Signage Designer - Lifestyle - Mid Level

Gensler; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Disability benefits

Wellness programs

Flex spending

Paid holidays

Paid time off

401k with profit sharing

Employee stock ownership

Bonus opportunities (twice annually)

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Gensler's San Francisco Brand Design team seeks a talented graphic designer to translate brand stories into physical environments through signage, wayfinding, and placemaking. You will coordinate with BIM models and fabrication teams on projects spanning aviation, sports venues, workplaces, and campuses.

The ideal candidate has 5-10 years in signage and environmental graphic design, strong typography and documentation skills, and a portfolio showing installed signage and BIM-ready drawings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design or related field.
• 5-10 years in signage, wayfinding, and environmental graphic design within an architecture or design firm.
• Strong typography, composition, and information design skills across multiple project types.
• Portfolio showing installed signage and technical documentation in BIM environments.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and meet tight deadlines with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Generate and document design solutions for complex wayfinding and signage conditions.
• Develop user journeys related to campus, site or building navigation.
• Translate strategies into sign location plans, sign families, and documentation.
• Design sign types with typography, hierarchy, materials, and code considerations.
• Prepare design intent documentation for competitive bids.
• Create production-ready artwork for 2D/3D, print, or digital applications.
• Coordinate with BIM workflows and architectural models.
• Collaborate with signage fabricators and vendors on materials and installation.
• Review shop drawings and prototypes for design intent consistency.
• Support project teams and contribute to studio standards and best practices.

Skills

Graphic design

Typography

Information design

Concept development

Project coordination

Communication skills

2D/3D design

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor's degree in graphic design or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Revit

Rhino

SketchUp

Figma / UX tools

AutoCAD

Job description

Gensler's San Francisco Brand Design team is seeking an exceptionally talented and passionate graphic designer to join our creative studio, a collaborative team of designers and storytellers that engages with a wide variety of clients on projects of all sizes. As Gensler brand experience designers, we help our clients tell their unique stories effectively via every channel available in today's diverse media landscape, with an emphasis on tangible experiences. Our approach combines design and architectural expertise with a unique point of view and strong communication skills. We believe that this approach results in brands that build trust, inspire confidence, and forge lasting relationships.

Your Role

As a Gensler Signage Designer, you will bring technical proficiency with a passion for helping translate a client's brand into physical environments through graphics, signage, wayfinding, and placemaking strategies. You will focus on the strategy, design, documentation and implementation oversight of signage systems including coordination and integration into larger architectural project contexts. Our ideal candidate is a strong 2D and 3D designer, who can quickly generate multiple concepts and develop them into viable design solutions. You have strong technical skills and will coordinate between multiple internal project design teams, fabricators and clients. Your initial focus will be aviation wayfinding, with additional project types including sports venues, workplace, mixed-use developments, corporate campuses and education/cultural institutions.

What You Will Do

• Generate and document design solutions that solve complex wayfinding conditions and challenges
• Conduct research for the organizational, cultural, and physical context surrounding a project
• Develop user journeys related to campus, site or building navigation
• Translate wayfinding strategies into sign location plans, message schedules, sign type families, design intent drawings, elevations, details, and other documentation
• Design sign types with careful consideration of typography, hierarchy, legibility, scale, materials, color, lighting, mounting, fabrication, code and architectural integration
• Prepare design intent documentation suitable for competitive bid
• Create production-ready artwork for 3D, 2D, print, or digital applications.
• Work effectively within Revit-based architectural BIM documentation workflows, including coordination with architectural models and drawing sets
• Coordinate with signage fabricators and vendors on final material selections, fabrication methods, installation requirements, and constructability while maintaining design intent
• Review vendor RFIs and submittals including shop drawings, samples, and prototypes for consistency with design intent
• Participate in site surveys, field verification, shop reviews, and installation punch walk reviews as required
• Manage multiple design and documentation tasks, often in coordination with a Design Director, Design Manager and others on the project design team, while meeting project schedules, budgets and quality expectations
• Support the Design Management team in tracking project details, status, and internal and external communications
• Contribute to the development of studio standards, tools, details, and best practices for signage and wayfinding strategy, design, and documentation

Your Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, industrial design, environmental design, architecture, visual communication, or related field
• 5-10 yearsof experience in signage, wayfinding, and environmental graphic design within an architecture or design firm
• Strong graphic design, illustration, typography, composition, and information design skillsacross multiple project types
• Portfolio demonstrating installed signage and wayfinding work, including both conceptual design and technical documentation (e.g. scale drawings and sign assembly details and coordination within architectural BIM models and drawing sets)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to multitask, working on various projects at once, often with tight deadlines and with careful attention to detail
• Ability to work with moderate guidance; proactive, motivated, self-starter
• Nice to have: Familiarity and drive to learn and implement the latest and greatest software, technologies and workflows including a working understanding of AI for asset creation, work flow and research
• Software Competency:
• Strong proficiency: Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop),MS Office
• Working Knowledge: Revit, other 3D modeling e.g. Rhino, Sketchup or similar
• Nice to have: UX/UI prototyping e.g. Figma, Adobe Express, Adobe XD, Miro Prototype Pro or similar, Motion graphics or video editing e.g. Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Final Cut Pro or similar

Life at Gensler

At Gensler, we are as committed to enjoying life as we are to delivering best-in-class design. From curated art exhibits to internal design competitions to "Well-being Awareness Week," our offices reflect our people's diverse interests.

We encourage every person at Gensler to lead a healthy and balanced life. Our comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability, wellness programs, flex spending, paid holidays, and paid time off. We also offer a 401k, profit sharing, employee stock ownership, and twice annual bonus opportunities. Our annual base salary range has been established based on local markets.

As part of the firm's commitment to licensure and professional development, Gensler offers reimbursement for certain professional licenses and associated renewals and exam fees. In addition, we reimburse tuition for certain eligible programs or classes. We view our professional development programs as strategic investments in our future.

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS

We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affr

Individuals with disabilities and protected veterans are encouraged to apply. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with federal, state and local law.

See also Know your rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal, right to work and E-verify program, as required by law.

Gensler endeavors to make gensler.com/careers accessible to all applicants. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us.

Regarding Gensler's approach to recruiting new talent, we will never ask an applicant for sensitive or personal financial information during the recruitment process. We advise all applicants seeking employment with Gensler to review available information on recruitment fraud. Anyone who suspects that they have been contacted by someone falsely representing Gensler should email [e-mail].

*The base salary range is estimated between $90,000 - $100,000, plus bonuses and benefits, and is contingent on experience and qualifications.

Job ID: 8890

Time Type: Full-Time

Areas of Expertise: Brand Design

Job Category: Brand, Graphics, Digital Media

Location: San Francisco, CA, US