Associate Designer, Hard Goods

Crate and Barrel; Northbrook (IL); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent home furnishings company is seeking an Associate Designer, Hard Goods, to contribute to product design and support technical development. The ideal candidate will have a robust portfolio showcasing their design skills, along with experience in product design, preferably for hard goods. This on-site role in Northbrook offers flexible remote working on Fridays and a competitive salary ranging from $67,000 to $75,000 annually, along with opportunities for bonuses and other incentives.

Qualifications

• 2 years previous experience in product design; hard goods preferred.
• Strong technical knowledge and experience with drafting, 3D modeling essential.
• Must provide a link to portfolio on resume or provide PDF samples.

Responsibilities

• Manage the product design process and technical development.
• Create design presentations and maintain product lifecycle.
• Collaborate with internal teams and vendors.

Skills

Design passion

Color sensitivity

Technical design experience

CAD rendering

Presentation skills

Education

BFA or MA in Industrial Design

Tools

AutoCAD

Rhino

Keyshot

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

We inspire purpose-filled living that brings beauty and quality to the modern home. Together, we achieve. Associates across our business drive results, innovate, and inspire. Drawn together by our shared values and passion for our customers and our brands, we deliver home furnishings that are expertly designed, responsibly sourced, and bring timeless style and function to people’s homes. From the day we opened our first store in Chicago in 1962 to the digital innovations that engage millions of customers today, our iconic brand is over 60 years in the making—and our story is still unfolding.

We’re here for it. We think you should be too. We’re looking for a driven professional with an inclusive mindset to join our team as an Associate Designer, Hard Goods.

The Associate Designer, Hard Goods will own design and support the creation of a specific product category in support of the Associate Director, Design and help manage the daily functions of the design area including the ownership of technical development briefs, and sample development management.

This is an on-site position (Monday through Thursday) based out of our Northbrook, Illinois office with the flexibility to work remotely on Fridays.

A day in the life as an Associate Designer, Hard Goods…

• Own the product design process for a specific product line in hard goods, tabletop and/or decor
• Create presentations of key cross-functional design milestones
• Perform renderings, digital design work and CAD for product line
• Own the development of technical product design specifications and CADs
• Own product amendment comments and revisions through the design development and sampling process
• Maintain seasonal concept documents and design records
• Manage design samples through their entire lifecycle
• Build effective relationships with internal partners in Design, Merchandising, Materials and Sourcing to help execute cross functional synergy and collaboration
• Partner with facilities to organize and maintain sample storage, swatch libraries and review spaces
• Translate business and design objectives into successful product
• Interact and collaborate with senior members of the team and major vendors with experience on product development
• Identify and support opportunities for improvement in business management and process design
• Participate in special projects, as needed

What you’ll bring to the table…

• Passion for design, style and decorating and knowledge of design and art history
• Experience or strong interest in print and surface design for home products
• Experience with technical design and design brief creation
• Strong eye for color, scale, and composition, with sensitivity to seasonal trends and customer preferences
• Understand repeat patterns, placement prints, and surface treatments (e.g., texture, embossing, glaze techniques)

We’d love to hear from you if you have…

• Must provide a link to portfolio (including password) on resume or provide PDF samples
• 2 years previous experience working in product design; hard goods preferred
• BFA or MA in Industrial Design, Furniture Design or any related design field
• Strong Hand Sketching, CAD rendering and print/pattern design
• Strong Technical knowledge and experience with drafting, 3D modeling, and digital or hand rendering essential (AutoCAD, Rhino and Keyshot)
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative suite- Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign essential
• Good communication and presentation skills

Minimum Starting Rate: $67,000.00 AnnuallyUp to: $75,000.00 AnnuallyPay ranges will be adjusted upward as needed to comply with applicable state and local law. In addition to your salary, based on your role, associates may be eligible for other compensation including bonuses, sales incentives, and long term incentives.