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Color Material Finish Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Gantri

Lead Industrial Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

We enable any designer or brand to create high-quality, sustainable design products 10x faster with ... You will define and scale Gantri's product design systems, spanning CMF (color, material, finish ...

Vast

Senior Industrial Designer

Long Beach, CA · On-site

$136K - $193K/yr

Support CMF (color, material, finish) strategy for both interior and exterior vehicle design ... Experience designing hardware in aerospace, automotive, transportation, or other highly engineered ...

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Color Material Finish Designer information

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$43

How much do color material finish designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 23, 2026, the average hourly pay for color material finish designer in the United States is $23.71, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.71 and $24.04 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Color Material Finish Designer vs Product Designer?

AspectColor Material Finish DesignerProduct Designer
CredentialsDesign degree, knowledge of materials, color theoryDesign degree, user experience, interface skills
Work EnvironmentManufacturing, industrial design studios, material labsDigital platforms, startups, tech companies
Industry UsageAutomotive, consumer goods, furnitureApps, websites, consumer electronics

The Color Material Finish Designer focuses on selecting and applying colors, materials, and finishes to enhance product aesthetics and functionality, often working closely with manufacturing teams. In contrast, the Product Designer emphasizes overall user experience, interface, and functionality of a product. While both roles require a strong design background, their focus areas and work environments differ significantly.

What does a Color Material Finish (CMF) Designer do?

A Color Material Finish (CMF) Designer is responsible for selecting and developing the colors, materials, and surface finishes used in products such as cars, electronics, and furniture. Their work ensures that products not only look appealing but also feel appropriate, are functional, and reflect the brand's identity. CMF Designers collaborate closely with engineers, industrial designers, and marketing teams to create a cohesive visual and tactile experience for consumers. They consider trends, durability, environmental impact, and manufacturability when making their choices.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Color Material Finish Designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Color Material Finish Designer, you need a strong background in design, color theory, materials science, and typically a degree in industrial, textile, or graphic design. Proficiency with CAD software, Adobe Creative Suite, and material specification tools is essential, along with knowledge of manufacturing processes. Creativity, attention to detail, and strong communication skills set standout professionals apart in this role. These skills ensure innovative, feasible, and market-appropriate design solutions that enhance a product's visual and tactile appeal.

How does a Color Material Finish (CMF) Designer typically collaborate with engineers and marketing teams during a product development cycle?

A CMF Designer works closely with engineers to ensure that color, material, and finish selections are feasible for manufacturing and meet technical requirements. At the same time, they partner with marketing teams to align the product’s visual and tactile qualities with brand identity and consumer trends. Effective communication and frequent cross-functional meetings are common, as CMF Designers must balance creative vision with practical constraints and market expectations. This collaborative approach ensures that the final product is both visually compelling and manufacturable.
More about Color Material Finish Designer jobs
What states have the most Color Material Finish Designer jobs? States with the most job openings for Color Material Finish Designer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Color Material Finish Designer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Color Material Finish Designer jobs are:
Color Material Finish Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Color Material Finish Designer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 96% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $49,320 per year, or $23.7 per hour.
Lead Industrial Designer

Lead Industrial Designer

Gantri

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 7 days ago

Job description

Company
Gantri is the first digital manufacturer for design. We enable any designer or brand to create high-quality, sustainable design products 10x faster with no minimums. We manufacture at our Digital Factory in California on-demand at industrial-scale efficiency and ship directly to the end customer. Gantri is the most awarded design manufacturer in America.
 
Role
We're seeking an exceptional Lead Industrial Designer for a role focused on defining the systems, constraints, and design language that enable others to design within Gantri's platform-rather than designing individual products from concept through production.

You will define and scale Gantri's product design systems, spanning CMF (color, material, finish), components, product architecture, categories, and packaging systems. Your work will establish the frameworks and standards that ensure consistent, high-quality, and manufacturable outputs across a wide range of designers and partners.

This is a hands-on, systems-oriented role for a designer who excels at abstraction, standardization, and scalability. You'll operate at the intersection of design, engineering, and manufacturing to translate Gantri's capabilities into clear, extensible systems that others can build within.

You will collaborate closely with product, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing teams to shape how products are created on the platform-owning the design language and guardrails, rather than designing each product yourself.

Responsibilities
  • Define and evolve Gantri's product design systems, including CMF, component libraries, product architecture, category frameworks, and packaging standards.
  • Establish clear design constraints, guidelines, and guardrails that enable internal teams and external designers to create within Gantri's platform.
  • Translate Gantri's brand values-sustainability, craft, and accessibility-into scalable systems rather than one-off product designs.
  • Partner with engineering and manufacturing to ensure systems are feasible, efficient, and optimized for on-demand production at scale.
  • Develop and maintain modular, reusable design frameworks that balance consistency with creative flexibility.
  • Collaborate with product and marketing to ensure systems support cohesive storytelling, visual consistency, and category clarity across all outputs.
  • Provide direction and feedback to designers using the platform, upholding system integrity and design quality across all products.
  • Mentor designers on systems thinking, platform constraints, and scalable design practices.
  • Stay at the forefront of materials, CMF, and manufacturing innovation, integrating relevant advancements into Gantri's evolving design systems.
Qualifications
  • 8+ years of industrial design experience, ideally with exposure to platforms, product lines, or design systems in consumer products.
  • Strong portfolio demonstrating systems thinking-e.g., CMF frameworks, component libraries, product families, or scalable design languages, not just individual products.
  • Proficiency in CAD tools (e.g., Rhino, SolidWorks, Fusion 360) and rendering software, with the ability to define reusable components and standards, not just final designs.
  • Experience partnering with engineering and manufacturing to define constraints, standards, and scalable solutions, rather than only driving single products through production.
  • Demonstrated ability to create and maintain cohesive product ecosystems across categories.
  • Strong systems thinking with a track record of balancing consistency and flexibility at scale.
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to codify and evangelize design systems across teams and external partners.
  • Knowledge of sustainable design practices, especially as they apply to materials, CMF, and scalable production systems.
  • Experience mentoring designers, particularly in systems thinking and platform-based design approaches.
  • Passion for building tools, frameworks, and environments that enable other designers to do their best work.
Why Gantri?
  • Be part of a company reimagining how design meets manufacturing.
  • Play a pivotal role in shaping the building blocks of Gantri products.
  • Drive innovation on our next-generation digital manufacturing platform.
  • Advance sustainable design practices in real-world production.
  • Work in a fast-growing, design-driven environment.
  • Bring visionary concepts to life at scale.
Benefits
  • Competitive salary and equity options
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
  • Paid time off and flexible vacation policy
  • 401(k) retirement plan with company match
  • Professional development opportunities and learning stipend
  • Collaborative, creative, and sustainability-focused work environment
  • Access to Gantri-designed products and innovation initiative
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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