Principal Product Designer (Motion & Illustration), Yahoo! Core Sports

Yahoo is a leading destination for sports news and fantasy games, seeking a Principal Product Designer to enhance their visual brand. The role involves creating dynamic motion and illustration systems that engage users and elevate the user experience across various platforms.

Responsibilities:

• Define the expression system: Lead the creation of a comprehensive motion and illustration framework that brings the Yahoo Sports products to life across iOS, Android, and Web
• Choreograph the experience: Design high-fidelity transitions, micro-interactions, and "hero" moments that elevate the experience in Yahoo Sports and Fantasy products—from the tension of a ticking clock to the celebration of winning your Fantasy matchup
• Narrative illustration: Develop scalable illustrations and motion designs that turn complex sports data into memorable moments that ignite fans' connection to sports and gaming
• Bridge design & engineering: Collaborate with developers to ensure motion specs are performant and pixel-perfect, utilizing tools like Lottie, Rive, or custom code to maintain intent from concept to launch
• Influence visual strategy: Partner with Product and Marketing to ensure a cohesive visual narrative across every touchpoint, ensuring our "expression" is as functional as it is beautiful
• Create impactful experiences: Identify user needs, and design, launch, and scale innovative solutions that delight users and drive engagement
• Mentor & evangelize: Act as the subject matter expert for motion and visual craft, elevating the design team’s technical skills and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in sports media

Requirements:

• 8+ years of experience in Motion Design, Brand Expression, or Visual Design for digital-first products
• Portfolio showcasing mastery in advanced motion graphics, bespoke illustration systems, and a deep understanding of how they integrate into product ecosystems
• Experience with design systems: Specifically building or contributing to 'Expression Systems' or motion libraries (similar to Uber's Base/Expression or Airbnb's Lottie libraries)
• Sports obsession: A deep-seated passion for the aesthetics of sports and/or Fantasy—from the grit of the field to the slick data-viz of the broadcast booth
• Implementation knowledge: Familiarity with front-end constraints to ensure your designs are as lightweight as they are beautiful
• Collaborative spirit: Proven ability to work alongside Product Designers in complex domains