Principal Designer

The Principal Designer at Neros will own and evolve the company's visual brand across various platforms, including digital, print, and physical media. Your main responsibilities will include designing marketing materials, maintaining website assets, creating high-fidelity product renders, and contributing to the industrial design of our aerial systems. This role is pivotal in ensuring that our visual identity is consistent and impactful in shaping how the world perceives Neros.

To be a strong candidate for the Principal Designer role at Neros, you should have over six years of experience in graphic, brand, or industrial design, especially in a startup or design-driven hardware environment. A solid portfolio demonstrating your end-to-end design skills across both digital and physical spaces is essential. Familiarity with tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and 3D rendering software will also be crucial for your success in this role.

As the Principal Designer at Neros, you can expect to work on a diverse range of design projects. This includes crafting marketing collateral like pitch decks and brochures, designing website assets and landing pages, creating animations of physical systems, and influencing the industrial design of our products. This role gives you the exciting opportunity to leave your mark on a brand that has a significant impact on national security and industrial resilience.

Collaboration is a key component of the Principal Designer position at Neros. You will work closely with engineering and product teams to visualize prototypes and future concepts. Your role will require ongoing communication to ensure that the design elements align with technical specifications and company goals. This collaborative environment fosters a creative synergy that enhances design output and functionality.

Neros offers competitive compensation, equity in the company, and a robust benefits package for the Principal Designer role. You'll join a fast-growing, mission-driven team where your work will directly impact the company's trajectory and culture. Additionally, you'll have the unique opportunity to be the founding designer, setting the tone for design practices and brand identity moving forward.

When discussing your design process, emphasize your approach to understanding user needs, conducting research, gathering inspiration, and iteratively developing concepts. Highlight collaboration with stakeholders and the importance of testing designs before finalizing them. Show how you balance creativity with practicality and how you incorporate feedback throughout the design journey.

Explain that you embrace feedback as an essential part of the design process. Share examples of how you've incorporated feedback to improve your designs and how you maintain open communication with stakeholders. Illustrate your ability to differentiate between constructive criticism and subjective opinions, ensuring that user needs remain the primary focus.

Discuss your proficiency in industry-standard tools, such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and various 3D modeling applications. Explain why you prefer specific tools based on their features, workflow compatibility, and user experience. This shows your adaptability and readiness to leverage technology effectively to meet project goals.

Select a project that posed unique challenges and explain the context, your design approach, and the resolution. Focus on how you navigated difficulties, collaborated with teams, and the lessons learned. Use this opportunity to showcase your problem-solving skills and resilience in a fast-paced environment.

Discuss the importance of understanding brand guidelines and how you incorporate brand values into your design work. Mention techniques such as mood boarding, user personas, and visual storytelling. This highlights your ability to maintain consistency while developing creative solutions that resonate with target audiences.

Emphasize that storytelling is fundamental in creating impactful designs. Discuss how you use visual elements to narrate a brand or product's story, evoke emotions, and engage the audience. Share specific examples where storytelling enhanced the effectiveness of your designs.

Share strategies you use to stay current, such as following design blogs, attending webinars, participating in workshops, or networking within design communities. Discuss how you apply new trends and technologies to your work while ensuring they align with your company’s brand identity.

Detail any relevant experience you have with industrial design, emphasizing how it informs your visual design work. Talk about understanding form, materiality, and how you approach integrating visual elements into functional designs. This is vital for the role at Neros, as it connects to how visual identity pervades product design.

Explain your process for understanding the unique requirements of digital and physical mediums. Discuss how you adapt designs for user experience on screens versus tangible materials, ensuring that branding remains cohesive across both platforms. This showcases your versatility as a designer.

Articulate your passion for the mission-driven approach of Neros and the excitement of joining as a founding designer. Talk about how your design philosophy aligns with the company's goals, and your desire to contribute to products that enhance national security and resilience. This personal connection can make a strong impact during the interview.