Open Roles

Principal Designer
New York, New York, United States

  • Location: New York, New York
  • Type: CN US Perm
  • Job #18357

Brand & Product Designer (Startup)
Location: New York City (Tribeca) — hybrid, 3 days/week 
Compensation Details: $150,000.00-180,000.00 Per Year 

About the company

Our NY-based startup client is seeking a thoughtful, cutting edge Principal Designer to build their visual language, systems, and brand identities for their 2 distinct products. 

The opportunity

This is a true startup “Swiss Army knife” design role. You’ll own the brand expression end-to-end, build systems that create cohesion across every touchpoint, and help our client evolve a the brand as they grow.

We’re looking for an in-house designer who can take initiative, bring strong opinions, and drive work forward with real ownership – with thoughtful oversight and guidance from the Director of Brand & Creative.

What you’ll do

Brand systems & identity

  • Evolve and tighten the current brand foundation (typography, colour, fonts), making it more dynamic and launch-ready.

  • Build and document brand guidelines and design systems that translate consistently across channels.

  • Define how motion, illustration, and other creative elements show up in their world (freelancer collaboration supported).

Marketing & growth design

  • Create high-impact social templates and campaigns rooted in brand strategy.

  • Design marketing assets beyond social: sales decks, one-pagers, landing pages, OOH concepts, and launch materials.

  • Help them identify what makes their brand special – and express it clearly through visual storytelling.

Product-oriented design (nice-to-have but valuable)

  • Collaborate closely with the product team to bring brand into the app experience.

  • Contribute to product and web concepts, especially landing pages and early product surfaces that need brand-led thinking.

Creative partnership

  • Work collaboratively with a small team, presenting work-in-progress, aligning early, and iterating quickly.

  • Bring a strong discovery and moodboarding process to each assignment – clear rationale, clear direction.

What we’re looking for

We’re open to a range of experience – this could be a strong Principal or Director level Designer or an impressive intermediate-senior level Designer with standout ownership instincts.

You are:

  • A builder who thrives in ambiguity and wants to create, not just execute.

  • Confident owning projects from idea to final delivery.

  • A designer with high EQ, strong opinions, and the courage to speak up thoughtfully.

  • Proactive, sleeves-rolled-up, “find a way” energy – you see urgent moments as opportunities to move the needle.

  • Excited by technology and culture, with a habit of studying what’s working in the market and adapting it into fresh, original work.

You bring:

  • A portfolio that shows brand systems + applied work, not just static identity.

  • Strong craft in typography, layout, and visual storytelling.

  • Experience translating brand into real-world outputs (social, web, product surfaces, decks, campaigns).

  • Comfort working without heavy process or layers but a desire to systematize the design practice for future Designers as the team grows. 

  • Passion projects or self-initiated work that shows curiosity and taste.

Why join 

  • Massive ownership: you’ll define the systems that shape how this startup grows.

  • Small, sharp team: direct access to key decision-makers and fast feedback loops.

  • Real influence on product + brand: your work will be felt everywhere.

  • Comfortable environment, with snacks/drinks, and lunch provided on all in-office days.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to see your portfolio – especially work that shows systems thinking and bold brand ownership.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

At Creative Niche Inc. all hiring decisions are made by qualified recruitment professionals. Automated tools or AI-assisted systems are used to help screen, assess, or match applicants to open roles. These systems are designed to support, not replace, human judgment.
 

Equal Opportunity & Experience

Canadian experience is not required for consideration. Equivalent international experience is valued equally.

Contact Us.

At Creative Niche, we’re committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces, both within our own team and for the clients we serve. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. If you require accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know and we’ll work with you to meet your needs.
Open Roles

Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

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Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is current and ongoing, and we need to centre reconciliation in our actions and in our work. We encourage our team, partners, and clients to learn about the lands in which they live and to work towards reconciliation.

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Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

Read more

Creative Niche was founded on land that is the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. We acknowledge that we are all treaty people and accept our responsibility to honour all our relations.

To recognize the land is an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory we reside on, and a way of honouring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is current and ongoing, and we need to centre reconciliation in our actions and in our work. We encourage our team, partners, and clients to learn about the lands in which they live and to work towards reconciliation.

Read Less

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