Designer I, Color & Trend Footwear Design

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:

• Runner First

  We act in the best interest of the runner

• Word is Bond

  We do what we say we’ll do

• Champion Heart

  We give our all in everything we do

• There is no “I” in Run

  We stay generous with our humanity

• Keep Moving

  We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement — because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.

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Your Job:

As a Designer 1, Color & Trend Design, you play a key role in creating the SEASONAL AESTHETIC DIRECTION for FOOTWEAR PRODUCT CREATION. You will produce color stories and palettes through global trend research and the integration of sports performance color standards that enhance and support brand direction. Through your education and experience with color and design, honing of color-design skills, and understanding of taste preferences and consumer attitudes of our runner types, you will deliver on our CRAFTED BEAUTY mission through coloration to entice runners to choose Brooks season after season.

As a Designer 1, Color & Trend Design, you will deliver on our CRAFTED BEAUTY mission by providing our inline footwear designers with color-design compositions to design and execute seasonal line coloration. Through the design and execution of color CADs, you will drive seasonal color direction, promoted footwear assortments, and inline collections, and work with cross-functional teams to merchandise color to ensure and enhance aesthetic appeal to target consumers.

In this role, you will uphold clear design communication to and processes with Footwear Inline Design, Merchandising, Product Development, and 3D Visualization Design Teams. With your growing professional experience in color design, trend forecasting, and color strategy, you will play a fundamental role within the Footwear Design Team to ensure that Brooks product is most LOVED for runners worldwide.

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Your Responsibilities:

• COLOR DESIGN
• With direction from manager, research and surface consumer, design, color, material, and finish trends to influence and impact footwear product direction. Stay current in the athletic footwear market, lifestyle trends, industry trends, and category trends to help shape directions and knowledge sharing.
• Own application and execution of primary and secondary footwear color palettes to designated styles and lines. Ensure all colorways uphold standards of design excellence and meet organizational standards for quality and accuracy.
• Responsible for color selection and usage, logos and trims, treatments and finishes, and final aesthetics related to Crafted Beauty in collaboration with design and development.
• Ensure Pantone and CSI colors are handed off to Development for each color included in the season.
• Finalize product details and proactively follow through on the execution of color at all rounds.
• Partner with 3D Visualization Designers to support colorway visualization and review.
• Contribute to Pre-Season designs as needed.
• Create robust, impactful, informational presentations, concept debuts, and color tools to help drive communication, influence, and implementation.
• Continue to expand your know-how on design solutions, understanding of the brand, and the realities of product creation.
• Apply intellectual curiosity, problem-solving skills, and an ever-deepening knowledge of color, finishes, and application to maximize perceived value and superior aesthetic competitiveness across the brand’s footwear product lines.
• Travel as necessary to Asia, Europe, trade shows, retailers, or other external events.
• TEAM COLLABORATION
• Work with Footwear Designers and Developers on color and finish design trials and color executions.
• Collaborate with Merchandising Team to execute trend-tuned product lines from concept to commercialization.
• Create and share in the presentation of concepts, points-of-view, and renderings with the ability to influence and inform audience decisions.
• Continuously grow knowledge of performance footwear creation and production advancements to ensure and enhance correct color application.
• Produce, maintain, and communicate physical and digital color tools, strategy documents and databases, and tools for use by Color Team and partners.
• Maintain calendars and timelines that result in a timely completion of all projects.
• Partner with more tenured Designers to continuously refine your design approach.
• Use your design knowledge to partner with your product teams.
• Answer critique with a curious mindset – propose alternative options after more design exploration.
• To be considered for this position, please submit a portfolio of your work along with your application materials.

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Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Design or related field required; may substitute education for specific experience.
• 3+ years of experience in a graphic, color, CMF, or industrial design role, or related role.
• Power user in vector-based graphics software applications.
• Mastery of Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, Mac operating system.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.).
• 3D is not required, but a plus.
• Understanding of color composition and theory with a quick, learned eye for color, materials and finishes.
• Knowledge of color processing from RGB to CMYK to L.A.B. digital color.
• Thorough knowledge of art and design with clear understanding of visual design and trend forecasting.
• Ability to understand design concepts and think conceptually.
• Ability to create designs that meet category needs and commercial opportunities.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, ever changing work environment.
• Ability to build and foster relationships in a team environment.
• Appetite to grow in ability to influence and collaborate with key business partners.
• Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, and execution of tasks, while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all pieces fit together and affect one another.
• Demonstration of innovation and initiative: always looking at improving product and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help out where necessary.
• Travel 10% (Domestically/Internationally).
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Excellent written and communication skills.

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Compensation:

The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $78,603 - $117,956 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

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Other:

Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!

• Benefits- including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.
• Paid Time Off- Brooks offers generous time off including three to five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
• Bonus-in addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.
• Perks- including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.
• Location- You will spend 3 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, sensory, physical, or mental disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), honorable discharge or military status, protected citizen status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained guide dog by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.