Senior Brand Designer

📌 Core Information

🔹 Job Title: Senior Brand Designer

🔹 Company: Zendesk

🔹 Location: Remote, California, United States

🔹 Job Type: Full-Time

🔹 Category: Design

🔹 Date Posted: April 3, 2025

🔹 Experience Level: 5-10 years

🔹 Remote Status: Hybrid (SF Bay Area, Austin, Seattle)

🚀 Job Overview

Key aspects of this role include:

• Crafting engaging and effective creative assets across various formats
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative ideas
• Leading smaller projects with autonomy and presenting work to stakeholders
• Transforming complex briefs into innovative and effective design solutions

ASSUMPTION: This role requires a strong conceptual thinker with a solid design foundation and experience working in creative marketing or advertising.

📋 Key Responsibilities

✅ Take a key role on a broad range of multi-format, collaborative projects, with deliverables spanning brand identity, social campaigns, interactive reports, and branded content.

✅ Design creative assets that engage, inspire, and connect with our audience – and put a fresh spin on our visual language.

✅ Lead on smaller projects with autonomy and confidence, presenting your work back to senior creatives and stakeholders.

✅ Take complex, technical briefs and transform them into innovative and effective ideas.

✅ Embrace differences and look for opportunities to collaborate and strengthen global diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

ASSUMPTION: This role requires a self-starter who can work independently and collaboratively to deliver high-quality design solutions.

🎯 Required Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Design or a related field (or equivalent experience)

Experience: 4+ years of experience as a designer or art director working in creative marketing and/or advertising

Required Skills:

• Strong sense of design principles, typography, layout, and attention to detail
• Excellent concepting and ideation skills
• Natural collaborator across copy, video, digital, and other disciplines
• Experience presenting to stakeholders, defending design decisions, and incorporating feedback
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to collaborate and incorporate people from across the team
• Technical skills and program competencies: Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and broadly Adobe CC

Preferred Skills:

• Experience working in-house
• Fluency in multiple languages

ASSUMPTION: Candidates must include a portfolio showcasing design craft, conceptual thinking, attention to detail, and a variety of experience.

💰 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $124,000.00 - $186,000.00 per year (US annualized base salary range)

Benefits:

• Bonus
• Benefits

Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week)

ASSUMPTION: The salary range provided is the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries across all US locations. The offer for the successful candidate will be based on job-related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location.

📌 Applicant Insights

🔍 Company Context

Industry: Software Development

Company Size: 5,001-10,000 employees

Founded: 2007

Company Description:

• Zendesk started the customer experience revolution in 2007 by enabling any business around the world to take their customer service online.
• Today, Zendesk is the champion of great service everywhere for everyone, and powers billions of conversations, connecting more than 100,000 brands with hundreds of millions of customers over telephony, chat, email, messaging, social channels, communities, review sites, and help centers.
• Zendesk products are built with love to be loved. The company was conceived in Copenhagen, Denmark, built and grown in California, taken public in New York City, and today employs more than 4,000 people across the world.

Company Specialties:

• Help Desks
• Customer Support
• SaaS
• Customer Community
• Customer Service

Company Website: https://www.zendesk.com

ASSUMPTION: Zendesk offers a hybrid way of working, enabling employees to purposefully come together in person while also giving them the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

📊 Role Analysis

Career Level: Senior

Reporting Structure: This role reports directly to the Creative Director, Studio

Work Arrangement: Hybrid (remote and on-site)

Growth Opportunities:

• Potential to lead larger projects and mentor junior designers
• Opportunities to collaborate with diverse teams across the organization
• Chance to grow within the creative department or explore other areas of the business

ASSUMPTION: This role offers opportunities for professional growth and development within a dynamic and innovative company.

🌍 Location & Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid (remote and on-site)

Office Location(s): San Francisco Bay Area, Austin, Seattle

Geographic Context:

• San Francisco Bay Area: Known for its vibrant tech industry, diverse culture, and beautiful landscapes
• Austin: Known for its live music scene, tech industry, and outdoor activities
• Seattle: Known for its coffee culture, tech industry, and natural beauty

Work Schedule: Full-time (40 hours per week) with flexible remote work options

ASSUMPTION: The work environment at Zendesk is inclusive, fostering global diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

💼 Interview & Application Insights

Typical Process:

• Online application submission
• Phone or video screen with the Talent Acquisition team
• Portfolio review and design challenge with the Creative Director, Studio
• Final interview with the Creative Director, Studio, and other key stakeholders

Key Assessment Areas:

• Design skills and portfolio
• Conceptual thinking and problem-solving
• Communication and presentation skills
• Collaboration and teamwork

Application Tips:

• Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight relevant skills and experiences
• Prepare examples of your work that demonstrate your design process and thoughtfulness
• Research Zendesk and be prepared to discuss how your skills and experiences align with the company's mission and values

ATS Keywords: Brand Designer, Senior Designer, Creative Marketing, Advertising, Design Principles, Typography, Layout, Attention to Detail, Concepting, Ideation, Collaboration, Presentation Skills, Organizational Skills, Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Adobe CC

ASSUMPTION: Zendesk uses an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to manage job applications. Including relevant keywords in your resume and cover letter can help your application get noticed.

🛠️ Tools & Technologies

• Figma
• Photoshop
• Illustrator
• After Effects
• Adobe CC

ASSUMPTION: Proficiency in these tools is required for this role, and candidates should be comfortable using them to create and present design work.

👔 Cultural Fit Considerations

Company Values:

• Customers First
• Innovation
• Integrity
• Fairness
• Diversity
• Inclusion
• Collaboration

Work Style:

• Creative and innovative
• Collaborative and team-oriented
• Adaptable and flexible
• Results-driven and accountable

Self-Assessment Questions:

• Do you thrive in a collaborative, cross-functional work environment?
• Are you passionate about creating engaging and effective design solutions that connect with audiences?
• Do you have strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to defend design decisions and incorporate feedback?

ASSUMPTION: Zendesk values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and candidates who align with these values and demonstrate a commitment to fostering an inclusive work environment will be a strong fit for the company.

⚠️ Potential Challenges

• Managing multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Collaborating with diverse teams across different time zones and locations
• Adapting to changes in project scope and priorities
• Balancing remote work and on-site responsibilities

ASSUMPTION: These challenges can be overcome with strong organizational skills, effective communication, and a willingness to adapt and pivot as needed.

📈 Similar Roles Comparison

• This role is similar to a Senior Graphic Designer or Art Director position, but with a focus on brand identity and creative marketing
• Compared to other design roles, this position requires strong conceptual thinking and ideation skills, as well as experience presenting to stakeholders and incorporating feedback
• Career progression in this role could lead to a Creative Director or Head of Design position within the company

ASSUMPTION: While this role shares similarities with other design positions, it is unique in its focus on brand identity and creative marketing within the software development industry.

📝 Sample Projects

• Redesigning Zendesk's brand identity to reflect the company's evolution and growth
• Creating a social media campaign to promote a new product launch, including visuals, copy, and animation
• Designing an interactive report that showcases Zendesk's customer data and insights, with a focus on accessibility and user experience

ASSUMPTION: These sample projects demonstrate the range of deliverables and skills required for this role, from brand identity and social media campaigns to interactive reports and data visualization.

❓ Key Questions to Ask During Interview

• Can you describe the team structure and how this role fits into the broader creative department?
• How does Zendesk support the professional growth and development of its employees?
• What are the key priorities for this role in the first 30, 60, and 90 days?
• How does Zendesk foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion?
• What are the biggest challenges facing the creative department, and how can this role help address them?

ASSUMPTION: These questions are designed to help candidates better understand the role, the team, and the company, and to demonstrate their interest and engagement in the interview process.

📌 Next Steps for Applicants

To apply for this position:

• Submit your application through this link
• Tailor your resume and portfolio to highlight relevant skills and experiences, including examples of your design process and thoughtfulness
• Prepare a cover letter that explains why you are interested in this role and how your skills and experiences align with Zendesk's mission and values
• If applicable, prepare examples of your work that demonstrate your design skills and problem-solving abilities
• Follow up with the Talent Acquisition team one week after submitting your application to check the status of your application

⚠️ This job description contains AI-assisted information. Details should be verified directly with the employer before making decisions.