Brand & Web Designer (AI-Forward)

We're looking for a Brand & Web Designer who is genuinely multidisciplinary, deeply creative, and aggressively leveraging AI to do better work in less time. You'll own visual direction across a wide range of projects - from full brand identity systems to high-converting websites to campaign creative that runs across every channel.

This is not a role for someone who waits for direction. You'll work directly with leadership, contribute strong opinions, and be trusted to execute end-to-end.

What You'll Do

• Develop and evolve brand identity systems (logos, guidelines, type, color, voice in visual form) for Fortress and our clients

• Design responsive, conversion-focused websites and landing pages - from wireframe to launch-ready

• Create campaign creative across digital ads, social, OOH, print, and motion

• Produce content for our own brand: social, web, decks, sales collateral, recruitment materials

• Use AI tools as a core part of your workflow - for ideation, generation, iteration, retouching, motion, and copy assist

• Collaborate in person with our team in Irvine, participate in client strategy sessions, and own creative quality across every deliverable that leaves the studio

• 2+ years of professional design experience (agency, in-house, or freelance - what matters is the work)

• Mastery of the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects)

• Strong proficiency in Figma for UI/web design and design systems

• Demonstrated experience designing and shipping websites (Webflow, Framer, or Shopify proficiency a plus)

• Demonstrable fluency with AI design tools - Midjourney, Figma AI, Runway, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, ElevenLabs, or equivalents. You should be able to walk us through how AI shortens your timelines and expands your creative range.

• A strong portfolio with breadth - brand, web, and campaign work all represented

• Excellent typography, layout, and visual hierarchy fundamentals

• Sharp eye for detail and high standards for craft

Bonus Points

• Video editing skills (DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro)

• Motion design (After Effects, Runway)

• Front-end fluency (HTML/CSS) or comfort working closely with developers

• 3D / Spline / Blender experience

• Photography or art direction on shoots

• Experience in fast-paced agency or production environments

• You're fast. You ship. You don't get precious about iterations.

• You have taste, and you can defend it.

• You see AI as an unlock, not a threat - and you've already integrated it into how you work.

• You want to be in the room. In-person collaboration is a feature, not a bug, for you.

• You're based in Orange County and want to grow with a lean, ambitious team.

Logistics

• Location: Our studio in Irvine, CA. Primarily in-person with hybrid flexibility for focused work.

• Schedule: Full-time, standard business hours, occasional flexibility for shoots/deadlines.

• Compensation: $60,000-$75,000 base salary. Final offer based on experience and portfolio.

• Eligibility: Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. Must be local to Orange County or willing to relocate at own expense before start date.

Fortress is a media company focused on advertising, strategy, and production for the world's best companies. Where creativity meets performance. With a full-service approach and a lean team of innovators, we deliver world-class content and brand experiences that drive real growth for our clients. We operate fast, we operate lean, and we ship great work. We're scaling the team - and design is one of the most important hires we'll make this year.