Head of Brand, Creative Studio

The opportunity

Adobe makes the tools the world uses to create. Our own brand should set the standard for how identity evolves in this new era. Adobe Creative is looking for a visionary Head of Brand to define the future of Adobe's identity, ensure the best of the Adobe brand is consistently integrated into the AI systems and technology we build, and build the internal team, systems and culture that bring it to life. This is a role for a world-class brand designer, identity architect and systems builder with exceptional taste, craft and imagination.

You will own Adobe's identity architecture and core brand system across an increasingly complex portfolio of products, audiences, experiences, and surfaces. You will ensure the brand remains distinctive, coherent and unmistakably Adobe while continually evolving.

Working upstream, you will define the principles, visual codes and architecture of the brand. You will translate them into adaptive tools and machine-readable systems that can be applied consistently by internal teams, external partners, templates and AI-enabled workflows. Brand leadership at Adobe extends beyond static guidelines. It includes identity, typography, color, imagery, motion, digital behavior, spatial expression, portfolio architecture, governance and the role of AI in applying brands at scale.

The Head of Brand owns Adobe's identity architecture and core brand system, including the principles that govern visual and verbal identity. The Head of Design owns the design practice and visual expression across Adobe Creative's work; the Head of Copy owns the copywriting practice and creative expression of Adobe's verbal identity; and the Head of Campaigns owns the campaign platforms and central ideas that bring the brand to market. You partner closely with each to ensure the system enables distinctive creative expression without fragmenting the brand.

You are a maker first. You remain close to the tools, the teams and the work. Your authority comes from your taste, your judgment and the strength of the systems you build.

What you’ll do

Define Adobe's Brand for the New Era

• Own Adobe's identity architecture and core brand system.
• Establish a clear point of view on what a modern, adaptive global brand should be in the age of AI.
• Define the principles, visual codes and behaviors that make Adobe unmistakably Adobe.
• Own the governing principles of Adobe's verbal identity, naming architecture, nomenclature and tone of voice, partnering with the Head of Copy on creative application.
• Ensure the brand remains coherent across products, audiences and experiences without becoming rigid or predictable.
• Build a system capable of supporting both flagship creative expression and everyday execution.
• Continually evolve the brand based on culture, technology and the changing ways people create.

Build the Brand System Upstream

• Build the identity frameworks, tools and working practices that enable teams to make strong brand decisions from the start.
• Translate brand strategy into practical systems across typography, color, imagery, motion, composition, behavior and verbal principles.
• Create modular and adaptive tools that support speed, scale and creative flexibility.
• Move Adobe beyond static guidelines toward structured, machine-readable brand logic.
• Partner with Creative Technology, Product, Production and Operations to embed brand principles into tools and workflows.
• Turn learning from real-world applications into improvements to the system.

Lead Brand Expression Across Adobe

• Lead the development and evolution of Adobe's corporate, portfolio and product brand expression.
• Shape Adobe's most visible identity systems and brand expressions across products, campaigns and real-world moments.
• Partner with the Head of Design to ensure Adobe's identity system is interpreted with exceptional craft, intelligence and imagination across Adobe Creative's work.
• Partner with the Head of Copy to translate Adobe's verbal identity, naming principles, nomenclature and tone of voice into distinctive creative expression across Adobe Creative's work.
• Partner with the Head of Campaigns to ensure campaign platforms stretch and advance the brand without fragmenting it.
• Partner with Content and Experiences leaders so Adobe's brand system supports publishing and real-world expression with clarity and flexibility.
• Ensure the system performs across digital, physical, spatial, motion and emerging AI-enabled surfaces.
• Hold externally produced brand-system work to the same standard as internal brand work.

Build a World-Class Brand Team

• Build and lead Adobe's in-house team of Brand Design Directors, Art Directors, Brand Systems Designers and Brand Designers.
• Build a strong leadership bench and clear pathways for makers to grow.
• Recruit exceptional brand designers with diverse perspectives, strong craft and rigorous systems thinking.
• Create a culture of high standards, experimentation, direct feedback and creative generosity.
• Keep senior brand leaders close to the work and protect meaningful time for making.
• Build flexible teams around identity, systems, expression and emerging brand needs.
• Reduce dependence on external agencies for Adobe's core brand thinking and creative authorship.

Advance AI-Native Brand Systems

• Define Adobe Creative's point of view on how AI changes identity, governance and brand application.
• Build brand systems that can be understood and applied by people, templates and AI-enabled workflows.
• Establish principles for evaluating AI-assisted brand output through distinctiveness, coherence, craft and human judgment.
• Define where automation can support scale and where human authorship and intervention remain essential.
• Partner with Product as a creative customer zero, testing how brand logic can be embedded into emerging tools and experiences.
• Ensure teams understand responsible AI, provenance, creator rights and Content Credentials.

Represent Brand Across Adobe

• Represent Adobe's brand system and identity in executive and cross-functional forums.
• Translate identity and brand decisions into clear, actionable choices.
• Advocate for brand to be involved earlier in product, portfolio and business decisions.
• Connect brand distinction and coherence to recognition, trust, preference and long-term value.
• Present work with clarity, confidence and conviction.

What you need to succeed

• 15+ years of experience in brand design, visual identity or multidisciplinary brand leadership.
• A world-class portfolio of identity systems for iconic global brands.
• Significant experience as a Design Partner, Executive Creative Director, Global Brand Design Director or equivalent.
• Meaningful industry recognition through D&AD, The One Show, ADC, Cannes Lions or equivalent.
• Exceptional taste, visual judgment and systems thinking.
• A track record of building identity systems that are both beautifully designed and operationally rigorous.
• Experience navigating portfolio architecture, product brands and complex global organizations.
• Experience building or significantly transforming an in-house brand capability.
• Deep expertise in identity, typography, color, image-making and motion, with strong fluency across digital, spatial and emerging brand practices.
• Experience developing modular, adaptive or machine-readable brand systems.
• Experience directing brand agencies, design studios and specialist partners.
• Deep fluency with Adobe Creative Cloud, Firefly and generative AI workflows.
• A clear point of view on how AI changes brand creation, governance and application.
• A commanding presenter who can communicate the value of brand to senior executives.
• A genuine and current understanding of culture, design, technology, art, fashion, entertainment and creator communities.
• A track record of building multidisciplinary teams, developing future brand leaders and maintaining a high standard through speed, ambiguity and change.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several  U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $128,100 -- $289,900 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

California:

Fair Chance Ordinances

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado:

Application Window Notice

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Legal Notice

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.