Designer, The Athletic
Commercial
$70-80k
Subscription based publisher of sports content
Posted today
Subscription based publisher of sports content
501-1000 employees
Posted today
$70-80k
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To produce smarter coverage for die-hard fans and redefine the way fans get access to sports content by flipping the normal model for sports journalism.
Role
Who you are
- The ideal candidate would be in the mid level of their career
- 4+ years of experience in digital design, with a focus on commercial, advertising, and marketing projects
- Proven experience creating exciting, standout designs that attract both brands and users
- Proficiency in design tools such as Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and prototyping tools
- Experience in motion design, with the ability to create engaging animations and interactive visuals
- Knowledge of front-end development and website-building tools like Webflow is a strong advantage
- Strong understanding of user experience principles and the ability to create designs that enhance engagement and meet business goals
- Experience working cross-functionally with product managers, engineers, and other designers
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to pitch and present design concepts to a variety of stakeholders
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Experience mentoring junior designers and providing constructive feedback
- Passion for innovation and pushing creative boundaries in commercial product design
What the job involves
- As a Commercial Designer, you'll be at the forefront, in shaping visually compelling and strategically impactful designs that appeal to both brands and the Athletic users
- Collaborative and forward-thinking, you'll drive innovation by integrating insights from experience, technology, user research, and business considerations
- You will take ownership of complex design projects, mentor junior designers, and uphold design excellence
- With a passion for creating standout designs, you will leverage your expertise in advertising, marketing, motion design, and front-end development to elevate The Athletic's commercial design approach
- Pitch and present ideas to both internal and external stakeholders, effectively communicating and selling innovative design concepts
- Develop visually striking and engaging designs that captivate brands and users, ensuring high-impact advertising materials
- Work with multiple cross-functional teams, supporting the Director Of Commercial Design, and partnering with the wider Commercial team, Product Managers, and Engineers to take concepts from ideation to execution
- Understand the competitive environment and stay updated on user experiences, particularly within sports media and journalism
- Create user flows, storyboards, wireframes, prototypes, and production-ready design deliverables
- Utilize motion design skills to develop dynamic and interactive visuals that bring campaigns and digital experiences to life
- Collaborate with engineers to ensure design quality and consistency across user interfaces, with experience in front-end development and website-building tools like Webflow being a plus
- Support high-level product strategy by asking relevant questions and addressing essential internal and external user needs
- Mentor team members, providing constructive feedback on design thinking and problem framing to stimulate meaningful discussions and solutions
- Set the appropriate context for specific problem spaces, aligning stakeholders and articulating success criteria before addressing potential solutions
- Generate and lead ideation sessions to address complex design challenges and deliver sophisticated and elegant product design solutions
- Utilize diverse perspectives when ideating, incorporating insights from experience, technology, user research, and business considerations
- Synthesize intricate ideation solutions into concise articulations of user needs and corresponding solutions, ensuring alignment with business and user objectives
- Demonstrate self-direction, organization, and attention to detail, committed to precision and excellence
Our take
The Athletic provides authentic, in-depth coverage written by journalists who know the teams they write about inside out. Its model bucks the trend of traditional sports journalism outfits by asking for a subscription rather than relying on ad-revenue.
Despite initial doubts that users would be willing to pay for sports journalistic content, the Athletic has found significant success and was acquired by the New York times in 2022.
This collaboration was criticised at the time by investors who believed that the Athletic was undersold. However, despite The Athletic operating at a loss since the takeover, it's clear that the New York Times perceives the subscription magazine as a long-term investment, predicting that it will be operating at a profit within the next 4 years. This will be aided by accelerated customer growth and the growing trend of subscription-based sports news.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Jan 2020
$50m
SERIES D
May 2019
$21.8m
SERIES C
Total funding: $139.5m
Company values
- Move forward fearlessly - We are a company that is redefining the way fans get access to sports content. We’ve never been afraid to push the envelope and will continue to build a better experience on behalf of our team and our readers
- Be authentic - Credibility and a unique approach to storytelling are at the core of everything we publish. Covering the best stories with integrity, our writers are encouraged to build their own brand and act as leading sources of truth
- Never settle. No shortcuts - We are relentless in our pursuit of the most in-depth, substantive sports coverage. Our model allows us to create and publish content on our own terms. We employ an unrivaled team of editors and writers who put in the hard work
- Build community - We are at our best when we empower all perspectives and hold each other accountable. We foster a unique community unlike any other, where sports fans and writers can come together to share ideas, display their passions, and engage in meaningful debate
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Articles
Leadership
Adam Hansmann
(President & Co-Founder)Previously a McKinsey Business Analyst and then Associate at Calera Capital.
Alex Mather
(CEO & Co-Founder)Vice President at startup building a community for athletes called Strava before founding The Athletic
People progressing
Joined as a Product Manager, promoted to VP Product Marketing after 7 months. They were promoted to Senior Vice President of Marketing in November 2020 and became Chief Growth Officer in March 2022.
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