Founding UI/UX & Graphic Designer

About the Role

This is a founding design role at a Y Combinator–backed consumer wearable startup operating at the intersection of emotional intelligence and AI. The company is building a premium wearable device that reads and analyzes users' real-time emotional states — think of it as a next-generation biometric tracker focused entirely on EQ and achieving peak mental performance. With prototypes already on users' wrists, the team is moving fast and looking for a designer to own the entire visual presence of the brand from day one.

You will be the first design hire, with a direct line to the founder and a clear path to leading the design org as the company scales. The ideal candidate has exceptional aesthetic taste, strong graphic design fundamentals, and the range to work across mobile, web, and marketing — all with a premium consumer lens.

What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end UI/UX design for the iOS app.

• Lead design across the website, social channels, communications, and email.

• Create event invitations, launch collateral, and campaign assets that embody the brand.

• Define and maintain a unified consumer design language across every digital and physical touchpoint.

• Set the visual and interaction standards that will underpin the brand as it scales.

What We're Looking For

• Portfolio first: A standout portfolio demonstrating strong graphic design fundamentals and exceptional, opinionated taste — this is the single most important factor.

• Experience delivering tasteful, user-facing design work at a consumer company, or equivalent training from a rigorous design programme (e.g. RCA, RISD, or comparable).

• Aesthetic sensibility genuinely suited to a premium consumer hardware brand.

• Ability to independently own a broad design stack spanning mobile UI/UX, web, and marketing collateral.

• Proficiency with Figma and standard graphic design tooling.

• Comfortable working on-site in London (or San Francisco).

Nice to have: Background at a consumer company with a highly regarded visual identity; experience designing for hardware or lifestyle brands.

Not a fit: Designers with a purely B2B background or those whose work skews toward functional/utilitarian UI without strong graphic design craft.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: ~$150,000 USD (or ~£75,000 for London-based candidates)

• Equity: Meaningful founding employee equity (up to 1–2%)

• Foundational ownership of design — expected to grow into a design leadership role as the team expands

Location

• Primary office: London, United Kingdom (San Francisco also available)

• On-site role; some flexibility may be discussed

• Visa sponsorship: H-1B transfers only — new visa sponsorship is not available