Visual Designer (m/w/d) - Brand, Social & Performance

This role is for a Visual Designer, which is not directly in Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, or GTM. However, the role has elements that are highly relevant to these fields, particularly in the context of performance marketing, full-funnel campaigns, and growth marketing. Therefore, I will enhance this job description by focusing on these transferable skills and operational aspects.

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Visual Designer (m/w/d) - Brand, Social & Performance

Company: AXA

Location: Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Marketing Operations / Creative Operations / GTM Support

Date Posted: April 24, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years implied)

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Performance-Oriented Visual Design: Develop visually compelling assets for full-funnel marketing campaigns, with a focus on driving measurable performance and conversion optimization.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with conceptualization, art direction, copywriting, and motion design teams to ideate and refine creative concepts.

• Digital Asset Creation & Optimization: Design and produce visual assets for competitive digital markets, considering media trends and platform-specific formats, particularly for social media channels.

• Brand Consistency & Evolution: Ensure visual designs adhere to brand guidelines while also interpreting and pushing them creatively for impactful brand experiences.

• AI-Enhanced Creative Process: Leverage AI tools for inspiration, productivity, and quality enhancement in visual ideation and asset production, reflecting modern GTM operational workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is primarily visual design, the emphasis on "Performance Marketing," "Full Funnel," "Growth Marketing," and "A/B Testing" directly aligns with operational objectives in GTM and Marketing Operations. The role requires an understanding of how design impacts conversion rates and business objectives, which is a key GTM operational skill. The "Creative Agency from the heart of the group" context suggests a dynamic, project-driven environment common in operations.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop visual concepts and designs for diverse AXA Group projects, spanning product offers, brand campaigns, business unit initiatives, and sales-oriented performance marketing campaigns across the full funnel.

• Collaborate closely with conceptualization, art direction, copywriting, and motion design colleagues, participating in an iterative feedback process to sharpen ideas and enhance creative output.

• Conceive and produce high-impact visual assets for competitive markets, adhering to current media and format trends across all relevant channels, with a strong emphasis on social media.

• Design visual core ideas, including mood boards for look and feel, that align with AXA's design guidelines while intelligently interpreting and advancing them.

• Logically justify layouts and designs, presenting them clearly and persuasively to other disciplines within the team and to stakeholders, acting as a design consultant.

• Develop prototypes and variations of digital assets to enable A/B testing and other validation methods, optimizing designs based on a growth marketing approach and performance data.

• Strategize design application across different funnel stages (Awareness, Prospecting, Conversion), deriving appropriate stylistics, dramaturgy, and asset logic for each.

• Ensure designs combine the attention-grabbing power of original ideas with coherent brand impact through adherence to established design parameters for campaigns and advertising materials.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities clearly indicate a need for an operations-minded designer who understands campaign lifecycles, performance metrics, and cross-functional dependencies. The emphasis on "full funnel," "growth marketing approach," and "A/B testing" requires an operational mindset focused on impact and optimization, which is crucial for GTM and Marketing Operations roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Proven experience in an agency environment is highly valued, demonstrating an understanding of client service and fast-paced creative production.

• Experience in developing visual concepts and designs that are creatively excellent, possess "stopping power," and align with Corporate Design standards.

Required Skills:

• Excellent sense for design, typography, composition, and digital aesthetics.

• Strong platform understanding, particularly social-first thinking, and knowledge of the full range of formats, styles, and mechanics in the digital environment.

• Proficiency with the Adobe Creative Cloud (including AI add-ons).

• Proactive and results-oriented work ethic, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Ability to logically derive and present designs, acting in a consulting capacity for design-related questions.

• Experience in developing prototypes and variants for A/B testing and performance optimization.

Preferred Skills:

• UX/UI competence is considered a significant plus.

• Continuous curiosity for trends and new AI tools in the design field, with an aptitude for identifying and adopting relevant innovations.

• Strategic use of AI as an inspiration source to enhance visual ideation, productivity, and quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "performance-based optimization," "A/B testing," and "growth marketing approach" suggests that candidates with analytical skills and an understanding of how design contributes to business outcomes will be highly regarded. This bridges the gap between creative execution and operational effectiveness, a key trait for GTM operations roles. The "agency environment" experience implies adaptability and project management skills.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate Performance Impact: Showcase examples where your visual designs directly contributed to campaign success, conversion rates, or other measurable business objectives (e.g., A/B test results, lead generation improvements).

• Brand Consistency & Flexibility: Include projects that illustrate your ability to work within strict brand guidelines while also creatively interpreting and evolving them.

• Digital & Social Focus: Present a strong collection of digital assets, with a particular emphasis on social media campaigns, ads, and other platform-specific creative.

• End-to-End Design Process: Highlight projects that demonstrate your process from concept development and mood boarding through to final asset production and optimization, including prototypes for testing.

• AI Integration Examples: If possible, showcase how you’ve leveraged AI tools in your design process for ideation, efficiency, or enhanced output.

Process Documentation:

• Campaign Design Workflow: Illustrate your process for developing visual concepts and assets for integrated marketing campaigns, from brief to execution.

• Asset Optimization & Testing: Document how you approach the creation of assets for A/B testing and how you use performance data to iterate and improve designs.

• Brand Guideline Application: Showcase your method for applying and sometimes creatively interpreting corporate design guidelines across various digital platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role with a performance and growth marketing focus, the portfolio is critical. It needs to go beyond aesthetics to demonstrate an understanding of how design fuels business objectives. This emphasis on measurable results and iterative optimization is a hallmark of operations-driven roles.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Flexible Working Hours: 38-hour week with flexible core hours (6 AM - 9 PM), allowing for significant work-life balance and peak productivity management.

• Hybrid Work Model: Combines remote work with dedicated in-office team days for collaboration and exchange, including the flexibility to work from other EU countries for up to 28 days per year.

• Generous Time Off: 30 days of annual leave, plus additional paid leave on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and special leave for significant life events.

• Continuous Learning & Development: Regular external trend insights and targeted training opportunities in tools, design, copywriting, conceptualization, ideation, AI, UX, and industry events.

• Comprehensive Well-being Support: "We-Care" package offering leave for life events (e.g., parenthood, adoption) and an on-site company kindergarten at the Cologne location.

• Modern Work Environment: Inspiring campus in Cologne featuring attractive recreational spaces, diverse meeting rooms, a barista bar, and a high-quality canteen with varied culinary options.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time role with a 38-hour work week, offering significant flexibility through a wide range of allowed working hours (6 AM to 9 PM).

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is an estimate based on German market data for comparable roles and experience levels. The benefits package highlights flexibility and professional growth, which are attractive to operations professionals seeking a balanced and developmental work environment.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Insurance), with a strong internal Creative Agency component.

Company Size: AXA is a global leader with over 8,000 employees in Germany, indicating a large, established organization with significant resources and established processes, yet the "Creative Studio" is described as "young" and "grown together with the local brand team," suggesting a dynamic, agile sub-unit.

Founded: AXA Group was founded in 1817, and AXA Germany has a long history, implying stability and a deep understanding of its market, while the Creative Studio's formation in early 2023 points to a recent, focused initiative to enhance internal creative capabilities.

Team Structure:

• The role is part of the "Brand & Creative Studio," which works closely with the "local brand team." This suggests a structure that bridges internal corporate marketing needs with agency-level creative output.

• Collaboration is emphasized across conceptualization, art direction, copywriting, and motion design, indicating a multidisciplinary creative department.

Methodology:

• Full-Funnel Marketing: Design strategies are developed to support campaigns across the entire customer journey, from awareness to conversion.

• Performance-Oriented Design: Emphasis on creating visually impactful designs that are measurable and optimized for growth marketing objectives and A/B testing.

• Agile Creative Development: Ideas are generated through collaboration, shared feedback, and iterative refinement, reflecting a dynamic, project-based approach.

• AI Integration: Actively seeking and utilizing AI tools for creative ideation, productivity, and enhanced output quality.

Company Website: https://careers.axa.com

📝 Enhancement Note: The blend of a large corporate structure with a newly formed, agile creative studio presents a unique operational environment. Candidates should expect a balance between structured processes and the need for rapid, innovative creative solutions, mirroring the dynamic nature of GTM operations.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-level Visual Designer, implying responsibility for executing design projects independently and contributing to creative strategy. It offers a pathway to becoming a senior designer or art director within the creative studio or potentially moving into related GTM operations roles focused on campaign execution and optimization if analytical and strategic marketing skills are developed.

Reporting Structure: The role reports within the Brand & Creative Studio, likely to an Art Director or Creative Lead, with close collaboration across various creative disciplines and interaction with broader marketing and business stakeholders.

Operations Impact: The Visual Designer's work directly impacts AXA's brand perception, customer engagement, and campaign performance. By creating compelling visuals for brand, social, and performance marketing, the role contributes to lead generation, customer acquisition, and ultimately, revenue growth through effective full-funnel strategies. The emphasis on A/B testing and optimization highlights a direct link to data-driven GTM operations.

Growth Opportunities:

• Creative Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas like social media design, performance creative, or brand identity systems.

• Leadership Development: Progress to Senior Visual Designer, Art Director, or Creative Lead roles, overseeing projects and mentoring junior designers.

• GTM Strategy Integration: Develop a stronger understanding of marketing strategy, campaign management, and performance analytics, potentially transitioning into roles like Campaign Operations Specialist or Marketing Operations Analyst, leveraging design insights.

• AI & Future Trends: Become a go-to expert within the team for leveraging AI and emerging design technologies, driving innovation in creative workflows.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunities to collaborate with and learn from other departments, including marketing, product, and sales, broadening understanding of the GTM ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path emphasizes not only creative advancement but also the potential to leverage design's impact on business metrics, aligning with the strategic career progression often sought by operations professionals. The integration of AI is highlighted as a key area for future development.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in Cologne and involves hybrid work, combining remote flexibility with in-office collaboration. AXA offers a modern, well-equipped campus environment.

Office Location(s): Cologne, Germany. The campus is described as inspiring and feature-rich, providing diverse spaces for different types of work and collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office provides dedicated team days for in-person exchange, sparring, and creative collaboration, fostering a strong team dynamic.

• Resource-Rich Environment: Access to a well-designed campus with varied meeting rooms, a barista bar, and a canteen, supporting a productive and engaging work atmosphere.

• Hybrid Flexibility: The ability to work remotely allows for focused individual work, while office days facilitate spontaneous interactions and brainstorming crucial for creative operations.

Work Schedule: A 38-hour work week with highly flexible working hours (6 AM to 9 PM) provides significant autonomy. This allows designers to align their work with personal productivity peaks and project deadlines, a common and valued aspect in operations roles that require adaptability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model and flexible hours are key operational aspects that support work-life integration and efficiency. The description of the campus suggests an environment designed to foster both focused work and collaborative innovation, vital for creative operations.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your application, focusing on your CV and, critically, your portfolio.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: An opportunity to present your work, explain your creative process, and discuss how your designs have achieved specific objectives (e.g., performance metrics, brand impact). Expect questions about your approach to A/B testing, growth marketing, and AI integration.

• Team/Stakeholder Interview: Meetings with potential colleagues from the creative team and relevant stakeholders to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit.

• Creative Challenge (Potential): You might be asked to complete a small design task or case study related to a real-world AXA marketing challenge to assess your problem-solving and design application skills in context.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Showcase Impact, Not Just Aesthetics: For each project, clearly articulate the brief, your role, your creative process, and most importantly, the results or impact achieved. Quantify where possible (e.g., "Increased click-through rate by X%," "Supported campaign that generated Y leads").

• Highlight Performance & Growth: Include examples demonstrating your understanding of performance marketing, full-funnel strategies, and how you've used design to optimize for conversion or engagement.

• Demonstrate Brand Acumen: Show how you apply and creatively interpret brand guidelines.

• Explain Your Process: Be ready to walk through your workflow, from ideation and concept development to asset production and optimization.

• Integrate AI & Tools: If you've used AI or specific Adobe Creative Cloud features innovatively, be prepared to discuss it.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand AXA's Brand: Familiarize yourself with AXA's current branding, marketing campaigns, and target audience.

• GTM Context: Be prepared to think about design within a broader marketing and sales context, considering campaign objectives and funnel stages.

• Problem-Solving: Practice articulating your design rationale clearly and concisely, especially when faced with constraints or specific objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio review and potential creative challenges highlights the practical, results-driven nature of this role. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just design skill but also an understanding of marketing operations and business impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Adobe Creative Cloud: Essential proficiency, explicitly mentioning AI add-ons. This includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and potentially After Effects, Premiere Pro for motion/video assets.

• AI Design Tools: Experience or willingness to learn AI tools for ideation, content generation, and workflow enhancement (e.g., Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, DALL-E).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly a designer's core tool, an understanding of how design impacts performance metrics tracked in analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) is beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• No direct CRM/automation tools are listed for the designer, but understanding how campaigns are executed and tracked within these systems provides valuable context for designing effective assets.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud is a given. The explicit mention of AI tools and the emphasis on A/B testing indicate a forward-thinking operations environment that values efficiency and data-driven creative iteration.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Creative Excellence & Impact: A drive for high-quality, visually stunning design that also delivers measurable business results.

• Collaboration & Mutual Support: A culture where ideas are shared, feedback is constructive, and team members support each other's growth.

• Curiosity & Continuous Improvement: A commitment to staying updated on trends, new tools (especially AI), and evolving design methodologies.

• Performance-Driven Mindset: Designing with a clear understanding of campaign objectives, funnel stages, and optimization opportunities.

• Brand Stewardship: Respect for and intelligent application of brand guidelines to ensure consistent and impactful brand representation.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Creative Process: Working closely with copywriters, art directors, and motion designers in a feedback-rich environment.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Engaging with stakeholders from various business units and marketing teams to understand needs and present design solutions.

• Open Communication: Valuing clear, direct, and respectful communication, fostering an environment where ideas and concerns can be openly shared.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a blend of creative passion and operational pragmatism. The "agency spirit" within a corporate context suggests a culture that values both innovation and accountability.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Brand Consistency with Performance Needs: Strategically interpreting brand guidelines to create visually distinct assets that also drive conversions and meet performance marketing objectives.

• Rapid Iteration & Optimization: Adapting designs based on A/B testing results and market feedback in a fast-paced environment.

• Leveraging AI Effectively: Integrating new AI tools into the creative workflow in a way that enhances, rather than replaces, human creativity and strategic thinking.

• Managing Diverse Project Demands: Effectively prioritizing and delivering high-quality design work across a variety of campaign types and stakeholders.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design Skills: Training in specialized areas of digital design, motion graphics, or UX/UI.

• Performance Marketing & Growth Hacking: Opportunities to deepen understanding of marketing funnels, conversion rate optimization (CRO), and data analysis related to creative performance.

• AI in Creative: Becoming an expert in utilizing AI tools for design ideation, asset generation, and workflow automation.

• Brand Strategy: Gaining deeper insights into brand management and strategic communication planning.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Exposure to conceptualization, copywriting, and motion design principles to foster a holistic understanding of campaign creation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges and growth opportunities are framed around continuous learning and adaptation, particularly concerning AI and performance-driven marketing, which are critical for staying relevant in modern GTM operations.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to balance strict brand guidelines with the need for a high-performing, attention-grabbing design for a digital campaign. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Assesses brand stewardship and performance focus)

• "How do you approach designing for different stages of the marketing funnel? Can you provide an example of how your visual strategy differed for an awareness campaign versus a conversion-focused ad?" (Assesses full-funnel understanding)

• "Tell me about your experience using AI tools in your design process. How do you see AI impacting the role of a Visual Designer in performance marketing?" (Assesses AI adoption and strategic thinking)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What excites you about AXA's brand and your potential role within the Brand & Creative Studio?" (Assesses research and cultural alignment)

• "How do you handle constructive feedback on your designs from team members or stakeholders?" (Assesses collaboration and receptiveness to feedback)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Organize your portfolio to clearly present 3-5 key projects. For each, use a consistent structure: Problem/Brief -> Your Role/Process -> Solution/Design -> Results/Impact.

• Quantify Success: Wherever possible, include metrics related to campaign performance, engagement, or conversion rates. If direct metrics aren't available, explain the strategic rationale behind your design choices and how they were intended to achieve specific business goals.

• Highlight Design Journey: Be ready to explain your thought process, from initial concept development and mood boards to the final execution and any iterations or optimizations made.

• Showcase Versatility: Demonstrate your ability to work across different platforms (especially social media), formats, and campaign types (brand, product, performance).

• Address AI Usage: If applicable, clearly label and discuss projects where AI tools were used, explaining the purpose and benefit.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on practical application, data-driven decision-making, and understanding of marketing operations context, aligning with the GTM and operational aspects of the role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Visual Designer position:

• Submit your application through the AXA Careers portal.

• Curate Your Portfolio for Impact: Select projects that best demonstrate your skills in performance-driven design, social media creative, and brand application. Ensure each project clearly outlines the challenge, your process, your solution, and any measurable results.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight keywords from the job description such as "Visual Design," "Performance Marketing," "Adobe Creative Cloud," "AI Tools," "Full Funnel," "Growth Marketing," and "Social Media." Emphasize experience in agency environments and collaborative creative processes.

• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design rationale, your approach to optimization and A/B testing, and how you integrate AI into your workflow. Be ready to discuss specific examples that showcase your creative problem-solving skills and business impact.

• Research AXA's Brand & Studio: Familiarize yourself with AXA's current marketing initiatives, brand identity, and the described "Creative Agency from the heart of the group" concept to demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit.

⚠️ 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.