Designer for Personalized Books

About The Role

WE ARE:

I See Me!, a leader in the personalized children’s book space, 25+ years in business with millions of products sold through our direct e-commerce site, online marketplaces, and retail partnerships.

Our mission: Bring smiles of joy & delight with uniquely personalized books & gifts!

We are a Twin-Cities-based group of designers, developers, marketers, account managers, customer service pros, and number crunchers. We work strategically with measurable goals, but also have fun while getting it all done!

Our parent company, PlanetART LLC, owns several brands in the personalized gift space: iseeme.com | bookofus.com | planetart.com

PlanetART’s core values:

We are curious. We are committed to growth. We are passionate.
We believe details matter. We have a make-it-happen mindset.

THE ROLE:

We have expanded into books for adults to give to their friends and loved ones with the launch of our microsite, bookofus.com. Fueled by the success of this expansion, we are excited to further develop the new brand and product line.

We are looking for a Designer to join our in-house creative team to help define the brand and produce our future roadmap of personalized books and gifts (stationery, games, puzzles, etc).

Full-time, hybrid: 2 days (Mon & Wed) on-site in Eden Prairie, MN and 3 days WFH

Reports to: Creative Director

YOU ARE:

• A mid-senior level creative with 3-5 years of experience in a related design field, and a BA or equivalent
• Driven by a high standard of design
• Strongly skilled in layout, typography, (physical) product design, print production
• Experienced in art directing illustrators and artists
• Proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
• A self-motivator, possessing the ability to work effectively with little supervision
• Comfortable working collaboratively with a team to accomplish complex projects
• An effective communicator online and in person
• Process driven, always striving to establish best practices and efficiencies
• Proud to share a portfolio that demonstrates all of the above!

Bonus points if you…

• Have prior book design, publishing, e-commerce or personalized products experience
• Are passionate about and/or experienced in designing clever gift products
• Have photoshoot/styling experience
• Enjoy dabbling in witty copywriting and/or working with writers and authors
• Have experience or interest in UX/UI and the customer journey (Figma)
• Love nerding out about design-centric places, people, things!
• Have and/or LOVE pets

WHAT THE DAY-TO-DAY MIGHT LOOK LIKE:

At first…

• Getting up to speed with our processes and workflow
• Immersing yourself in our current product offering and the competitive landscape
• Working closely with our other designers and production manager to learn the complexities of designing and file setup for personalized products
• Identifying potential illustrators to commission for upcoming projects
• Art directing various illustrators on multiple projects in tandem
• Book design/layouts
• Product specs and design
• Helping to create and maintain brand guidelines, style guide, assets
• Designing packaging solutions
• Supporting creative director in product concepting as needed

In time…

• Identifying white space in the market and concepting new and unique products
• Supporting our marketing designer with various needs for social media, emails, ads, print, etc.
• Assisting in identifying potential authors/writers for project

FUN TO NOTE:

• Weekly design team “Show & Tell Fridays”
• Monthly “Lunch & Learns” where we come together to discuss BIG ideas and innovation
• Monthly product sales performance reviews hosted by VP of Sales
• Bi-monthly “huddles” with VP of Marketing and team
• Quarterly company meetings with transparent updates on performance of the business
• “Give-back” partnerships and company volunteer opportunities
• Passionate founder/president who started the business 25+ years ago as a new mom from her living room
• Periodic tradeshow and field trips
• Fun, hard-working group of co-workers!

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

The annual salary range for this position is $60,000 – $65,000 based on experience.

• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) with matching
• Company HSA Contributions
• PTO, Sick Days, Paid Holidays, and Floating Holidays
• Hybrid Office Schedule: 2 days in-office, 3 Days WFH
• Bonus Incentive
• Paid maternity leave
• Quarterly goal settings
• Regular check-ins and mid-year feedback/dialogues with manager
• Employee Product Discounts

HOW TO APPLY:

Please send your cover letter*, your resume, and a portfolio link or pdf of design samples to our search manager, heather@soladayolson.com. Label your email “Your Name > Designer, I See Me!” in the subject line. Include your anticipated salary in the email message.

*In your letter, we’d love to hear your answers to:

• What personalized brands do you know and love, or are inspired by?
• Regarding our Book of Us imprint (see https://www.bookofus.com/bookofus/), tell us one thing you see as successful and one you’d want to improve.
• Describe the most unique gift you’ve ever given or received or would love to invent.

Following review of your application by our search manager, qualified applicants are forwarded to I See Me!’s Creative Director. The interview process will include a virtual meeting with this supervisor, and a second meeting in-person with team members and/or the company president.

We look forward to getting acquainted with you!

Contact details

• Submit your application
• Company website
• Contact email: heather@soladayolson.com