Denver, CO — Artifact Uprising is looking for a Physical Product Designer to own the design and development of the physical product portfolio. This is a hands-on, individual contributor role for someone who thinks in materials, tolerances, and manufacturing constraints as fluently as they think in typography, color, and composition.
You will be the second person at the company with this specific skill set. You'll design new physical products from concept through production-ready tech packs, and you'll design forward, on-brand, on-trend graphics for products already in market (books, cards, calendars, packaging). Most of your time will go toward the graphic design side of physical products, but the role requires a strong physical product sensibility and CAD portfolio.
You'll report directly to the Creative Director and work closely with the Merchandising team on roadmap priorities, and with our domestic and overseas manufacturing partners on sampling and production.
Job Responsibilities
Design physical products end to end: concept, form, materials, finishes, and construction
Build 3D CAD models and renders at a near design-for-manufacturing level of precision
Produce comprehensive tech packs (specs, dimensions, materials, construction notes) that our manufacturing partners can build from without back-and-forth
Design covers, cards, and other printed/surface graphics that are on-brand and on-trend
Support the design of packaging concepts across structural form and surface graphics, including mailers, gift boxes, and a brand-forward unboxing experience
Partner with the Merchandising team on the vendor sampling process: spec, sample, review, iterate, approve
Partner with the Merchandising team on new product innovation, redesigns, and roadmap feasibility
Maintain the level of fastidiousness and precision required to translate a design intent into a physical, manufacturable object
Qualifications
3–5 years of professional experience in industrial design, physical product design, or a closely related field
Strong CAD skills at a design-for-manufacturing level; Rhino preferred, SolidWorks or Fusion 360 also considered
Proficiency with a rendering tool (KeyShot or similar)
Working knowledge of materials, finishes, and manufacturing processes in paper, metals, woods, stone, and glass
Strong graphic design sensibility: typography, layout, and an eye for what's on-brand and on-trend
Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)
A portfolio that shows both physical product thinking (CAD, tech packs, prototypes) and applied graphic design work
Self-motivated with strong workflow discipline; comfortable owning cross-functional relationships independently
Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Physical Product Design, or equivalent portfolio-demonstrated experience
Preferred but not required: experience designing paper goods and/or books
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