Lead Designer, Basketball Apparel Color Design

Location:

Beaverton, Oregon Job Type: Contract Compensation Range: $42 - 46 per hour

Step onto the global stage of athletic footwear design to shape the seasonal creative vision for men's and women's performance basketball. We are seeking a visionary Lead Footwear Color Designer to craft innovative color theories, turn rich athlete insights into captivating visual narratives, and collaborate cross-functionally with world-class designers and product teams!

Responsibilities:

Drive Seasonal Color & Narrative Strategy:
Establish high-impact seasonal color palettes, material applications, and visual concepts that elevate the performance basketball footwear category. Translate athlete feedback, subculture trends, and market insights into emotionally resonant color stories.

Lead Creative Concept Presentations:
Pitch compelling creative strategies and seasonal design directions to internal senior leadership as well as external athletes and high-profile creative collaborators. Use clear visual narrative frameworks to articulate the strategic intent behind every color theory and application.

Execute High-Fidelity 2D & 3D Design Assets:
Build production-ready digital color renderings, detailed palette specifications, and CAD files utilizing industry-standard creative and 3D modeling tools. Collaborate directly with materials and development teams to ensure concepts translate accurately from digital art into physical samples.

Champion Cross-Functional Alignment:
Partner daily with a core team of designers and cross-category peers across apparel and graphic disciplines to maintain a cohesive design language. Facilitate visual collaboration sessions and alignment milestones via Miro and interactive workshops.

Manage Project Timelines & Execution:
Deliver polished design packages on tight seasonal calendar deadlines while maintaining creative excellence and attention to detail. Prioritize diverse work streams across multiple model lines, proactively resolving design hurdles as they arise.

Qualifications:

Proven Design

Experience:

3-5+ years of dedicated color, footwear, or apparel design experience, backed by a portfolio demonstrating masterful visual storytelling through color and material application.

Technical Software Mastery:
Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud (specifically Illustrator and Photoshop), alongside working knowledge or fluency in digital design and visualization tools such as Miro, CLO 3D, and Vizcom.

Deep Material & Color Expertise:
Strong foundational knowledge of textile construction, material performance characteristics, and advanced color theory across physical and digital mediums. Prior dual exposure to both footwear and apparel development pipelines is a significant plus.

Cultural Connection & Creative Agility: A genuine passion for sports, youth culture, and athletic footwear trends, combined with the adaptability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment.

-CELLA#LI-AV1

Equal Opportunity

Employer:

Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin, Age, Genetic Information, Disability, Protected Veteran Status, or any other legally protected group status.

At Cella, a randstad digital company, we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please contact  offered to a successful candidate will be based on several factors including the candidate's education, work experience, work location, specific job duties, certifications, etc.

In addition, Cella by randstad digital offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: medical, prescription, dental,…