Creative Design Assistant

Creative Design Assistant, Pomegranate Inc. (Lexington, KY)

About Pomegranate

Pomegranate is a colorful, design-driven home and lifestyle brand known for hand block-printed table linens, bedding, robes, accessories, and joyful pieces for everyday living and entertaining. Rooted in artistry, travel, pattern, and a love of beautiful homes, Pomegranate brings a distinctive sense of color, craft, and personality to the table.

We are looking for a creative, highly organized, and detail-oriented Creative Design Assistant to join our product development and creative team and help bring the Pomegranate aesthetic to life across our growing collection.

About the Role

The Creative Design Assistant will support our Product Director throughout the design and product development process, from initial inspiration and concept development through sampling and production.

This is an ideal opportunity for an emerging designer with a strong eye for color, pattern, scale, and composition who is eager to build hands-on experience in textile and product design. The right person will have strong creative instincts, excellent technical design skills, exceptional attention to detail, and an appreciation for Pomegranate's distinctive aesthetic.

Working closely with our Product Director and collaborating with product development, operations, and marketing, this person will help translate creative ideas and original artwork into thoughtfully designed products across multiple categories.

This role is well suited to a recent graduate or early-career designer with experience or training in textile design, surface pattern design, graphic design, fine arts, fashion, or a related creative field who is excited to learn the technical side of bringing products from concept to production.

Key Responsibilities

Support the Product Director throughout the design and product development process, from initial inspiration and concept through sampling and production.Research trends, competitive products, color, pattern, interiors, fashion, travel, and other creative inspiration to help inform new collections and product development.Assist in developing color palettes, mockups, and visual presentations to communicate creative concepts and collection direction.Translate creative direction and original artwork into product designs across table linens, bedding, accessories, tabletop, select apparel, packaging, and other product categories.Create and edit textile prints, repeats, colorways, CADs, product mockups, and other design files under the direction of the Product Director.Prepare artwork, dimensions, color references, specifications, and production files for sampling and manufacturing.Help review strike-offs, prototypes, and product samples for color, scale, placement, size, construction, and consistency with approved designs.Organize sample feedback and assist the Product Director and Operations Manager in preparing clear revisions for manufacturing partners.Track samples, strike-offs, artwork approvals, and other development materials to help keep projects moving on schedule.Maintain organized digital artwork, design files, specifications, and product development records.Organize and maintain creative materials, including Pantone references, fabric swatches, strike-offs, original artwork, trims, and product samples.Assist with packaging, labels, inserts, trade show materials, presentations, and other graphic design needs.Support the marketing team as needed by adapting creative assets for digital and print applications.Help develop new colorways, applications, and product ideas using Pomegranate's existing artwork and pattern library.Participate in creative meetings, product reviews, and brainstorming sessions and contribute ideas and inspiration to the design process.Qualifications

Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as CAD/design software, Canva, and Procreate (or a comparable digital illustration program).Strong visual sensibility with an excellent eye for color, pattern, scale, proportion, and composition.Ability to create and manipulate artwork digitally and translate creative direction into polished visual work.Ability to create textile repeats, colorways, CADs, product mockups, and visual presentations.Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.Ability to manage multiple assignments, deadlines, revisions, and priorities in a collaborative environment.Strong written and verbal communication skills.Ability to take creative direction, incorporate feedback, ask thoughtful questions, and learn quickly.A positive, collaborative attitude and willingness to assist wherever needed as projects move from concept through production.Bachelor's degree or equivalent training in textile design, surface design, graphic design, fine arts, fashion design, technical design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.0–3 years of relevant professional experience; exceptional recent graduates are encouraged to apply.Preferred Skills

Experience or coursework in textile design, surface pattern design, home furnishings, apparel, accessories, or consumer product design.Experience developing prints, repeats, and colorways for textile production. Familiarity with generative AI tools and an interest in thoughtfully incorporating emerging technology into the creative process.Basic understanding of Pantone color systems and color matching.Familiarity with textiles, fabric construction, printing techniques, embroidery, or other decorative processes.Experience preparing artwork for print or production is a plus.Photography, illustration, hand drawing, painting, or other artistic skills are a plus.An interest in interiors, entertaining, fashion, travel, art, color, and pattern is strongly preferred.The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is someone with natural creative ability, curiosity, organization, and follow-through. They have a strong instinct for what looks beautiful and understand the importance of the small details that make a design feel considered and complete.

They may be early in their career, but they have developed a clear visual point of view and can demonstrate through their portfolio a strong understanding of color, pattern, composition, and design.

They are comfortable taking direction and eager to learn from an experienced creative team. They don't need to know every aspect of product development or manufacturing on day one, but they are curious about how things are made and excited to learn the technical skills required to turn a beautiful idea into a successful finished product.

They are equally happy experimenting with a new colorway in Illustrator, researching inspiration for an upcoming collection, organizing strike-offs and samples, preparing a presentation, or helping with the many details that keep the creative process moving forward.

Most importantly, they are responsible, dependable, collaborative, detail-oriented, and genuinely excited about the opportunity to grow as a designer while helping create products that feel distinctly Pomegranate.

Compensation

The expected salary range for this position is $50,000 - $60,000, depending on experience, skill set, and qualifications, plus Pomegranate's benefits and perks package.

How to Apply

Please submit your résumé, a brief cover letter, and portfolio highlighting relevant textile, pattern, graphic, illustration, or product design work to [email protected].

Portfolio links are preferred, although PDF portfolios under 10MB are also welcome. Professional experience is not required for every portfolio piece — we welcome strong student work, independent projects, and personal creative work that demonstrates your eye for color, pattern, composition, and design.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a brief paid design project as part of the interview process. The project will give candidates an opportunity to demonstrate how they interpret creative direction and will help both Pomegranate and the candidate evaluate aesthetic alignment with the brand.