Associate Brand Designer

About the role

AREA 17 partners with Craft on the 2026 Cohort, a structured entry point designed to grow and nurture junior talent into future leaders. You'll work in small, autonomous teams alongside senior strategists and designers, learning by doing on digital-first projects. You’ll lead brand design, translating strategic positioning into visual systems and identities, including motion, typography, system design, and identity work. Projects run in two modes: six-to-eight-week acceleration sprints for quick market launches and six-month-plus transformations to build lasting brand infrastructure. You’ll collaborate with strategists on AI, climate, health, and arts-and-culture clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead brand design across digital-first projects, creating visual systems and identities.
• Concept and execute motion, typography, system design, and identity work based on project briefs.
• Translate strategic positioning into design solutions.
• Work in small, autonomous teams alongside strategists and senior designers.
• Contribute to projects for clients in AI, climate, health, and arts-and-culture sectors.

Requirements

• Early-career with a couple of years of experience in brand or design (beyond your first studio job).
• Ideas-first mindset with strong conceptual and typographic skills.
• Ability to draw references from beyond graphic design.
• Experience reading and interpreting strategy to inform design.
• Curiosity about AI tools (fluency not required).

Benefits

• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and families.
• 401(k) with company match.
• HSA with annual employer contribution.
• Employer-paid life insurance.

Pay

$60,000 - $75,000

Schedule

Hybrid working with an early October start date.