Summary of the Visual Designer job at Carvana

About Carvana

At Carvana, we’re changing the way people buy and sell cars. With an ambitious vision and a fundamentally different approach designed to be fun, fast, and fair, Carvana became the fastest-growing automotive retailer in history. We expanded nationally, went public on the New York Stock Exchange, sold our 1 millionth car, and reached the Fortune 500, all in just eight years. 

Today, with 4 million retail customers and counting, Carvana is both the fastest-growing and the most profitable public automotive retailer, and we’re just getting started. We continue to raise the bar for our customers as we tackle the enormous opportunity still ahead in the largest consumer vertical.  

Working here means being part of a team that embraces change, celebrates creative problem solving, and always strives to be better. At Carvana, you’ll have the opportunity to take on meaningful challenges, learn quickly, and help shape the future of automotive retail. If you’re driven to grow and make an impact as part of a collaborative team, you’ll fit right in. Learn more about what it’s like to work here from the people that already do. 

About the team and position

This is a fully on-site position based in our Playa Vista, CA office, Monday through Friday.

The Visual Design Team at Carvana is seeking a talented Visual Designer to join our dynamic team based in Los Angeles or Phoenix. Visual Designers at Carvana are instrumental in making a lasting impact across a diverse array of customer touchpoints, encompassing both digital and physical experiences.

We are looking for a designer with a strong passion for brand, visual craft, and creative problem-solving. This person should be able to translate strategic goals into compelling visual design solutions while helping evolve how the Carvana brand shows up across marketing, product, partnerships, internal communications, events, and physical brand experiences.

As a Visual Designer, your role will span the entire project lifecycle from concept through delivery. You will be expected to bring a proactive approach to problem-solving, collaborate closely with cross-functional partners, and create work that is thoughtful, polished, and aligned with Carvana’s voice and visual style.

This person should be curious about how emerging technologies, including AI, can support stronger creative exploration, faster iteration, and more scalable design systems while still maintaining a high bar for craft, taste, and brand integrity.

This role is ideal for an ambitious designer who thrives in a collaborative environment, is committed to elevating design standards, and is eager to contribute to the broader goals of the Visual Design Team.

What you’ll be doing

• Create consistent, on-brand, high-quality design work across both digital and physical touchpoints.
• Translate strategic goals, briefs, and business needs into clear and compelling visual design solutions.
• Support the development and evolution of Carvana’s brand identity, design systems, campaign expressions, partnerships, sub-brands, and internal/external brand experiences.
• Own projects from concept through delivery, including research, exploration, design development, revisions, production handoff, and final execution.
• Bring a strong design POV to projects while remaining open to feedback, collaboration, and iteration.
• Actively collaborate with cross-functional teams including Brand Management, Creative, Product Design, Production, Project Management, and other business partners.
• Explore and apply AI-enabled tools where appropriate to support ideation, image exploration, production efficiency, and workflow improvements.
• Ensure all AI-assisted work remains intentional, brand-aligned, thoughtfully crafted, and appropriate for the business need.
• Help identify opportunities to improve workflows, templates, guidelines, and scalable design practices across the team.
• Present design work clearly and confidently, explaining the thinking, rationale, and creative decisions behind the work.
• Ensure that all work adheres to Carvana’s voice, visual style, and quality standards.

What you should have/know

• 3+ years of experience working as a professional designer in-house, at an agency, or in a similar creative environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in design or equivalent practical experience.
• An available online portfolio that demonstrates strong visual craft, brand thinking, layout, typography, and design execution across a range of applications.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma.
• Strong understanding of visual design fundamentals, including typography, layout, hierarchy, composition, color, and brand consistency.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize effectively, and meet deadlines in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong attention to detail and consistency across the customer journey.
• Ability to take ownership of a project when necessary and move work forward with clarity, accountability, and good judgment.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to present design rationale and respond thoughtfully to feedback.
• Baseline AI fluency: strong working knowledge of AI tools and the ability to apply them responsibly within the creative process. The ideal candidate uses AI to support ideation, image exploration, production efficiency, and workflow improvement while maintaining strong design judgment, craft, and brand integrity.
• Interest in improving how design work gets created, shared, scaled, and maintained across a growing brand system.
• Animation, 3D, illustration, retouching, or production design skills would be a plus.

Ways of Working

• Operate with accountability and a strong sense of ownership
• Approach ambiguity with curiosity, adaptability, and optimism
• Balance creativity with practicality to deliver impactful, feasible solutions
• Actively seek and incorporate feedback to improve outcomes
• Operate effectively in high-velocity environments, balancing speed with craft and maintaining design standards under tight deadlines
• Embrace AI tools and evolving workflows to increase efficiency and design impact
• Value craft, precision, and scalable execution
• Sustain momentum on long-term work while delivering timely, high-quality output for short-term asks

What we’ll offer in return

• Full-Time Salary Position with a competitive salary.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits.
• 401K with company match.
• A multitude of perks including student loan payments, discounts on vehicles, benefits for your pets, and much more.
• A great wellness program to keep you healthy and happy both physically and mentally.
• Access to opportunities to expand your skill set and share your knowledge with others across the organization.
• A company culture focused on high performance and bar-raising, with vast opportunity to learn and grow.

Other requirements

To be able to do your job at Carvana, there are some basic requirements we want to share with you.

• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English.

Of course, we’ll make any reasonable accommodations for those with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their jobs. 

Legal stuff

Hiring is contingent on passing a complete background check. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Carvana is an equal employment opportunity employer. All applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.  Carvana also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.