely provides necessary hardware and software for design work.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid setup allows for dedicated in-office days for focused collaboration, team meetings, and spontaneous creative discussions, while remote days offer flexibility for focused individual work.

Work Schedule: Flexible work hours are mentioned, allowing employees to manage their schedules effectively. Standard full-time hours are approximately 40 hours per week, with "Summer Fridays" offering half-days during that season. This flexibility is beneficial for managing demanding project timelines and maintaining work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work environment is a key aspect, balancing the benefits of remote work with the necessity of in-person collaboration for creative roles. The mention of "2x weekly in office" implies a structured approach to hybrid work, likely designed to maximize team cohesion and project alignment.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Submission: Submit application with a design portfolio by October 18th, 2026.

• Initial Screening: Applications will be reviewed for experience, skills, and portfolio quality. Applications without portfolios will not be considered.

• Interviews: Candidates selected for interviews will likely engage with the Associate Creative Director and potentially other team members or hiring managers. Expect discussions on creative process, project examples, and problem-solving approaches.

• Portfolio Review: A significant portion of the interview process will involve a detailed review and discussion of the candidate's portfolio. Be prepared to articulate your design choices, process, and the impact of your work.

• Potential Creative Challenge: Depending on the company's standard practice, a take-home design exercise or a live design challenge may be presented to assess practical skills and problem-solving abilities under time constraints.

• Cultural Fit Assessment: Interviews will also assess alignment with Three Ships' values (Hustle, Integrity, Compassion, Curiosity) and overall team dynamics.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 5-8 of your strongest projects that best represent your skills in brand, campaign, packaging, retail, and digital design. Tailor your selection to align with Three Ships' aesthetic and industry.

• Showcase Process: For each project, clearly explain the brief, your role, your design process, key decisions, and the final outcome. Use visuals to illustrate your journey.

• Highlight Impact: Quantify your achievements where possible. If a design led to increased engagement, sales, or improved brand perception, present that data.

• Demonstrate Versatility: Include examples that showcase your adaptability across different mediums and formats.

• Organize Clearly: Ensure your portfolio is easy to navigate, with clear headings, concise descriptions, and high-quality visuals. A dedicated section for "Operations" or "Process" within your portfolio, showcasing how you manage projects and workflows, could be a differentiator.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brief: If given a design challenge, thoroughly read and understand the objectives, target audience, and constraints.

• Time Management: Allocate your time effectively across research, ideation, design, and presentation.

• Articulate Strategy: Be prepared to present your rationale, design choices, and how your solution meets the brief's requirements. Focus on clear communication of your thought process.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention that applications without portfolios will not be considered underscores the critical importance of the portfolio. Candidates should prepare to not only showcase their visual work but also to articulate their design process, problem-solving skills, and ability to manage projects—key aspects of operational effectiveness in a creative role.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Cloud: Essential proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for all design and production tasks.

• Figma: Required for collaborative design, prototyping, and potentially maintaining design systems.

• Canva: Expected for quick design tasks, template creation, and potentially empowering non-designers within the organization.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not a direct analytics role, a strong understanding of how design impacts performance metrics is crucial. Familiarity with tools that track website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, and email campaign performance (e.g., Google Analytics, platform-specific analytics) will be beneficial for understanding design effectiveness. CRM & Automation:

• Shopify: Experience designing for Shopify is preferred, indicating familiarity with e-commerce platforms and their design constraints/opportunities.

• Klaviyo: Preferred experience with this email marketing and automation platform suggests an understanding of designing for email campaigns and customer journeys.

Other Potential Tools:

• AI Image & Render Tools: Experience with AI for product visualization is an asset, indicating a forward-thinking approach to design tools.

• Motion Design Software: After Effects, Premiere Pro, or similar for video editing and motion graphics is an asset.

• Project Management Software: Familiarity with tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com would be advantageous for managing workstreams and approvals.

• Asset Management Systems: Experience with cloud storage solutions like Google Drive and potentially Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack emphasizes core design software alongside e-commerce and marketing automation platforms. This indicates that the role requires not just creative execution but also an understanding of how designs integrate into broader sales and marketing operations, particularly within a DTC context.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Hustle: A proactive, hard-working, and resourceful approach to design projects, pushing through obstacles to achieve excellent results efficiently. This translates to meeting deadlines, managing multiple tasks, and seeking solutions independently.

• Integrity: Honesty, transparency, and ethical conduct in all design work and collaborations. This includes respecting brand guidelines, providing honest feedback, and building trust with colleagues and vendors.

• Compassion: Fostering a positive, supportive, and collaborative environment. This means assuming the best intentions, offering constructive feedback, celebrating team successes, and working harmoniously with cross-functional partners.

• Curiosity: An eagerness to explore new design tools, techniques, trends, and industry best practices. This drives innovation, keeps the brand's visual identity fresh, and encourages continuous learning and skill development.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Actively partnering with marketing, e-commerce, sales, and copywriting teams to ensure creative assets are aligned with overall business objectives and campaign strategies.

• Feedback Exchange: Open to giving and receiving constructive creative feedback, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and shared ownership of creative output.

• Knowledge Sharing: Willingness to share design insights, best practices, and learnings with team members, contributing to a collective growth environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's core values are deeply integrated into its operational philosophy. For an operations-minded candidate, understanding how "Hustle" impacts project timelines, "Integrity" affects vendor relationships, "Compassion" influences team dynamics, and "Curiosity" drives process innovation is crucial for cultural alignment.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Creative Vision with Brand Consistency: Maintaining a distinctive and elevated brand aesthetic while adhering to established guidelines and evolving them strategically.

• Managing Multiple Stakeholders & Approvals: Coordinating feedback and approvals from various internal teams and external partners, ensuring project timelines are met without compromising quality.

• Adapting to Evolving Digital Platforms: Staying current with the ever-changing requirements and best practices for digital channels, e-commerce, and social media design.

• Integrating New Technologies: Learning and effectively implementing new design tools, such as AI visualization software, into the existing workflow.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations & Process Optimization: Gaining deeper insights into how creative operations support broader GTM strategies, learning to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency.

• Advanced Design Techniques: Opportunities to hone skills in areas like packaging production, digital asset optimization, or motion graphics through internal projects and external training.

• Brand Strategy & Campaign Development: Contributing to higher-level campaign conceptualization and art direction, understanding the strategic underpinnings of creative execution.

• Industry Trends: Staying abreast of design trends, beauty industry aesthetics, and e-commerce best practices through the annual L&D allowance and company culture.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented highlight the operational complexities inherent in a senior creative role, requiring strong project management, stakeholder management, and adaptability. The growth opportunities point towards a role that can evolve into strategic creative leadership and broader operational understanding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to evolve brand guidelines. What was your process, and what were the key considerations?" (Assesses understanding of brand systems and strategic thinking.)

• "Walk us through a complex packaging design project from brief to production. What were the biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Evaluates project management, production knowledge, and problem-solving.)

• "How do you ensure your digital designs are optimized for performance and user experience across different platforms like Shopify and social media?" (Tests understanding of e-commerce and digital marketing operations.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you embody the Three Ships values of Hustle, Integrity, Compassion, and Curiosity in your work?" (Assesses cultural fit and alignment with company ethos.)

• "Describe your experience working in a hybrid environment. How do you ensure effective collaboration with remote and in-office colleagues?" (Evaluates adaptability to the work model and collaboration skills.)

• "What excites you most about the beauty/skincare industry, and how does that influence your design approach?" (Gauges passion and industry understanding.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Tell a Story: For each project, narrate the journey from the initial challenge to the final solution, highlighting your thought process and decision-making.

• Focus on Process & Impact: Clearly articulate your role, the steps you took, the tools you used, and the measurable results or impact of your work. Use visual aids effectively.

• Showcase Operational Rigor: Highlight how you managed timelines, collaborated with stakeholders, handled production details, and maintained brand consistency.

• Be Prepared for Critique: Engage openly with feedback on your work, demonstrating your ability to receive and incorporate constructive criticism.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just creative talent but also operational acumen—the ability to manage projects, collaborate effectively, understand business objectives, and leverage tools efficiently. Articulating your process and impact is key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Graphic Designer position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable before October 18th, 2026.

• Curate a Portfolio Showcase: Select 5-8 of your most relevant projects that highlight your skills in brand identity, campaign design, packaging, retail collateral, and digital assets. Ensure your portfolio clearly demonstrates your design process, problem-solving abilities, and project management skills.

• Optimize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to emphasize your 6+ years of experience, proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, Canva, and any experience in the beauty, retail, or DTC sectors. Quantify achievements where possible (e.g., "Managed design for 10+ product launches," "Improved asset turnaround time by X%").

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process, creative decisions, and the impact of your work. Be ready to discuss how you've managed projects, collaborated with cross-functional teams, and handled production workflows.

• Research Three Ships Beauty: Familiarize yourself with their brand aesthetic, product lines, values (Hustle, Integrity, Compassion, Curiosity), and recent campaigns. Understand their position in the beauty and wellness market.

⚠️ 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.

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