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Color Trend Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Burlington

Trend & Packaging Designer

Kingsbury, NV · On-site

Position Overview The Trend & Packaging Designer is responsible for creating best-in-class trend ... Develop layouts, typography, color systems, imagery, iconography, and claims that align with ...

FP Movement

FP Movement Color Designer

Philadelphia, PA · On-site

The Color Designer is responsible for researching color trends, building brand-right palettes, facilitating cross-functional communication, and overseeing lab dip (L/D) color and quality approvals to ...

FP Movement

FP Movement Color Designer

Philadelphia, PA · On-site

The Color Designer is responsible for researching color trends, building brand-right palettes, facilitating cross-functional communication, and overseeing lab dip (L/D) color and quality approvals to ...

Recreational Equipment, Inc.

Color Designer

Seattle, WA · On-site

$64K - $103K/yr

As a Color Designer, you shape how our products look and feel through color. You create palettes ... Research trends and create mood boards and seasonal color direction * Partner with ...

Aquent

Color Designer

Culver City, CA · On-site

$40 - $50/hr

This is an unparalleled opportunity to bring your unique vision to life as a Color Designer. You ... Research design, lifestyle, and market trends to inform product direction from initial briefing ...

Columbia

Senior Color Designer, Men's Apparel

Portland, OR

$108K - $115K/yr

A passion for color combined with strong trend and design concept forecasting, exemplary ... Inspire and mentor other Designers. YOU ARE: * Passionate about apparel and color design and always ...

Columbia Sportswear Company

$75K - $80K/yr

A passion for color combined with strong trend and design concept forecasting, exemplary ... Inspire and mentor other Designers. YOU ARE: * Passionate about apparel and color design and always ...

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How much do color trend designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 11, 2026, the average hourly pay for color trend 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 a color trend designer?

Color trend designers are professionals who research, forecast, and develop color palettes that influence product design, fashion, interiors, and branding. They analyze cultural, social, and economic trends to predict which colors will be popular in upcoming seasons or years. Their work often involves collaborating with designers, marketers, and manufacturers to ensure products align with current and future color trends. Color trend designers play a key role in setting visual directions that can shape entire industries.

How does a color trend designer typically collaborate with product development and marketing teams?

As a Color Trend Designer, collaboration with product development and marketing teams is an essential part of the role. You’ll work closely with product designers to ensure color palettes align with design intent and material limitations, while also partnering with marketing teams to create cohesive visual stories that resonate with target customers. Regular meetings, mood boards, and trend presentations are common tools used to align everyone on upcoming color directions, ensuring products are both trend-forward and commercially viable. This cross-functional teamwork is crucial for translating color research and trend forecasts into successful products in the marketplace.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a color trend designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Color Trend Designer, you need a strong background in color theory, design, trend forecasting, and often a degree in design or a related field. Familiarity with tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Pantone color systems, and trend analysis platforms is typically required. Creative vision, keen observation, and effective communication are vital soft skills for interpreting and presenting color trends. These competencies ensure that designers create innovative palettes that resonate with target audiences and keep brands ahead of market trends.

What is the difference between Color Trend Designer vs Color Consultant?

AspectColor Trend DesignerColor Consultant
CredentialsDesign degree or related certification, knowledge of color theoryColor theory knowledge, certifications like CMC or related
Work EnvironmentFashion, interior design, product developmentRetail, branding, personal styling
Industry UsageFashion, home decor, consumer productsMarketing, branding, individual clients

While both roles focus on color, a Color Trend Designer primarily forecasts and creates color palettes for industries like fashion and interior design, emphasizing trend prediction. A Color Consultant offers expert advice to clients or brands on color choices for specific projects, focusing on personalized or brand-specific color strategies. Both roles require a strong understanding of color theory but serve different purposes within the industry.

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Color Trend Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Color Trend Designer job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 75% Full Time, 20% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $49,320 per year, or $23.7 per hour.

Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design

Seattle, WA

Brooks Running
Sporting Product Manufacturing • 501 - 1,000 employees
Learn more about Brooks Runningexternal

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 13 days ago

Job description

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That's why we're driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive - whether it's a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line. 

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:  

  • Runner First 
    • We act in the best interest of the runner
  • Word is Bond 
    • We do what we say we'll do 
  • Champion Heart  
    • We give our all in everything we do  
  • There is no "I" in Run 
    • We stay generous with our humanity 
  • Keep Moving 
    • We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we're all moving towards something. Let's run there.   


Your Job:

As the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will own the aesthetic direction for Brooks Running footwear across color, graphics, materials, finishes, and trend. You will shape the emotional experience of our products, connecting performance function with a clear aesthetic vision that helps Brooks create product runners love.

You will create and manage the long-term direction for seasonal palettes and the CRAFTED BEAUTY design language, using trend insight, design research, runner data, and digital creation tools to guide fresh, market-relevant color and material applications across the footwear line.

You will lead Color & Trend Design across inline, innovation, and lifestyle footwear, while also influencing head-to-toe initiatives and Product Virtualization. You will inspire, coach, and guide design leaders, build critical thinking and problem-solving skills across the team, and help the group navigate ambiguity, risk, and change with clarity.

As a member of the extended Seasonal Creation Leader group, you will bring the aesthetic vision to life throughout product creation. You will partner across Design, Merchandising, Development, Product Marketing, and external teams to establish and communicate the CRAFTED BEAUTY seasonal design language and support Brooks' goal of being the most loved brand for runners worldwide.

Your Responsibilities:

LEADERSHIP

  • Upgrade through direction, education, and coaching in footwear but also across the organization the aesthetic competitiveness of our products
  • Co-create our creative foundation CRAFTED BEAUTY - PERFORMANCE EXPRESSIONS with the Director, Footwear Innovation.
  • Represent the design team on the Seasonal Creation Leader team (SCLs) to create cross functional alignment across key decisions that impact the inline strategy across Horizon 1 (1-3 yrs) and inform innovation strategy Horizon 2 (5-10 yrs) with an applied color strategy.
  • Manage, lead and direct the Brooks Running Footwear Color & Trend Team.
  • Lead the teams through our product review gates ensuring adherence to seasonal and long-term calendars.
  • Mentor and influence managers and stakeholders on developing and applying both a critical thinking and process improvement lens on decisions.
  • Oversee the inline color palette and color CAD creation process.
  • Oversee the footwear pre-development of the:

    • Color palette creation

    • Graphic palette creation

    • Material palette creation

    • Finish palette creation

DESIGN
  • Direct and lead the color, graphic, material and finish design reviews,
  • Create visions extending the seasonal stories into new areas and new topics connecting general trends and macro aesthetics trends to our product portfolio.
  • Innovate identity principles to maximize perceived value to drive superior competitiveness.
  • Direct the seasonal updates of our CRAFTED BEAUTY with your team.
  • Provide strategic direction, leadership, mentorship and inspiration to a diverse team of designers.
  • Guide and deliver product design presentations; both physical and digital including exploratory process to reach final solution and color CADs and Material Maps.
  • Remain up-to-date and knowledgeable in your craft to ensure you are continuously aware of information needed to design a consumer and brand relevant product.
  • Direct the team leads of color and material to integrate 3D CAD.
  • Attend trade fairs, cultural events, and sporting events to ensure runner insights for design inspiration.
  • Attend store visits, market visits, and team travel as necessary for design inspiration.
  • Synthesize results into presentation that drive or aesthetic conversation across the enterprise.
  • Incorporate a global point of view, accounting for regional differences for various markets.
CROSS TEAM COLLABORATION
  • Influence Merchandising to create strong product stories across both Apparel and Footwear.
  • Provide strong direction to Footwear Development through integrating design to express performance by influencing development process & cost management from a design perspective.
  • Partner with the Marketing and Product Marketing Teams in creating and communicating the inspiration and storytelling.
  • Present new color and material directions to product teams and senior management on a seasonal basis.
Qualifications:
  • 4-year college or university degree in product, graphics, apparel or footwear design, equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be substituted for degree. International education is a plus - plus.
  • 14+ years of experience creating color/material/textile programs and future vision of consumer goods - ideally sports industry.
  • Extensive experience creating aesthetics and stories for international markets of consumer goods.
  • Ability to scale and balance aesthetics to include all three major markets NA/EMEA/APLA.
  • 7+ year's managerial experience, managing direct reports and developing talent.
  • Thorough knowledge of art and design with clear understanding of visual design or any design related environment.
  • Proven experience creating and leading the execution of vision and strategy.
  • Experience managing external resources.
  • Ability to understand design conceptually across product categories.
  • Ability to understand design concepts and think conceptually.
  • Ability to create designs that meet category needs and commercial opportunities.
  • Ability to operate in a fast pace, ever changing work environment.
  • Ability to manage a team of professionals to inspire and motivate them to produce their best work.
  • Ability to build and foster relationships in a team environment. This position requires employee to engage with many stakeholders, as well as manage various information and relationships.
  • Ability and desire to push themselves, others, and the brand forward.
  • Ability to influence and collaborate with key business partners.
  • Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, and execution of tasks (self and through others), while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all the pieces fit together and affect one another.
  • Demonstration of innovation and initiative - always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help wherever necessary.
  • Passionate participation in Brooks' sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
  • Mastery with Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop
  • Competent using Apple Mac Operating system
  • Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.)
  • 3D not required, but a plus
  • Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
  • Travel 10% (Domestically/Internationally)
Compensation: The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $186,192 - $297,928 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.  
 
Other: Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!  
Benefits - including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance. 
Paid Time Off - Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
Bonus - In addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.   
Perks - including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits. 
 
Location: You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), caste, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.

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