Gusto

Senior Art Director/Designer

Gusto$80K — $95K *
Media
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of professional design experience in branding, advertising, marketing, or a creative agency
  • Strong portfolio showcasing conceptual thinking and polished execution across various media
  • Proven ability to generate original creative concepts
  • Excellent command of typography, layout, and visual systems
  • Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma
  • Strong understanding of digital and print production requirements
  • Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet tight deadlines

Responsibilities

  • Develop original creative concepts that align with client objectives and brand strategies
  • Lead design and execution across branding, campaigns, and various media formats
  • Take ownership of projects from initial concept to final delivery
  • Translate brand strategy into visually compelling designs
  • Collaborate with diverse teams to enhance creative output
  • Present design concepts clearly, explaining strategic rationale
  • Provide guidance to junior designers and manage project lifecycle effectively

Benefits

  • Full-time, in-person role in San Antonio, Texas
  • Opportunity to collaborate with diverse creative teams
  • Work on a range of design projects across multiple channels
  • Support for career growth and mentorship opportunities
  • Unique environment fostering original thinking and creativity
Full Job Description
The Senior Designer develops original creative concepts and translates strategy into polished visual work across branding, campaigns, digital, social, print, and environmental design. This role owns assignments from concept through final production while collaborating across teams and supporting the growth of junior designers.

Description

Description

Parallel is a brand agency helping organizations build stronger brands through strategy, identity design, digital experiences, and marketing. We're looking for a Senior Designer to develop compelling creative concepts and bring them to life through polished, strategically grounded design across brands, campaigns, and channels.

This is a full-time, in-person role based in San Antonio, Texas.

The Senior Designer plays an important role in shaping creative ideas from the earliest stages of concept development through final production. This person doesn't simply execute an established direction-they think conceptually, explore original ideas, and translate strategy and client objectives into creative solutions that are thoughtful, memorable, and effective.

You'll collaborate with creative leads, strategists, copywriters, account teams, and other designers to develop concepts and execute work across brand identity, campaigns, digital, social, print, environmental, and presentation design. You'll take ownership of assignments from concept through delivery, present and explain your thinking, respond thoughtfully to feedback, and ensure every final asset meets a high standard of creative and technical quality.

Success in this role comes naturally to someone who is curious, conceptually strong, and genuinely excited by the process of turning a strategic challenge into a compelling creative idea. If you bring original thinking, strong design judgment, exceptional craft, and the ability to move confidently between big-picture concepts and meticulous execution, we'd love to hear from you.

What You'll Do
  • Develop original creative concepts in response to client objectives, brand strategies, campaign needs, and creative briefs
  • Explore multiple visual directions and translate abstract ideas into clear, compelling creative solutions
  • Lead the design and execution of work across brand identity, campaigns, digital, social, print, environmental, and presentation materials
  • Take ownership of creative assignments from initial concepting and exploration through refinement, production, and final delivery
  • Translate brand strategy, creative direction, and client goals into distinctive, strategically aligned visual work
  • Build thoughtful visual systems, layouts, templates, and design elements that maintain consistency across channels
  • Collaborate with creative leads, strategists, copywriters, account teams, developers, and production partners throughout the creative process
  • Present concepts and design recommendations clearly, articulating the strategic and creative rationale behind the work
  • Participate in internal and client reviews, incorporating feedback while protecting the strength and integrity of the creative idea
  • Balance conceptual ambition with practical considerations such as scope, timeline, audience, medium, and production requirements
  • Prepare accurate, production-ready files for digital and print applications
  • Review final work for quality, accuracy, brand consistency, and production readiness before handoff
  • Manage file organization, versioning, and supporting assets throughout the project lifecycle
  • Develop reusable templates and design systems that improve consistency, efficiency, and scalability
  • Manage multiple assignments and deadlines while maintaining strong attention to detail and creative quality
  • Communicate proactively about progress, timelines, questions, recommendations, and potential challenges
  • Provide thoughtful feedback, guidance, and support to junior designers when appropriate
  • Contribute ideas that elevate the agency's creative output, standards, and ways of working


What We're Looking For
  • 5+ years of professional design experience, preferably within a branding, advertising, marketing, or creative agency
  • Portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking and polished execution across brand, campaign, digital, and print work
  • Proven ability to generate original creative concepts-not only execute established visual directions
  • Strong understanding of how strategy, audience, message, and medium inform creative decisions
  • Excellent command of typography, layout, color, composition, visual hierarchy, and brand systems
  • Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and Figma
  • Strong understanding of digital and print production requirements
  • Ability to present creative ideas clearly and explain the rationale behind design decisions
  • Ability to receive, interpret, and apply feedback while maintaining thoughtful creative judgment
  • Strong organizational and time-management skills with exceptional attention to detail
  • Ability to manage multiple assignments and shifting priorities in a fast-paced agency environment
  • Collaborative, curious, proactive, and solution-oriented approach to creative work
  • Consistent ownership and follow-through from concept through final delivery


Nice to Have
  • Experience developing brand identities, campaign concepts, and integrated visual systems
  • Experience working closely with copywriters to develop cohesive verbal and visual concepts
  • Experience designing for environmental, experiential, motion, or interactive applications
  • Familiarity with front-end design principles and collaborating with developers or digital teams
  • Experience presenting creative work directly to clients
  • Experience mentoring or providing creative guidance to junior designers
  • Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience, preferred

About Gusto

Gusto is a cloud-based human resources software platform that provides payroll, benefits, and HR management services to small businesses. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Gusto's platform automates many of the administrative tasks associated with HR, such as payroll processing, tax filings, and benefits administration. The company also offers a range of HR services, including compliance support, employee onboarding, and time tracking. Gusto is committed to helping small businesses succeed by providing them with the tools and resources they need to manage their HR operations more efficiently.
Learn more about Gusto
Size
1,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2012

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