Founding Designer

As a Founding Designer at Blacksmith, your main responsibilities will include owning the end-to-end design process, creating clean and intuitive user interfaces, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, and translating complex technical concepts into user-friendly designs. You will also contribute to the development of design systems and help shape the overall product direction.

To qualify for the Founding Designer position at Blacksmith, you should have at least 2 years of experience designing SaaS or developer tools. Strong product instincts, full-stack design skills, and proficiency in tools like Figma are essential. Experience in early-stage startups or familiarity with building design systems is a bonus.

At Blacksmith, we promote a fast-paced, collaborative work environment where you will be expected to work in-person five days a week in either San Francisco or New York City. We encourage a culture of asking questions and making quick decisions to facilitate rapid iteration and innovation.

Blacksmith offers a competitive compensation package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance, equity, unlimited PTO, and quarterly offsites. We want to ensure our employees are well-supported and feel valued as part of the team.

To stand out as an applicant for the Founding Designer role at Blacksmith, demonstrate your passion for design, your experience with SaaS products, and your ability to collaborate with technical teams. Show examples of your work that highlight your attention to detail in typography and layout, and share any relevant side projects or previous startup experiences.

When discussing your design process, highlight the steps you take from user research and wireframing to prototyping and final designs. Emphasize your approach to gathering feedback and iterating quickly, as well as how you work collaboratively with other team members to refine your designs.

Mention your open-mindedness to feedback and how you prioritize constructive criticism. Discuss how you work together with engineers to address potential technical constraints while maintaining design integrity, and share any experiences where collaboration led to a better final product.

Share specific examples of design systems you have previously worked on, detailing your role in creating or maintaining the system. Discuss the challenges you faced and how you ensured consistency across different products while allowing for flexibility.

Describe your strategies for keeping current with design trends, such as following industry leaders, participating in design communities, and experimenting with new tools. Mention any conferences or workshops you've attended that helped you enhance your skills.

Provide a specific example of a design challenge, detailing the context, your thought process, and the steps you took to address it. Focus on the outcome and any lessons learned that you can apply to your role at Blacksmith.

Discuss your methods for incorporating user feedback into your designs, whether through user testing, surveys, or interviews. Highlight your commitment to understanding user needs and how this informs your design decisions.

Articulate that visual design is a crucial component of user experience as it helps guide users through interactions and affects their overall feelings about the product. Talk about how you balance aesthetics with usability in your designs.

Explain your prioritization strategy, whether you use specific tools or methods like Agile or Kanban. Emphasize your ability to remain flexible and adapt as project needs change, along with any techniques you use to communicate with your team.

Discuss qualities such as adaptability, collaboration, creativity, and the willingness to take risks. Share examples of how you have exemplified these traits in previous roles, particularly in fast-paced or early-stage environments.

Express your enthusiasm for Blacksmith’s mission and the opportunity to shape something from the ground up. Discuss your alignment with the company’s values and how your skills would contribute to their ambitious roadmap and rapid growth.