Design & UX
Brand Design
You'll architect visual systems that define billion-dollar brands while building design teams that executives actually listen to. This path creates CDOs who speak boardroom language fluently and make aesthetic decisions that drive revenue.
The Career Arc
Rotational · L1–L3
Build the Brand Design craft. Prove you can wield the tools of Design & UX.
Transformational · L4–L7
Deliver Brand Design outcomes — each Design & UX tour at this altitude has a defined mission and success criteria.
- L4 : Lead visual design and mentor team
- L5 : Develop visual design strategy
- L6 : Shape visual design vision
- L7 : Set visual design strategy, defining the visual language that differentiates the brand
Manage a Team?
Great Brand Design managers are practitioners first. The Design & UX IC responsibilities in L4–L7 are your foundation — your management responsibilities are additive:
- • Focus on purpose, people, and process—your job is to multiply outcomes
- • Hire designers who elevate the craft—own the portfolio review process
- • Give feedback that sharpens creative instincts—direct, specific, kind
- • Run 1:1s that develop design judgment—not just project critiques
- • Remove blockers—fight for resources, alignment, and creative time
Foundational · L8–L9
Shape the Design & UX organization from the Brand Design chair — build institutions, not just products.
L1 — Associate Visual Designer Rotational Full detail →
Mission
Learn visual design fundamentals and create assets
This tour of duty
Ship your first visual design work
Own the outcomes
- • Learn visual design fundamentals including color, typography, and composition
- • Create visual assets under designer guidance
- • Support brand consistency audits and documentation
- • Build foundational knowledge of design tools and brand guidelines
- • Participate in visual design critiques and reviews
- • Maintain organized asset libraries and files
Brand Design at L1 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Analyzing visual patterns
- • Drafting style guides
- • Generating asset variations
L2 — Junior Visual Designer Rotational Full detail →
Mission
Create visual designs with guidance
This tour of duty
Own visual design for features
Own the outcomes
- • Design visual elements for digital products with guidance
- • Create illustrations, icons, and graphic elements
- • Apply brand guidelines across product touchpoints
- • Collaborate with product designers on visual execution
- • Contribute to visual design system components
- • Present visual work and rationale to stakeholders
Brand Design at L2 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Building visual explorations
- • Analyzing brand consistency
- • Creating documentation
L3 — Senior Visual Designer Rotational Full detail →
Mission
Own visual design for product areas
This tour of duty
Lead visual design for a product area
Own the outcomes
- • Own visual design for product features and campaigns
- • Develop visual concepts and creative directions
- • Define visual patterns that express brand in product
- • Partner with marketing on brand expression
- • Maintain and evolve visual design language
- • Mentor junior designers on visual craft
Brand Design at L3 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Modeling visual systems
- • Synthesizing brand feedback
- • Generating design system content
L4 — Staff Visual Designer / Manager, Visual Design Transformational Full detail →
Mission
Lead visual design and mentor team
This tour of duty
Develop visual systems that improve brand consistency
Own the outcomes
- • Lead visual design for major product areas
- • Establish visual standards that scale across products
- • Drive visual quality reviews and feedback processes
- • Mentor visual designers and provide growth guidance
- • Shape brand strategy through visual perspective
- • Build relationships with cross-functional leaders
Brand Design at L4 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Analyzing visual patterns
- • Building visual playbooks
- • Creating training materials
L5 — Senior Staff Visual Designer / Senior Manager, Visual Design Transformational Full detail →
Mission
Develop visual design strategy
This tour of duty
Drive visual strategy that shapes product identity
Own the outcomes
- • Define visual strategy for product and brand domains
- • Set visual vision that differentiates brand identity
- • Establish visual principles and quality standards
- • Lead visual initiatives spanning multiple products
- • Drive adoption of visual standards across organization
- • Represent visual design in strategic discussions
Brand Design at L5 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Designing visual strategies
- • Modeling brand scenarios
- • Generating strategic presentations
L6 — Director, Visual Design Transformational Full detail →
Mission
Shape visual design vision
This tour of duty
Own visual vision for critical experiences
Own the outcomes
- • Define visual vision that strengthens brand identity
- • Architect visual standards and systems that scale across products
- • Solve the most complex visual design challenges spanning brand and product
- • Own visual quality and brand consistency metrics
- • Drive organizational alignment on visual priorities
- • Represent visual design in executive discussions
Brand Design at L6 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Analyzing visual opportunities
- • Building brand frameworks
- • Creating executive content
L7 — Senior Director, Visual Design Transformational Full detail →
Mission
Set visual design strategy, defining the visual language that differentiates the brand
This tour of duty
Build the team and systems that scale visual design
Own the outcomes
- • Set visual strategy across brand and product
- • Align visual design with overall brand goals
- • Build hiring and development for visual design
- • Define competitive visual positioning
- • Shape company-wide visual operating model
- • Lead visual planning and resource allocation
Brand Design at L7 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Designing team capabilities
- • Building visual systems
- • Creating hiring frameworks
L8 — VP, Visual Design Foundational Full detail →
Mission
Scale visual design across organization
This tour of duty
Create the operating model that drives visual excellence
Own the outcomes
- • Own visual design outcomes at company level
- • Drive organizational transformation for visual excellence
- • Build systems for visual consistency at scale
- • Shape company strategy through visual brand lens
- • Establish operating model for visual organization
- • Lead cross-functional alignment on brand expression
Brand Design at L8 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Modeling visual maturity
- • Analyzing efficiency patterns
- • Generating operating models
L9 — SVP, Visual Design Foundational Full detail →
Mission
Define visual design strategy and vision
This tour of duty
Define the visual strategy that differentiates brand
Own the outcomes
- • Shape company visual and brand strategy
- • Represent visual design in executive and board discussions
- • Define multi-year visual vision and brand evolution
- • Build industry relationships for visual leadership
- • Lead visual strategy through brand transitions
- • Establish visual excellence as brand differentiator
Brand Design at L9 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Building strategic planning systems
- • Analyzing market trends
- • Creating visual architectures
What Hiring Managers Look For
L1-L3: Portfolio shows evolution from following brand guidelines to questioning and improving them with measurable impact on user perception.
L4-L6: Track record of rebuilding visual systems that increased brand recognition metrics while maintaining design team velocity and stakeholder buy-in.
L7+: Demonstrated ability to translate business strategy into visual identity that drives market differentiation and measurable revenue impact across multiple product lines.
Common Career Transitions
Brand Design → Product Design at L4-L5 for deeper user experience strategy ownership
Brand Design → Creative Direction at L5-L6 for broader marketing and campaign leadership
Brand Design → Design Systems at L4-L6 for technical implementation and scalability focus
Official Classifications
| System | Code | Official Title |
|---|---|---|
| O*NET-SOC (US) | 27-1024.00 | Graphic Designers |
| ISCO-08 (UN/ILO) | 2166 | Graphic and Multimedia Designers |
| ESCO (EU) | — | graphic designer |
| SSOC 2024 (Singapore) | 21660 | Graphic and Multimedia Designers |
| NCO-2015 (India) | 21660000 | Graphic and Multimedia Designers |
At L6 and above, the manager classification 1349 — Professional Services Managers Not Elsewhere Classified applies IN ADDITION to the professional code — a manager is a superset of the individual contributor, never a replacement.
Measure yourself against this ladder — pin it to your Career Record.
Build Your Career Record