Senior Graphic Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Graphic Designer

Company: Vida Plena Hospitality

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Job Type: Full-time, Contractor

Category: Creative & Media, Marketing, Hospitality

Date Posted: May 15, 2026

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the visual identity and brand consistency across a portfolio of 13 diverse hospitality brands, ensuring a cohesive and engaging guest experience.

• Drive the creation and refresh of brand assets, including logo systems, typography, color palettes, and overall visual language, for both established and emerging brands.

• Execute design across a wide array of collateral, encompassing menus, signage, packaging, uniforms, merchandise, print campaigns, social media assets, digital ads, and landing pages.

• Integrate and leverage AI tools within the design workflow for ideation, asset generation, moodboarding, and production efficiency.

• Maintain and update brand guidelines and asset libraries to empower the wider team and ensure brand integrity and operational speed.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is for a Graphic Designer, the emphasis on brand identity, collateral design, and working within a fast-paced consumer-facing environment (hospitality) suggests a strong need for process-oriented thinking and the ability to manage multiple projects efficiently. This aligns with operational mindset, even if not a traditional "operations" role. The integration of AI tools also points to an adaptable and forward-thinking approach to workflow optimization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Oversee and evolve brand asset management for a portfolio of 13+ hospitality brands, ensuring consistency in logo systems, typography, color palettes, photography direction, and overall brand aesthetics.

• Lead the consolidation and refresh of existing brand identities, modernizing their visual appeal while preserving their unique character and essence.

• Collaborate with founders and the broader team to develop new brand identities from conceptualization through to launch, ensuring a strong visual foundation.

• Design a comprehensive range of marketing and operational collateral, including but not limited to menus, posters, signage, packaging, uniforms, merchandise, print campaigns, social media assets, pitch decks, digital advertisements, email newsletters, and landing pages.

• Proactively integrate AI tools into the design process for tasks such as moodboarding, ideation, concept development, asset generation, image retouching, and accelerating production workflows.

• Develop, maintain, and distribute comprehensive brand guidelines and an organized asset library to facilitate efficient and consistent brand application across all teams and touchpoints.

• Manage and brief external collaborators, including illustrators, photographers, printers, and agencies, for projects requiring specialized skills or additional capacity, ensuring quality and adherence to brand standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibility for managing brand assets across multiple brands and ensuring consistency points to a need for strong organizational skills and adherence to established processes, akin to managing operational workflows. The collaboration with external vendors also implies project management capabilities crucial in operations.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Not specified, but a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a related field is typically expected for a Senior role.

Experience: 5+ years of professional graphic design experience, with a preference for experience in consumer-facing industries such as hospitality, retail, fashion, music, or editorial.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in developing and managing brand identity systems, including logo systems, typography, and color palettes.

• Strong aesthetic sensibility with an appreciation for timeless design that remains current and relevant.

• Meticulous attention to detail in all aspects of design, from typography and alignment to material selection.

• Proficiency in both print and digital design, with a portfolio showcasing a diverse range of applications.

• Demonstrated ability to work with and integrate AI tools into creative workflows for ideation and production.

• Excellent command of English (written and spoken).

• Strong understanding of visual communication principles and their application across various media.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience within the hospitality industry.

• Fluency in Portuguese.

• Prior experience in digital UX/UI design and shipping website or app interfaces.

• Familiarity with art direction for photography and illustration.

• Experience in managing external creative collaborators and vendors.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for "5+ years of professional design experience" and the expectation of owning visual identity suggests a candidate who can operate with a degree of autonomy and strategic thinking. The emphasis on detail and timeless aesthetic implies a methodical approach, which is valuable in operations for ensuring quality and consistency. Proficiency in AI tools highlights an aptitude for adopting new technologies to improve efficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A curated collection of work demonstrating a strong understanding of brand identity development and management across multiple brands.

• Case studies showcasing the process of refreshing existing brands and creating new ones from concept to execution.

• Examples of diverse collateral design, including print (menus, signage, packaging) and digital (social media assets, landing pages).

• Demonstrations of how AI tools were integrated into the design process to enhance ideation, asset creation, or production efficiency.

• Evidence of meticulous attention to detail in typography, layout, and overall visual execution.

Process Documentation:

• Showcase the methodology used for refreshing existing brands, detailing research, concept development, stakeholder feedback incorporation, and final implementation.

• Present the process for creating new brand identities, from initial brief and moodboarding through to asset creation, guideline development, and launch support.

• Illustrate the workflow for designing various types of collateral, highlighting how brand guidelines are applied and how projects are managed from brief to delivery.

• Detail the approach to managing brand assets and maintaining an organized library for team-wide accessibility.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is creative, the emphasis on brand asset management, maintaining guidelines, and potentially working with AI tools suggests a need for structured processes. A portfolio that clearly articulates the "how" behind the design work, demonstrating a systematic approach to brand development and execution, will be highly valued. This showcases an operational mindset in managing creative output.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the Senior Graphic Designer title, 5+ years of experience, and location in Lisbon, Portugal, a competitive salary range for a full-time, in-house role would typically fall between €35,000 - €55,000 annually. Freelance/retainer rates would be negotiated based on project scope and duration.

Benefits:

• Generous discounts at Vida Plena venues for personal enjoyment.

• Access to a bright, well-equipped office space in Cais do Sodré with a terrace and river view.

• On-site private chef and a monthly budget for culinary experiences.

• Hybrid work model offering a balance between office-based collaboration and remote flexibility.

• Opportunity to work remotely from abroad for up to 3 weeks per year, fostering a global perspective.

• Regular Vida Plena Activities including yoga, surf, and kart racing, promoting team bonding and wellness.

• Comprehensive wellness support, including spin classes and access to Mindpartner for mental well-being.

• A dedicated budget for professional development, including tools, fonts, courses, and industry references.

• Care Days, providing dedicated time off in addition to standard holidays.

• Flexibility in contract type, with options for full-time employment or a freelance/retainer arrangement.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week, with a hybrid work model allowing for flexibility between office and remote work. Specific daily hours may be flexible, aligning with the need for creative output and team collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical market rates for Senior Graphic Designers in Lisbon with 5-10 years of experience, considering the cost of living and industry benchmarks. The benefits package is extensive and highlights a company that invests in employee well-being and professional growth, which is attractive for long-term engagement. The flexibility in contract type (full-time or freelance) suggests an operational approach to talent acquisition, seeking the best fit for specific needs.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Hospitality (Hotels, Restaurants, Bars) with a focus on innovative guest and team experiences.

Company Size: Growing rapidly, currently operating 13 brands with plans for expansion. This indicates an agile and dynamic organizational structure.

Founded: 2018, Lisbon, Portugal. This relatively recent founding date suggests a modern, forward-thinking approach to business operations and brand building.

Team Structure:

• The design function appears to be a small, close-knit team, likely reporting to a marketing lead or directly to founders, given the description of quick decision-making.

• The Senior Graphic Designer will likely be a key player, potentially leading design initiatives and collaborating closely with founders, brand managers, and marketing personnel.

Methodology:

• Data-driven decision-making is implied through the focus on guest experience and brand performance.

• Workflow planning and optimization are evident in the need for brand guidelines, asset libraries, and the integration of AI tools to speed up production.

• Automation and efficiency practices are key, as indicated by the desire to use AI for production tasks and the need for streamlined asset management.

Company Website: Vida Plena Hospitality (Implied domain: vida-plena.com, based on derived domain)

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's recent founding and rapid growth suggest an environment where innovation and adaptability are highly valued. The emphasis on creating a "home away from home" for guests and team members points to a culture prioritizing warmth, inclusivity, and exceptional service, which should be reflected in the visual communications produced by the Senior Graphic Designer.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Graphic Designer. This level implies a significant degree of autonomy, responsibility for key creative output, and the ability to guide projects independently. It sits at a crucial intersection of creative execution and strategic brand management.

Reporting Structure: The role likely reports to a Head of Marketing, Creative Director (if one exists), or directly to the founders, given the company's size and the description of quick decision-making. The Senior Designer is expected to be a central point of contact for visual brand strategy.

Operations Impact: The Senior Graphic Designer's work directly impacts the guest experience and brand perception across all 13 brands. High-quality, consistent visual design is critical for attracting customers, building brand loyalty, and differentiating Vida Plena Hospitality in a competitive market. The success of new brand launches and the effectiveness of marketing collateral are directly tied to the designer's output.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Development: Opportunity to deepen expertise in managing creative workflows, optimizing design processes, and leveraging new technologies like AI for efficiency.

• Brand Strategy Involvement: Potential to influence the strategic direction of new brand development and the evolution of existing brand identities.

• Leadership Potential: As a senior member, there's a chance to mentor junior designers (if the team grows) or take on project leadership roles for major brand initiatives.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Gaining a deep understanding of various aspects of the hospitality business through close collaboration with marketing, operations, and founding teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this is a creative role, the "Senior" designation and the scope of managing multiple brands suggest opportunities for growth in areas like creative direction, brand strategy leadership, and potentially managing a design function as the company scales. The integration of AI tools also points to a future-oriented skill development path.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: A bright, modern, two-floor office located in Cais do Sodré, Lisbon, featuring a large terrace with a river view. This suggests an inspiring and collaborative workspace designed to foster creativity and well-being.

Office Location(s): Cais do Sodré, Lisbon, Portugal. This is a vibrant and central area, likely offering good accessibility via public transport and proximity to amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The office design, including the terrace, likely encourages informal interactions and brainstorming sessions, fostering a strong team spirit.

• Tools & Technology: The company provides a budget for necessary tools, fonts, courses, and references, indicating a commitment to equipping designers with the best resources. Expect modern design software and hardware.

• Team Interaction: The hybrid model and emphasis on close-knit teams suggest frequent interaction with colleagues from various departments, facilitating a holistic understanding of the business.

Work Schedule: A hybrid work model is in place, allowing for a blend of office-based collaboration and remote work. This offers flexibility to manage personal needs and optimize productivity, aligning with modern work expectations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The description of the office, including the terrace and river view, combined with the hybrid model, points to a work environment that values both productivity and employee well-being. The emphasis on collaboration and providing resources for creative work indicates a supportive culture for design professionals.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Application: Submit a portfolio and a brief note about a proud piece of brand work, including AI usage examples.

• Portfolio Review: The hiring team will focus on the work samples, particularly those demonstrating brand development, detail, and AI integration.

• First Interview: Likely a screening call with HR or a hiring manager to assess general fit, experience, and alignment with company culture.

• Design Challenge/Presentation: Candidates may be asked to complete a small design task or present a case study from their portfolio, focusing on their process, problem-solving approach, and ability to articulate design decisions. This is where they will demonstrate their understanding of brand strategy and execution.

• Team/Founder Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders, including founders and potentially other team members, to assess strategic thinking, collaboration skills, and cultural fit.

• Offer: Final offer extended to the selected candidate.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Brand Ownership: Showcase projects where you had significant responsibility for brand identity development and management. Emphasize your role and impact.

• Detail Your Process: For each project, clearly explain your thought process, research, ideation, and execution. Use visuals to illustrate key stages.

• Showcase AI Integration: If you've used AI tools, explicitly demonstrate how they were applied and the benefits they brought to the project (e.g., faster ideation, unique asset generation).

• Focus on Impact: For the "proud piece of work," articulate why you're proud – what was the challenge, what was your solution, and what was the outcome or impact?

• Curate for Hospitality: Prioritize work that demonstrates an understanding of consumer-facing brands, particularly in hospitality or similar dynamic industries.

• Showcase Versatility: Include examples of both print and digital applications to demonstrate your breadth of skills.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Brands: Research Vida Plena Hospitality's existing brands thoroughly. Identify their unique visual identities, target audiences, and market positioning.

• Anticipate Brand Refresh/New Brand Scenarios: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach refreshing an underperforming brand or creating a new one from scratch for the hospitality sector.

• Articulate AI Strategy: Think about specific use cases for AI in hospitality branding and design that align with Vida Plena's goals.

• Prepare for Process Questions: Be ready to discuss your workflow, how you manage multiple projects, collaborate with stakeholders, and maintain brand consistency.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application instructions emphasize the portfolio and a specific piece of work. This suggests a strong focus on practical skills and the ability to communicate the value of design. Preparing to discuss AI integration is crucial given it's explicitly mentioned.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Suite: Essential for graphic design. Proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign is a must. Experience with After Effects for motion graphics and Premiere Pro for video editing would be a plus for social assets and digital campaigns.

• AI Design Tools: Openness and some experience with AI tools for ideation, asset generation, moodboarding, and retouching (e.g., Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT for text prompts).

• Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD: For digital design, including social media assets, email newsletters, and potentially landing pages or basic UI elements.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the designer's core role, but understanding how marketing collateral integrates with CRM or marketing automation platforms (e.g., for email campaigns) can be helpful.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of AI tools is a key differentiator. Candidates should be ready to discuss their experience and enthusiasm for these technologies. Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite is standard, but familiarity with digital design tools is increasingly important for integrated campaigns.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Warmth and Inclusivity: Creating an atmosphere where guests and team members feel genuinely at home. This translates to design that is welcoming, accessible, and reflects diversity.

• Blissful Experiences: Striving to create memorable and positive moments for guests. Design should contribute to this by enhancing ambiance and brand appeal.

• Quality and Freshness: Commitment to top-quality food and exceptional service. Visuals should reflect this dedication to high standards and attention to detail.

• Innovation: As a growing group, an innovative mindset is key. Design should be forward-thinking and embrace new ideas and technologies.

• Teamwork and Collaboration: Working closely with founders and various departments to achieve shared goals.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Expect to collaborate closely with marketing, brand management, operations, and potentially culinary teams. Understanding their needs and translating them into effective visual solutions is crucial.

• Process Review Culture: Openness to feedback and iterative design processes is important, especially when working across multiple brands and with external collaborators.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing insights, references, and best practices, particularly regarding design trends and AI tool applications.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values provide a strong framework for how design should be approached. The Senior Graphic Designer should aim to embody these values in their work, creating visuals that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also emotionally resonant and aligned with the Vida Plena Hospitality brand ethos.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Brand Overlap Management: Effectively differentiating the visual identities of 13+ distinct brands within a single hospitality group requires careful strategic planning and execution to avoid visual fatigue or confusion.

• Balancing Consistency and Individuality: Maintaining a cohesive group identity while allowing each brand to retain its unique character is a delicate balancing act.

• Rapid Pace and Variety: The fast-paced, shifting nature of daily tasks (from menus to signage to merch) requires exceptional organizational skills, adaptability, and the ability to context-switch quickly.

• Integrating AI Effectively: Ensuring that AI tools are used strategically and ethically to enhance, rather than detract from, the human element of design and brand integrity.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Brand Strategy: Opportunity to deepen expertise in developing and evolving brand architectures for a multi-brand organization.

• AI Tool Mastery: Becoming proficient in leveraging cutting-edge AI tools for creative production and workflow optimization.

• Cross-Industry Exposure: Gaining valuable experience in the dynamic hospitality sector, understanding its unique design challenges and opportunities.

• Project Leadership: Potential to lead design aspects of major brand launches or group-wide initiatives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges highlight the need for a candidate who is not only creatively skilled but also highly organized, adaptable, and strategically minded. The growth opportunities focus on developing both creative and strategic capabilities within a rapidly expanding company.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for developing a brand identity for a new hospitality concept from scratch." (Focus on research, concept development, stakeholder involvement, and asset creation.)

• "How would you approach refreshing an existing brand to make it more current while preserving its core identity? Provide an example." (Highlight your analytical skills, understanding of brand evolution, and ability to balance heritage with modernity.)

• "Can you walk us through a project where you used AI tools? What was your workflow, what were the benefits, and what were the limitations?" (Be specific about the tools used, the results achieved, and your critical evaluation of the AI's contribution.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What attracts you to Vida Plena Hospitality and our approach to hospitality?" (Show you've researched their values, brands, and mission.)

• "How do you embody 'warmth and inclusivity' in your design work?" (Connect your design philosophy to their core values.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: For each piece, tell a compelling story about the client, the challenge, your solution, and the impact.

• Process Over Perfection: Show your thought process, sketches, mood boards, and iterations. This demonstrates your problem-solving skills.

• Quantify Impact (where possible): If a design led to increased engagement, sales, or positive feedback, mention it.

• Highlight AI Usage: Clearly label and explain any projects where AI was used, detailing your role and the outcome.

• Tailor to Vida Plena: Select work that best aligns with the hospitality industry and the company's aesthetic.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just creative talent, but also strategic thinking, process management, and an understanding of how design contributes to business objectives, especially within the hospitality context.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Graphic Designer position:

• Submit your portfolio and a short note about a piece of brand work you're particularly proud of, and why. If you've been using AI in your process, we'd love to see how.

• Customize Your Portfolio: Curate your portfolio to highlight your strongest work in brand identity, collateral design (print & digital), and any experience relevant to hospitality. Prioritize projects that showcase your process, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple brands.

• Optimize Your Resume: Ensure your resume clearly outlines your 5+ years of relevant experience, highlighting achievements in brand development, AI tool integration, and cross-functional collaboration. Use keywords from the job description.

• Prepare Your "Proud Piece" Narrative: Craft a concise and compelling story for the piece of work you choose to highlight. Be ready to discuss your strategic rationale, creative process, and the impact of your design. Clearly explain your use of AI tools.

• Research Vida Plena Hospitality: Familiarize yourself with their existing brands, company values, and mission. Understand their approach to hospitality and what makes them unique. This will be crucial for tailoring your application and interview responses.

⚠️ 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.