Design Lead
At playgeni, we’re inventing the future of play. Our mission is to build physical products that bring artificial intelligence and generative storytelling to the hands of every child in the world. We are a small team of creatives and engineers from MIT and Harvard who believe play should spark curiosity and drive learning.
We are building an interactive toy that lets kids mix and match blocks to create unique audio stories based on their choices. Blocks come in themed books, so each collection opens up a whole world of story possibilities.
We are launching our first product this year, and we are hiring our first designer.
You will own design across the company:, our website, mobile app, packaging, brand presence in ads and social, and physical touchpoints where families meet playgeni. You will work directly with the founders, ship fast, and see your work in the hands of thousands of families within months. This role rewards people who take initiative and make decisions with incomplete information and ambiguity.
We build AI products and we work like it: you will use AI tools throughout your workflow to generate options faster, automate repetitive production work, and multiply your output. You will also design with evidence. Every major decision should trace back to user feedback, playtest observations, or performance data, and you will be expected to instrument, measure, and iterate on what you ship. You will set the visual and interaction standards that every future designer and contractor at playgeni inherits. If you are a visual designer, innovator, and want to reimagine generative storytelling for young listeners, this role is for you.
This is an in-person role based in Brooklyn, NY.
The Job
Own the design of playgeni.com, including landing pages, preorder flows, and conversion-focused updates for launches and campaigns.
Create and maintain a design system: components, typography, color, iconography, and usage guidelines that keep product and marketing visually consistent
- Design and iterate on parent’s mobile app, from user flows and wireframes to polished, production-ready UI
Design ad creative and social content that drives our influencer-led, direct-to-consumer growth strategy
Produce occasional print and event materials, including packaging inserts, trade show assets, and retail collateral
Collaborate with founders and engineering to scope, test, and ship features quickly
Ground design decisions in evidence: analyze app usage data, conversion metrics, ad performance, and playtest feedback to identify what to improve next
Run lightweight experiments (A/B tests on landing pages and creative variants in ads) and iterate based on results
Leverage AI tools across your workflow to accelerate ideation, asset production, and iteration, and continually find new ways to expand how we work
Qualifications
3+ years of UI/UX design experience with shipped websites and mobile apps
A portfolio demonstrating strong visual craft and clear interaction design thinking
Expert proficiency in Figma, including components, variables, and prototyping
Experience building or significantly contributing to a design system
Proven ability to move between product design and marketing design in the same week
Comfort operating solo: you scope your own work, set your own bar, and deliver without heavy direction
A data-driven design practice: you can read analytics, interpret user research, and defend design decisions with evidence rather than taste alone
Hands-on fluency with AI design and productivity tools (generative image tools, AI features in Figma, LLM assistants for copy and research) and a track record of using them to move faster
Strong written and verbal communication for working directly with founders and external partners
You can work quickly under tight deadlines while maintaining high standards.
Nice-to-have/Bonus:
Experience designing for families, kids, education, or consumer hardware products
Motion design or animation skills for social and in-app moments
Illustration ability, especially playful styles suited to children's products
Experience with D2C brands, ecommerce conversion optimization, or launch campaigns
Familiarity with print production and packaging design
Interest in AI products and thoughtful opinions about designing them responsibly
Details:
In-person 4 days a week. Lunch included once a week!
Our office is based in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a beautiful corner office built for in-house content creation and playtesting.
This is a full-time position with a base salary of $70,000-$120,000 (dependent on experience), plus an equity stake.
