Senior Designer- Retail

Aquent; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Aquent Studios Team @ Google is seeking a Sr. Designer to lead strategic conceptualization, visual expression, and design execution for high-impact retail environments.

You will collaborate with leadership, cross-functional partners, and external production teams to scale design systems across our hardware portfolio. The role requires mentoring junior designers, overseeing production from ideation to final proofing, and ensuring brand stewardship across physical footprints.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional design experience, focusing on retail, environmental, experiential, or physical space design.
• Portfolio demonstrating retail environments, visual merchandising, window displays, or similar work.
• Strong 2D graphic design and visual systems expertise.
• Experience developing creative concepts and providing art direction.
• Understanding of how graphic design translates to 3D/physical environments and architectural constraints.
• Hands-on print production, fabrication, proofing, color management, and physical execution.
• Strong presentation and communication skills to influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional creative, production, spatial, and marketing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative vision for large-scale retail initiatives, aligning with global brand directives.
• Establish scalable 2D design systems and color/thematic frameworks for varied spaces.
• Oversee high-impact VM and window campaigns, balancing story with commercial results.
• Partner with Spatial Designers, Experience Strategists, and Production Leads to ensure a unified journey.
• Direct print production and proofing to ensure flawless physical execution.
• Present strategies and solutions to senior leadership to secure buy-in.

Skills

7+ years professional design

Strong 2D graphic design

Art direction & concept development

Print production & color management

Stakeholder presentation & comms

Job description

• MUST BE LOCATED IN NEW YORK OR SAN FRANCISCO TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY*
• THIS ROLE IS HYBRID
• POSSIBLE TRAVEL TO THE UK*

The Aquent Studios Team @ Google is looking to add to their team!

Area Description

Know the user. Know the magic. Connect the two. At its core, marketing at Google starts with technology and ends with the user. Our job is to demonstrate how Google's products solve the world's problems-from the everyday to the epic, from the mundane to the monumental. And we approach marketing in a way that only Google can-changing the game, redefining the medium, making the user the priority, and ultimately, letting the technology speak for itself.

Project Overview

As a Sr. Designer for our client's Platforms & Devices (P&D) Team, you will lead the strategic conceptualization, holistic visual expression, and design execution for high-impact physical environments and retail spaces. You will partner closely with creative leadership, cross-functional stakeholders, and external production partners to establish and scale compelling 2D and 3D visual design systems across our hardware portfolio. The role demands a seasoned creative who can orchestrate complex design frameworks, maintain pristine brand stewardship across diverse physical footprints, and mentor junior design talent while managing high-fidelity production oversight from ideation to final physical proofing.

Project Details

• Lead Creative Vision: Drive overarching design concepts, vision decks, and comprehensive mood boards for large-scale retail initiatives, ensuring alignment with global brand directives.
• Systemic Design & Art Direction: Establish robust, scalable 2D design systems, typographic guidelines, and color frameworks that seamlessly translate across varied physical dimensions and architectural constraints.
• High-Impact VM & Window Campaigns: Oversee the visual strategy and creative direction for flagship window displays and key visual merchandising (VM) touchpoints, balancing storytelling with commercial impact.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner directly with Spatial Designers, Experience Strategists, and Production Leads to ensure a unified physical-to-digital customer journey within the retail footprint.
• Production & Quality Oversight: Direct the print production and proofing process for complex materials, setting engineering and color standards to ensure flawless physical execution.
• Stakeholder Management: Confidently present design strategies and creative solutions to senior leadership and key regional stakeholders to secure buy-in.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of professional design experience, with a strong focus on retail, environmental, experiential, or physical space design
• A portfolio demonstrating retail environments, visual merchandising, window displays, branded physical experiences, or similar work
• Strong 2D graphic design and visual systems expertise
• Experience developing creative concepts and providing art direction
• Understanding of how graphic design translates to 3D/physical environments and architectural constraints
• Hands-on experience with print production, fabrication, proofing, color management, and physical execution
• Strong presentation and communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional creative, production, spatial, and marketing teams

Nice to Have:

• Experience designing for a global consumer or hardware brand
• Experience with large-scale or flagship retail programs
• Experience working with external production partners and fabricators
• Experience mentoring or providing creative direction to other designers