Senior Designer- Retail [AQ-19340]

Aquent; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent Studios in Mountain View, CA, seeks a Senior Designer to lead conceptualization and execution for high-impact physical environments and retail spaces. You will shape 2D/3D design systems, collaborate with leadership, and partner with production teams to deliver premium brand experiences.

The role requires strong design leadership, print production expertise, and the ability to mentor junior designers while maintaining brand stewardship across global campaigns.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional design experience, focused on retail, environmental, experiential, or physical space design.

Responsibilities

• Lead overarching design concepts, mood boards, and vision decks for large-scale retail initiatives.
• Establish scalable 2D design systems, typography, and color frameworks for varied environments.
• Oversee visual strategy for flagship window displays and key VM touchpoints.
• Collaborate with Spatial Designers, Experience Strategists, and Production Leads to align physical and digital journeys.
• Direct print production and proofing, setting color standards for flawless execution.
• Present design strategies to senior leadership and regional stakeholders to secure buy-in.

Skills

Retail design

2D graphic design

Art direction

Print production

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Brand stewardship

Job description

Join a pioneering team at the forefront of innovation, shaping the physical presence of groundbreaking consumer hardware products. This is an unparalleled opportunity to leverage your design expertise to craft immersive retail experiences that resonate globally and directly influence how millions interact with cutting-edge technology. Your vision will transform spaces into powerful brand statements, leaving a lasting impact on the customer journey.

About The Role

As a Senior Designer for Aquent Studios, you will be instrumental in leading the strategic conceptualization, holistic visual expression, and design execution for our clients’ high-impact physical environments and retail spaces. You will collaborate closely with creative leadership, cross-functional stakeholders, and external production partners to establish and scale compelling 2D and 3D visual design systems across a diverse hardware portfolio. This 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.

What You’ll Do

• 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.

What You'll Bring

• 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.

Bonus Points

• 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.

Client Description

Aquent Studios is a global creative studio that delivers scale, speed and efficiency to the world’s most recognized brands. We create the work that matters the most to them—work that has a real impact on their business. As an Aquent Studios team member, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with the largest and most influential companies in the world, solving design challenges and extending their brands across tactic types and platforms, including digital design, UI/UX, video, motion, content, print design, web development, and more. If you want to do work that matters in a collaborative setting that values ingenuity and personal growth, you have found the right place!

Other Requirements

The target hiring compensation range for this role is $120-200K. However, final compensation level will be determined based on experience and scope alignment.