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One of the coolest Austin UX jobs around!
We are working with Essilor in their search for a Digital Designer for FramesDirect based in Austin, Texas.
HARRY’S COMMENTS: FramesDirect is a pure play. Remember those? They’re the online retailers with no brick-and-mortar stores and no omnichannel component. Like Amazon. Despite the incessant buzz about omnichannel, there are brilliant people out there who question the merits of an omnichannel strategy, and I can see their point. If you don’t have stores, then you have nothing weighing you down. If you do have stores, you’ll have to reinvent yourself.
Makes sense to me.
Searches like this are my favorite because pure play online retailers usually have a very strong “sense of self.” They know what their business is about, who their business is for, and why — exactly — their target customer should choose to do business with them versus every available option, including doing nothing.
Such is the case with FramesDirect, online purveyor of the world’s finest prescription eyewear. Founded by two optometrists, Dr. Guy Hodgson and Dr. Dhavid (yep, Dhavid with an “h”) Cooper, who ran a chain of successful optometry practices in Houston Texas, FramesDirect was founded on the premise that patients want a broader selection of better eyewear at lower prices than could be offered in brick-and-mortar stores.
Their timing was perfect.
FramesDirect launched in 1996 and was the first company to sell eyewear online. Later, the firm became the first company to sell progressive lenses online as a result of the groundbreaking innovation its founders were introducing. Today, FramesDirect is committed to using only the highest quality lenses, providing world-class customer service, offering the best selection of premium brand eyewear, and selling their merchandise at the lowest possible price without sacrificing quality.
As you can imagine, the market for eyewear is massive.
While I can’t give you the exact size of the US market for prescription eyewear, I can offer some proxies. In the United States there are roughly 20,000 optometrist offices with a combined revenue of $12 billion. I’ve recruited for Luxottica, and I’ve heard eyewear market size estimates as high as $20 billion. That’s $63 for every person in America (including babies!).
Demand for eyeglasses is driven by demographics, and the aging of the US population increases demand for eye exams and eyeglasses every year. Consider this: Boomers number nearly 80 million and make up 26% of the US population. Roughly one in 4 consumers is a Boomer, and every day for the next 18 years, 8,000 Boomers will reach age 65. Most of ’em will need prescription eyewear.
It gets better: Nearly 40% of Boomers are affluent and can afford to maintain a trend-right appearance. And while Boomers are by no means the only demographic to which FramesDirect sells, it’s nice to know that there’s an extraordinary volume of business to be done with the Boomer cohort, where the opportunities to cross-sell and up-sell frames and lenses is enormous.
About the Role
Reporting to the Senior Manager of Digital Design, FD’s Digital Designer will have full responsibility and ownership for the design of all emails. That’s a big deal! Email is the fastest growing and most profitable marketing channel at Frames Direct, and YOU will own …
- FramesDirect’s email design process from conceptualization of new design ideas:
- The development and management of best practices in FD’s email design;
- Layout and imagery for every email;
- The Design of every email to maximize revenue; and
- The accountability to ensure that all email deadlines are met consistently.
Plus: You’ll be responsible for designing and managing all promotional banners on the website while using UX best practices to increase engagement and conversion rates wherever possible.
Of course, there’s a limit to what I can disclose here about FramesDirect’s UX strategies, tactics, and KPI’s – all of which I am happy to share with qualified candidates. What I can tell you is that we need a Digital Designer who can bring the following things to the table …
- Digital design experience, including sharp skills with the Adobe creative suite (absolutely required). Mad chops in Photoshop and Illustrator are both required.
- Transactional ecommerce experience. We want someone who has actually worked on an etail website and intimately understands a purchase funnel.
- Responsive design experience: Mobile, mobile, mobile.
And another thing: you MUST be a team player. FramesDirect has a smallish team, so you’ll be need to shift gears easily from conceptualization to creative, to development, to wireframes, to comps, to implementation. You gotta be be broad and versatile and comfortable in a lot of different areas.
But man! What a great gig! Go to Archive.org to see what FramesDirect.com looked like before the firm’s VP of Ecommerce, Phil Young took over. The guy’s a star, and I’d want my own son or daughter to work for him. If you have the passion for online marketing and a strong desire to work in an entrepreneurial culture, this is definitely the right position for you.
View Harry Joiner’s profile
Core Competencies:
- Strong digital design skills and fundamentals. Both Graphic and UX/UI.
- Advanced skills in Adobe Creative Suites with an emphasis in InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
- Responsive email design and production.
- Basic understanding of web technologies such as HTML 5, CSS 3.
- Ability to communicate fluently with business team and Front End Developers.
- Ability to effectively sell through visual design by having a clear understanding of the target consumer and key competitors.
- Understanding of UX/UI and usability testing methodologies.
- Solid project management and collaboration skills.
- Interest in and ability to discuss, the latest trends in interactive development best practices, and trends in emerging technologies.
- Understanding of Search Engine Optimization best practices as they relate to Digital Design.
- Creative development including research, conceptualization and, design implementation of emails.
- Basic typographic skills including layout of technical information in a manner that is both appealing and easy to read.
Requirements:
- Bachelor degree in relevant field of study.
- 1+ years of digital design experience and a track record of success.
Preferred:
- Understanding of photography for both lifestyle and product.
- Familiarity with the fashion industry.
- Solid knowledge of basic HTML 5 and CSS 3 principles.
- Print design experience in media such as catalogs and brochures.
Applications for this position are being coordinated by Allan Seibert. To apply, CLICK HERE. Candidates, please be sure to email Allan for additional information that will differentiate you in your candidacy. Due to the intensely competitive nature of this search, thorough preparation for these interviews with this proprietary material is strongly recommended.
