Thrive Capital Portfolio Careers

Founding Designer

Formal

Formal

Design
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on May 4, 2025

About Formal

Formal is data security platform designed to help teams understand and control their data.

We're building a modern protocol-aware reverse-proxy for datastores and APIs that helps organizations understand their data in real-time. This allows teams to see how sensitive data is stored, consumed, and used in order to enforce least privilege through masking, filtering, or anonymization policies.

We are trusted by leading companies such as Ramp, Gusto, Notion to solve problems across data security and compliance, data quality management, and infrastructure access.

Formal is backed by top-tiers VCs including Thrive Capital and Y Combinator with angel investors that include executives and founders from Datadog, Clickhouse, Plaid, and Vanta.

About the Role

As our Founding Designer you will play a crucial role in shaping and communicating Formal's story by owning UI/UX, visual design, branding, and video production. You’ll have ownership of our design strategy and execution, working directly with the CEO and collaborating closely with engineering.

What you'll do

  • Design Interfaces: Develop intuitive UI/UX designs for our app using Figma while engaging directly with customers to shape product design.

  • Design and maintain our website. Create visually striking and intuitive web experiences that showcase our product and brand narrative.

  • Craft Visuals: Create engaging visuals and dynamic content for marketing, launches, and case studies.

  • Drive Branding: Ensure design consistency across Formal's brand identity.

  • Collaborate Cross-functionally: Work directly with the team to align design strategies with business goals.

  • Innovate: Stay ahead of design trends, ensuring Formal remains visually compelling and competitive.

What You Need

  • Experience in product or brand design, preferably in B2B SaaS or cybersecurity industries

  • Standout portfolio showcasing UI/UX designs, marketing assets, and brand design

  • Ability to fully own projects from concept to delivery without oversight

  • Comfortable in fast-paced environments with rapid iteration cycles

  • Strong proficiency in Figma for UI/UX, prototyping, and graphic design

  • Skilled in marketing design (social media posts, banners, promotional materials)

  • Solid foundation in design principles, typography, and color theory

  • Quick learner, eager to dive into new ideas and tools

Nice-to-Haves

  • Experience working in or with early-stage startups in the security or data management space

  • Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously

  • Creativity and innovation in developing marketing strategies and content

  • Experience in video editing (Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, or Final Cut Pro) is a plus

Compensation

  • This role offers cash compensation and a stock options grant.

  • The positioning of offers within a certain range depends on various factors, including: candidate experience, qualifications, skills, business requirements, and geographical location.

Benefits (for U.S.-based full-time employees)

  • 100% medical, dental & vision insurance coverage for you

    • Partially covered for your dependents

  • Flexible PTO