Brand Designer

Subsense•Palo Alto, CA

30d•Hybrid

About The Position

Subsense is seeking a Brand Designer to advance and finalize their brandbook, build social templates, create marketing materials for conferences, add slides to the master deck, and create a new creative brochure. This role is initially an independent contractor position with the possibility of becoming a full-time, in-house (W-2) Brand Designer. Subsense is developing an AI-native NanoBCI, a non-surgical brain-computer interface. The brand needs to convey a human, calm, and clinically credible image while communicating complex science and vision to various stakeholders. The designer will be responsible for all visual aspects of the brand, advancing existing guidelines (palette, typography, gradients, chart style, logo rules) into a working system and applying it consistently and rapidly. The role requires switching between structured, clear investor materials and creative, catchy marketing assets. Currently, this work is outsourced, but Subsense aims to bring it in-house to a single designer who deeply understands the brand, maintains clean source files, and can respond quickly to urgent requests.

Requirements

A portfolio showcasing brand systems, not just one-off pieces, ideally including decks and print examples.
Fluency in Figma and Canva, with comfort in Google Slides.
Experience using AI image and video tools as part of the workflow, understanding their benefits and limitations.
Ability to take a vague request (e.g., "make slide 8 clearer, tomorrow") and ask clarifying questions before starting.
Attention to detail regarding typography, spacing, and restraint.
Curiosity about neuroscience, biotech, or deep tech.
Availability during California business hours (Pacific Time) for same-day adjustments.
Must be reachable during California business hours (Pacific Time) and able to turn quick adjustments around the same day.

Nice To Haves

Experience with scientific or medical visuals.
Experience with packaging, merchandise, or environmental design.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain the Figma library, including templates, components, icons, and chart styles, to ensure all files are on brand.
Maintain the master pitch deck and create fast slide edits for fundraising.
Build one-pagers and data room documents.
Create keynote and conference slides for the CEO and scientists, and develop templates for the entire team.
Design monthly static social media posts, carousels, infographics, and simple motion graphics for LinkedIn and X using reusable templates.
Create event and conference materials such as roll-up banners, booth graphics, sponsor assets, signage, badges, and printed programs, ensuring they are ready for print vendors.
Develop creative concepts for out-of-home advertising and digital ad campaigns, from initial idea to print-ready files.
Design artwork and tech packs for merchandise like caps, T-shirts, and gifts.
Ensure every deliverable includes an editable native file in the shared drive, properly named and versioned.