Intern, Graphic Design

Heron Power Inc.; Scotts Valley (CA); Hybrid; USD 22,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Heron Power Inc. is building the visual identity of a young technology company focused on power electronics for the grid.

As a Graphic Design Intern, you’ll collaborate with leadership to bring the Heron brand to life across a wide range of projects—from print and digital graphics to environmental visuals and product packaging. You’ll gain hands-on experience turning complex engineering concepts into clear, compelling visuals, while growing your craft in typography, layout, color, and image

Qualifications

• Currently studying or recently graduated with a graphic design or related program.
• Strong portfolio showing visual thinking and craft.
• Solid fundamentals in typography, layout, composition, hierarchy, color, and imagery.
• Comfort with Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and/or Figma.

Responsibilities

• Develop graphics, layouts, illustrations, icons, and other visual language elements.
• Create environmental graphics, signage, wayfinding, and visuals for offices and factory.
• Design apparel, swag, packaging, and physical brand objects.
• Support presentations, recruiting materials, technical graphics, social content, and company communications.
• Help develop graphics for events, product launches, tours, and trade shows.
• Make complex engineering concepts visually clear and approachable.
• Build templates, graphic systems, and brand tools for consistent communication.
• Collaborate with printers, fabricators, vendors to turn designs into real items.
• Pitch ideas and prototype new brand expressions.

Skills

graphic design fundamentals

typography

layout

color theory

image-making

craft (digital and physical)

curiosity

Education

Graphic design degree or related program

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Photoshop

InDesign

Figma

Job description

What to Expect

Heron Power Electronics is building cutting-edge power electronics for the 21st-century grid. We aim to remove the bottlenecks holding back the growth of electricity generation and consumption with scalable, innovative, and less costly hardware- helping accelerate the electrification of everything.

Our first focus goal is to build better converters (inverters & rectifiers) to connect large-scale renewables, storage, and loads to the grid. Heron Power’s leadership team is made up of seasoned veterans who have designed and shipped gigawatts of power conversion products over the past decade.

We understand that no one individual knows everything. We will all learn a lot together and from each other. We strive to build a collaborative, enriching environment conducive to personal, technical, and career growth. You can expect to work in a dynamic and collaborative environment, driven by first principles engineering, solving difficult problems.

Job Overview

We believe great design is an important part of building great technology. Heron is more than the machines we build. It is also our spaces, graphics, photography, events, apparel, website, documentation, and all the small details that shape how people experience the company.

We’re building that identity now.

As a Graphic Design Intern, you’ll work closely with Heron leadership to help develop and bring the Heron brand to life across a wide range of projects. You’ll have the opportunity to work on real things that get made, printed, installed, worn, shared, and used.

This is a hands-on role for someone with strong visual instincts who is excited about building a brand—not just maintaining one.

What You’ll Work On

Your projects could include:

• Developing graphics, layouts, typography, illustrations, icons, diagrams, and other elements of Heron’s visual language.
• Creating environmental graphics, signage, wayfinding, and visual moments throughout our offices and factory.
• Designing apparel, swag, stickers, packaging, and other physical brand objects.
• Supporting the design of presentations, recruiting materials, technical graphics, social content, and company communications.
• Helping develop graphics and experiences for events, product launches, factory tours, and trade shows.
• Exploring ways to make complex engineering and energy concepts visually clear, compelling, and approachable.
• Building and extending templates, graphic systems, and brand tools that help Heron communicate consistently.
• Working with printers, fabricators, vendors, and other partners to turn designs into real things.
• Pitching ideas. Making things. Trying things. Helping us discover what the Heron brand can become.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for a designer with strong graphic design fundamentals, good taste, curiosity, high level of craft both digitally and physically, and a desire to make things.

You don’t need to know how to do everything on day one. We care about how you think, what you notice, the quality of your work, and how excited you are to make cool stuff.

Must-Haves

• Currently studying or recently graduated from a graphic design, communication design, visual design, or related program—or an exceptional portfolio demonstrating equivalent ability.
• A portfolio showing strong visual thinking and craft.
• Strong fundamentals in typography, layout, composition, hierarchy, color, and image-making.
• Comfort working in tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign and/or Figma, etc.
• Interest in brand identity and how a visual system extends across many different mediums.
• A willingness to move between big ideas and small details.
• Curiosity, low ego, initiative, and enthusiasm for working with people from different disciplines.
• Heart. We are rebuilding the American grid and laying the foundation for more abundant, efficient, sustainable energy. That should mean something to you.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience or interest in environmental graphics, signage, or wayfinding.
• Illustration, photography, motion, animation, gen-AI tools, or 3D skills.
• Experience designing apparel, merchandise, packaging, or other physical objects.
• Interest in industrial design, architecture, manufacturing, engineering, or technology.
• Experience preparing artwork for print/manufacture or working with fabricators and vendors.
• An instinct for finding the fun, unexpected, or memorable expression of a brand.

This is a chance to help build the visual world of a young technology company from the ground up. One day you might be designing a graphic for the factory wall, the next a technical diagram, a T-shirt, an event experience, or something we haven’t thought of yet.

If you’re a young designer with great visual instincts who wants to make a lot of real things—and help define what a new American engineering company looks and feels like—we’d love to hear from you.