garden3d: Head of Design
Headquarters: New York City
URL: https://garden3d.net/
We are hiring a Head of Design for the garden3d creative collective, to uphold an exceedingly high bar on every single thing we make.
About garden3d
We are a worker-owned creative collective, innovating on everything from brands and IRL communities to IoT devices and cross-platform apps. We share profit, open source everything, spin out new businesses, and invest in exciting ideas through financial and/or in-kind contributions.
Our client roster includes: Google, Stripe, Figma, Hinge, Black Socialists in America, ACLU, Pratt, Parsons, Mozilla, The Nobel Prize, MIT, Gnosis, Etsy, and Gagosian.
We’re the software team behind innovative products like The Light Phone and Mill, and we operate a global, decentralized community space collective called Index Space.
Our Studios
- Sanctuary Computer (Development): Building a different type of technology shop that prioritizes close collaboration between the client and the craftsperson.
- XXIX (Design): A design studio that values autonomy, growth, transparency, and shared responsibility.
- Index Space (Community): A network of physical spaces providing space for the exchange of knowledge and tools.
- garden3d TK (Media): An experimental media company exploring emerging themes in technology, design, and culture.
The Head of Design Role
The garden3d Head of Design has one mandate: nothing we put on the internet falls below an 8 out of 10. Working in close partnership with our founder & president Hugh Francis, this person sets the craft standard and builds the culture that holds it.
You can be based anywhere. While we have a strong presence in New York, we work across time zones and are happy to hire in Europe, Singapore, Chicago, or elsewhere. This role works with studio leads, designers, developers, editors, animators, photographers, and clients across every garden3d vertical.
Responsibilities & Mandates
- Quality Control: Maintain a minimum 8/10 standard across every website, brand, deck, film, case study, and post.
- Critique Culture: Build and run the critique practice at XXIX, providing specific, honest, and actionable feedback.
- Hiring & Empowerment: Act as a magnet for exceptional designers, helping them do the best work of their careers.
- Client Craft: Present and defend work to blue-chip clients, shaping brand narratives that resonate with leadership.
- New Business: Lead design pitches, scoping, and closing work.
- Type & Editorial: Lead typography and editorial systems, which are core to our craft.
- Case Study Production: Produce high-quality case studies that tell our story and win future work.
- Web Presence: Own the narrative and quality of our studio websites.
- Presence IRL: Represent garden3d at events, conferences, and industry gatherings.
- Culture: Model our values of partnership, curiosity, and accountability.
Special Projects
- Building XXIX's critique practice into an industry standard.
- Landing flagship design engagements.
- Hiring the next generation of the design team.
- Rebuilding studio websites.
- Setting the AI-assisted design pipeline for the collective.
Qualifications
Must have:
- 10+ years in design, with at least 3 years leading a team in a studio, agency, or founder-led company.
- A portfolio proving exceptional visual, typographic, and narrative taste.
- Core expertise in type and editorial design.
- Extensive client experience presenting to blue-chip companies.
- A track record of winning new business and hiring exceptional talent.
- Hands-on Figma fluency.
- Experience producing high-quality case studies.
Nice-to-have:
- Video direction, motion, photography, or editing skills.
- Print, publishing, or book design experience.
- Product and interface design experience.
- Experience managing multiple brand voices in a "house of brands" structure.
- Experience in worker-owned or open-book companies.
Compensation
- Trial Period: 4-month fraction trial contract, paid hourly between $110 - $175/hr (pending seniority).
- Growth: After a period of proven success (12–24 months), the role becomes eligible to join our worker ownership program.
How We Work
- Transparency & Ownership: We release our P&L statements and open-source our ideas.
- 150% Carbon Negative: We are certified climate neutral and prioritize sustainable business practices.
- Strong Morals: We turn down work that does not align with our moral standards.
- Async & Decentralized: We prioritize calm, thoughtful communication and focus time.
- Remote Friendly: We are a fully distributed, remote-fluent organization.
How to Apply
To apply, please visit: https://weworkremotely.com/remote-jobs/garden3d-head-of-design
Please submit a complete and thoughtful application, including relevant links that help verify your work experience and identity.