UI Artist

Universe opens up the possibilities of the internet to everyone. A magical grid that distills the web into simple Lego-like building blocks. With our app, anyone on earth can build a custom website or online store in seconds — without code, all from a phone.

We are looking for a UI Artist—someone who is obsessed with the delightful possibilities of software. Someone who sees UI design as an artistic medium, not just a method of problem solving. Who brings heart to a product. Who cares more about this stuff than one reasonably should.

Working this way is not a choice for you, it’s the only way you know how to make anything. Some examples of this include (Not Boring) Apps, Paper, Halide, and Stripe Press. But really, you’re hungry to do work that’s never been done. You see the landscape of apps and can’t help but think of how much more is possible with UI. You see an infinite canvas.

This is an opportunity to join a new kind of design studio—one that truly invents. It's an opportunity to work on a product that unlocks creativity. A chance to shape a product that represents a radically better internet—pushing the envelope of cultural relevance in a way that is common in fashion but unheard of in technology.

Finally, it's an opportunity to join a company that lives on the internet. Universe is a distributed team—we have 41 employees all over the US.

What you’ll do 🔧

You will join our product design team and work with our incredible product designers Daniel Park and Alex Alspaugh. You will collaborate closely with Joseph Cohen, our founder and CEO, David Pfluger, our Creative Director, and you will report to Colin Dunn, our Design Lead.

You will solve product design and interaction design problems that have never been solved before, inventing new design patterns in the process. You will be involved in every aspect of the product interface, working across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and web. You will design a tool that unlocks creativity and empowers people to turn their dreams into reality. You will push the boundaries of what’s possible on a mobile device.

You will define what Universe feels like, both from a tactile, visual design perspective and on an emotional level. Your unique way of designing software will become the seed of the Universe Design Language and will inform all product design work happening across the company, including visual design, animation, and sound design.

Most importantly, you'll contribute in ways we can't possibly foresee. You'll bring new ideas, new energy, new ways of looking at problems. You'll take what we've got and push us to new heights.

Who you are 👀

You are a product designer, interaction designer, and user interface artist. You are maniacal about craftsmanship and quality. You are rational and clear minded and know how to create sensible solutions to complex problems, but your work has something extra. It evokes an emotional response. People feel when they look at your designs.

You are detail oriented and systematic in your approach. You are a first principle thinker and value consistency across your designs. You are an expert prototyper and believe in showing — not just telling — how something should animate, interact, or feel. You know when to follow convention and when to invent something new. You don’t settle. You understand simple is harder than complex.

You are highly collaborative and an effective communicator. You are opinionated and can represent your point of view clearly. You are receptive to feedback but know when to push back.

You are inspired by many forms of art—architecture, fashion, photography, film. You have a habit of finding inspiration in uncommon places and that informs your work. You have an insatiable appetite for visuals and you believe in constantly training your eye. You are aware of whats fashionable, what’s trendy, and what feels fresh and new.

You are passionate about the power of technology and business. You believe that good design can unlock a better future. You are optimistic.

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While we've accomplished a lot, we're only just getting started. There are now 5 billion people online, but only a tiny fraction of them can actually build the internet. With good design, we can change that.