Senior Visual Communication Designer

In a nutshell:

IDEO Shanghai is in search of a Senior Visual Communication Designer who will inspire and move both teams and clients using the craft of visual communication. 

Why is this role important for IDEO’s work?

Visual Communication Designer makes the biggest impact to solving complex challenges by helping to bring ideas to life visually. We count on them to embody the belief that Creativity can give simple, human and delightful answers to the most complex problems in the world and encourage others to be creative as well by applying design to systemic problems and making the answer visual and tangible.

Once here you will:

• Be called upon to work or consult on a wide range of things: brand identities and full brand implementation, graphics for retail spaces, packaging, workbooks and publications, rapid prototypes for consumer testing, illustrations of business ecosystems, exhibition graphics, user interfaces and even rolling your sleeves up to help create beautiful presentation decks.
• Work seamlessly with people come from diverse backgrounds to tackle complex challenge (including but not limited to Industrial Designer, Design Researcher, Business designer, Interaction Designer and Environments Designer);
• Get exposure to and involvement with all aspects of the design consultancy projects: research, inspiration gathering, brainstorm, strategy defining, concept development, prototyping etc..
• Go out in the field and build empathy with users through activities like observing the life of a cosplay model and riding a car with a professional race car driver;

What does IDEO offer you?

IDEO is a place unlike any other. It’s a place where you can solve diverse, complex challenges for our clients or the organization, alongside thoughtful, intelligent individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and optimism. Sure we work hard, but we also intentionally craft moments that allow our community to pause, create, and connect. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career.

IDEO has been in China for over a decade and our mission is to create new value by enabling enlightened leaders to answer the right questions and to tackle systemic challenges. These can range from working with ambitious Chinese enterprises, multinationals and enterprising entrepreneurs on challenges to do with healthcare, mobility, education or food safety. Over the years, we have grown in the scale of our influence and impact, and we are now looking for talented individuals who share our mission and sense of purpose to join our vibrant and dynamic Shanghai location.

Some previous projects to check out:

Society of Grownups: A storefront designed to connect the MassMutual brand to young adults through focusing on their money-spending habits over great food and conversation.

Pill Pack: An IDEO startup-in-residence. We helped build a venturing strategy for its prescription home-delivery system. IDEO refined the company's brand vision, strategy, and identity across channels and used this framework to redesign PillPack’s website and private dashboard for customers.

Relevant experience and mindset:

• Design craft: successful candidates will bring a wide range of experiences in multiple fields within communication design including: Brand Identity, Editorial Design, Information Graphics, Typography, Packaging Design, Exhibition Design.
• Diverse experience: you have been in the creative industry for minimum 5 years, and have worked on a variety of industries and projects, preferably had experience in different international markets.
• Career Aspirations: You’re looking for a place that will challenge your curiosity. You want to blur the edges of your craft in an environment where you will constantly be learning from others and doing work that will have real impact in the world.
• Culture: you are comfortable working in an ambiguous and dynamic environment and comfortable with non- hierarchical organizations.
• Language: you are fluent in both Mandarin and English.

Application requirements and instructions:

Is this you? If so, please apply with your CV, portfolio and a cover letter, to help us understand why this role is the right one for you.

Senior Visual Communication Designer

In a nutshell:

Visual Communication Designers at IDEO make the biggest impact through visual storytelling. They work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to bring ideas, research, strategy, and stories to life through strong craft execution.

The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in graphic design and experience applying practical and conceptual design principles across brand expression, interaction and digital product experiences, motion, and storytelling. We’re looking for designers who bring a distinct visual voice, curiosity, and a commitment to craft excellence.

In this role, you will… 

In this role, you’ll work you'll work on a single multidisciplinary team that focuses on Entertainment and Technology and tackle all aspects of the design process from user research to physical prototyping and communicating the overall project story to the client team.You’ll have the opportunity to work on projects that span data, experience, interaction, digital product, and service design. Your contributions may take on a variety of forms including brand expression, storytelling, information, motion, packaging, interface, wayfinding, and environmental design. You will work closely on strategic communications helping transform complex data, systems, and ideas into visuals and narratives that are intuitive, engaging, and actionable. 

Relevant experiences/skills:

• Relevant experience and/or educational background required in communications design, graphic design, or a closely related discipline, gained in a studio, agency, or in-house environment
• A strong foundation in visual design craft, including typography, layout, composition, color, and systems thinking
• Experience designing across multiple mediums, such as brand and brand expression, information design, digital and interactive experiences, motion, and presentation design
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex ideas, data, and strategies into clear, compelling visual narratives
• Comfort working from early concepting and synthesis through execution, refinement, and delivery
• Experience collaborating closely with multidisciplinary teams
• Confidence in explaining design decisions, and using storytelling to align teams and move projects forward
• High level of self-direction, organization, and accountability

Once here you will:

• Partner closely with a single, long-term Entertainment and Technology client, contributing to the ongoing evolution of their brand, platforms, and experiences over time
• Set the visual design direction of projects through exploration, strategy, graphic design, and storytelling
• Design environments, experiences, websites, apps, and combined digital and physical experiences with the end user in mind
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary designers with backgrounds such as industrial design, interaction design, business design, and mechanical engineering to solve problems
• Work through all phases of a project, from translating verbal ideas into rough visual concepts to creating production-ready artwork, to create looks like/works like prototypes of different levels of fidelity to help teams determine design direction
• Create compelling visual narratives that communicate user stories and our strategic solutions
• Be an advocate for exceptional visual design elevating craft, clarity, and coherence while working within complex systems, constraints, and timelines

Some previous projects to check out: 

• Enhancing garment worker well-being with AI
• Redefining retail in Mexico
• Teaching robots to dance
• Hot Sauce Success

Key mindsets:

• Collaborative and adaptable: able to navigate team dynamics, timelines, and client contexts while delivering exceptional design
• Growth oriented and resilient: open to feedback, eager to iterate, and comfortable learning through experimentation and critique
• Curious and proactive: able to generate ideas, take initiative, and contribute wherever needed, from early exploration to final delivery

What does IDEO offer you?

IDEO is a place where you can solve diverse, complex challenges for our clients and their organizations, alongside thoughtful, intelligent individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and humility. We intentionally craft moments that allow our community to pause, create, and connect. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career. 

In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to work deeply with a single Entertainment and Technology client over time. Rather than moving quickly between projects, you’ll build sustained context, developing a nuanced understanding of the client’s strategy, systems, audiences, and organizational dynamics. This depth will enable you to contribute not just to design outcomes, but to strategic thinking, long-term vision, and the evolution of ideas as they move from concept to reality.

Payscale & Benefits

IDEO is committed to paying its employees, contractors & vendors equitably, regardless of gender identity or race/ethnicity/cultural identity.

The salary range for this role is $80,000–$100,000 USD. Final offers may vary based on candidate experience, location, and other factors. As a full-time position, this role is eligible for employee benefits.

Senior Visual Communication Designer

In a nutshell:

Visual Communication Designers at IDEO make the biggest impact through visual storytelling. They work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to bring ideas, research, strategy, and stories to life through strong craft execution.

The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in graphic design and experience applying practical and conceptual design principles across brand expression, interaction and digital product experiences, motion, and storytelling. We’re looking for designers who bring a distinct visual voice, curiosity, and a commitment to craft excellence. 

In this role, you will… 

You’ll work as a key contributor on project teams, supporting all phases of the design process—from early exploration and prototyping through to polished, client-facing deliverables. Your work may span brand, storytelling, motion, interaction and digital product, information design, packaging, and environmental expression.

Once here you will:

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to translate research and strategy into compelling visual narratives
• Contribute to the development and expression of brand identities across mediums
• Create looks-like/works-like prototypes at varying levels of fidelity to explore and communicate design directions
• Design thoughtful experiences across digital, physical, and hybrid touchpoints with the end user in mind
• Produce high-quality visual deliverables that communicate user stories and strategic intent working across a variety of industries (health, financial services, consumer products, etc.)
• Advocate for exceptional visual craft through making, iteration, and collaboration

Some previous projects to check out:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology Brand
• Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
• The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California Berkeley
• Cities United Rebrand

Design Craft:

• Relevant experience and/or educational background required in interactive/graphic design across a variety of applications and media
• Strong portfolio demonstrating elevated design craft, typography, layout, and visual storytelling
• Extensive experience with tools such as Adobe Creative Suite and Figma
• Familiarity with motion and interaction tools (After Effects, prototyping platforms, etc.)
• Comfort collaborating in client-facing presentation environments such as Google Slides and FigJam/Figma Slides
• Curiosity and openness to experimenting with emerging mediums including 3D, motion, and AI-assisted design

Diverse Experience:

• Experience establishing and expressing brand identity, from understanding strategy through creative interpretation and execution, including: visual identities, brand systems, and guidelines for implementation
• Experience in concept ideation, design research, and prototyping, with a curiosity for learning and experimenting across visual, digital, and experiential mediums
• Ability to work across a wide range of design challenges, recognizing patterns, and translating insights into thoughtful visual solutions
• Comfort moving between exploratory and polished work, helping teams bring ideas to life through strong craft and storytelling

Key Mindsets:

• Collaborative and adaptable: able to navigate team dynamics,timelines, and client contexts while delivering exceptional design. 
• Growth oriented and resilient: open to feedback, eager to iterate, and comfortable learning through experimentation and critique
• Curious and proactive: able to generate ideas, take initiative, and contribute wherever needed, from early exploration to final delivery. 

What does IDEO offer you?

IDEO is a place where you can solve diverse, complex challenges for our clients and their organizations, alongside thoughtful, intelligent individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and humility. We intentionally craft moments that allow our community to pause, create, and connect. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career.

Payscale & Benefits

IDEO is committed to paying its employees, contractors & vendors equitably, regardless of gender identity or race/ethnicity/cultural identity.

The salary range for this role is $80,000–$100,000 USD. Final offers may vary based on candidate experience, location, and other factors. As a full-time position, this role is eligible for employee benefits.

In a nutshell:

IDEO Shanghai is in search of a Visual Communication Designer/Graphic Designer who will guide, inspire and move both teams and clients using the craft of Graphic Design. 

Why is this role important for IDEO’s work?

Graphic Designer makes the biggest impact to solving complex challenges by helping to bring ideas to life visually. We count on them to art direct and deliver good design. 

Once here you will:

• Be called upon to work on a wide range of things: brand identities and full brand implementation, graphics for retail spaces, packaging, workbooks and publications, rapid prototypes for consumer testing, illustrations of business ecosystems, exhibition graphics, user interfaces and even rolling your sleeves up to help create beautiful presentation decks.
• Work seamlessly with people come from diverse backgrounds to tackle complex challenge (including but not limited to Industrial Designer, Design Researcher, Business designer and Interaction Designer); 
• Go out in the field and build empathy with users through activities like observing the life of a cosplay model and riding a car with a professional race car driver;

What does IDEO offer you?

IDEO is a place unlike any other. It’s a place where you can solve diverse, complex challenges for our clients or the organization, alongside thoughtful, intelligent individuals who lead with curiosity, empathy, and optimism. Sure we work hard, but we also intentionally craft moments that allow our community to pause, create, and connect. We encourage our community to bring their whole selves to work, respect the need for work-life balance, and allow for autonomy in the design process and your career.

IDEO has been in China for over a decade and our mission is to create new value by enabling enlightened leaders to answer the right questions and to tackle systemic challenges. These can range from working with ambitious Chinese enterprises, multinationals and enterprising entrepreneurs on challenges to do with healthcare, mobility, education or food safety. Over the years, we have grown in the scale of our influence and impact, and we are now looking for talented individuals who share our mission and sense of purpose to join our vibrant and dynamic Shanghai location.

Relevant experience and mindset:

• Design craft: successful candidates will bring a wide range of experiences in multiple fields within communication design including: Brand Identity, Editorial Design, Information Graphics, Typography, Packaging Design, Exhibition Design.
• Diverse experience: You have worked on a variety of industries and projects, preferably had experience in different international markets.
• Career Aspirations: You’re looking for a place that will challenge your curiosity. You want to blur the edges of your craft in an environment where you will constantly be learning from others and pushing the edge of your craft.
• Culture: you are comfortable working in an ambiguous and dynamic environment and comfortable with non- hierarchical organizations.
• Language: you are fluent in both Mandarin and English.

Application requirements and instructions:

Is this you? If so, please apply with your CV, portfolio and a cover letter, to help us understand why this role is the right one for you.