Design Lead Job Description

Job summary:

Who We Are

Nanoleaf creates smart home products that take ordinary experiences and make them extraordinary. We do this by inventing one-of-a-kind products that can help to improve the way we experience our everyday lives, building a strong team of passionate and motivated individuals who want to make an impact in the world, and through always designing with the customers’ needs in mind.

Founded in 2012 by three engineers on a journey to make green technology desirable, the company now has offices in Shenzhen, Paris, and Toronto, Hong Kong, Philippines, and sells in major retailers like Apple, Best Buy, and Home Depot. We are on a mission to build an amazing global brand and team and make a positive impact on the lives of our customers and employees. We love to promote from within, and work towards growing all of our employees toward their potential and career goals. We strive to promote a positive, collaborative and pleasant work culture where everyone can feel welcomed and supported within our Nanoleaf team.

Learn more about us here:

nanoleaf.me

Linkedin.com/company/nanoleaf

Instagram | Twitter @nanoleaf

Youtube | Facebook: @thenanoleaf

Tiktok | Twitch @nanoleafofficial

Who We’re Looking For

As the Design Lead, you oversee the design team and are responsible for shaping and refining Nanoleaf’s visual identity across all teams and mediums. You are fluent in design, but also a creative leader and decision maker responsible for driving the quality of all visual assets. Alongside your design team, the Creative Director & Marketing Director, you will help drive the implementation of ideas with artistry to ensure that the Nanoleaf brand rises above the clutter and makes a strong visual impact across all medium/channels/platforms.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Management / Decision Making

Build a strong design team through mentorship, guidance, management, and recruitment – as needed. Lead your team into a more visually creative and exciting mind space so that their best work can be realized.
Set and communicate design team priorities based on company and department-level OKRs.
Oversee projects from start to finish. Understand the goals of each project and be able to outline project deliverables as needed.
Provide comprehensive support and direction to designers so that the team is constantly aligned with project and business goals.
Set and manage team expectations while working simultaneously on multiple projects.
Identify inefficiencies in workflow and establish new structures for a more optimized team.
Understand and advocate best practices for design across all teams. Actively promote a positive culture of strong design, art, innovation and teamwork.
Work cross-functionally with other teams and departments on strategy and execution with a design-mind.
Build and maintain positive relationships with internal teams and/or external vendors when developing artwork.
Report to team leads on project statuses and liaise with regional managers for asset localization as needed.
Effectively manage the design team budget.

Strategy and Research

Set and communicate clear design team strategies based on marketing and business objectives.
Actively research design trends, customer use-cases, competitor assets to help understand competitors and differentiate our brand/marketing. Bring insight back to the team to guide projects and asset creation.
Continue to research and understand the changing landscape of marketing and branding to be able to make educated strategies with design.
Periodic design audit across all Nanoleaf’s global platforms to ensure consistency in look and feel, and identifying gaps/opportunities for improvements.
Stay in touch with competitors and top brands’ visual direction and strategize to stay ahead.
Stay up to date with new technologies, industry and design trends and demonstrate a passion for mentoring and growing your team to become better versed in these trends and how to design with marketing objectives in mind.
Communicate with cross functional teams findings and strategies to help drive the direction of the business from a design perspective in a bold and impactful way.

Design Delivery

Take on complex design projects to strategize, direct and deliver in areas including but not limited to:

Marketing campaigns
Ecomm.

B2C & B2B partnerships and events

Retail and trade marketing

Email marketing

Social media

Product packaging

General Branding

Web & Mobile
Internal company branding and marketing initiatives
Localization for different regions
Distributor and partners support as needed
3D Product and Ad Videos

Lead the creation and upkeep of brand guides and look books
Apply deep understanding of the brand style guide (colour, font, terminology etc) for all assets created, to ensure that they are in alignment with our brand tone and team objectives

Participate in individual initiatives and/or collaborate with multiple departments on various projects. From brainstorming to ideating and bringing ideas to life

Manage multiple design projects under tight deadlines

Manage all produced assets according to team standards (file organization, hierarchy and naming conventions)

Identify opportunities to incorporate emerging marketing/branding trends to refine and expand our design vision

Requirements:

3+ years of related design experience

A strong portfolio that showcases an understanding of core design principles, branding, and marketing

Proficiency in Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite (primarily Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign)

Ability to communicate design ideas thoroughly, iterate, and implement feedback

Knowledge of current industry standards for a variety of print and digital formats

A driven and hardworking individual who is flexible in working individually and in team settings

Must be comfortable managing multiple moving projects at the same time, excel at time management and able to consistently meet deadlines

Self-starter attitude, reliability, discretion and ability to maintain a positive and professional attitude at all times

Ability to work well independently or in a team environment and thrive in a fast-paced environment

This role will require you to work collaboratively in the office at least 2-3 times a week (Toronto HQ)

Preferred:

Smart home technology knowledge

PC or Console gaming experience

Knowledge in Blender for low-fidelity 3D renderings
Proficiency in a second language (French, German, Mandarin)

What We Offer

Competitive compensation
Health and dental benefits
Centrally located downtown office that’s steps away from the TTC and Union/King Station
Opportunity to work in a startup style environment with funding backed by a cash positive business
A leadership team that cares about what success looks like for you and works with you to map out your career development and growth
Enjoy the freedom to express your creativity
Work in a team of positive, passionate and capable peers who love to work hard and play hard together
Quarterly team building outings
Hybrid work from home + work in the office model

Nanoleaf

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