Visual Design Lead
Creative Services — Dedicated to B2B Web
About the role
Morningstar's Creative Services team is seeking an experienced Visual Design Lead to drive the visual quality and brand expression of our B2B marketing website. This is a visual design role — not UX or product design — focused on craft: typography, layout, composition, color, and brand expression at scale.
You'll lead design work across our digital marketing platforms, collaborating with Creative Services peers, the Corporate Digital Web team, and cross-functional partners in marketing and technology. The ideal candidate is AI-fluent — helping pilot and advance AI-enabled workflows that accelerate iteration and raise quality, while upholding Morningstar's standards for craft, brand integrity, and ethics.
This position is based in our Chicago office with a minimum of four days onsite per week.
Our creative culture
Morningstar is a collaborative environment with a strong commitment to craft. Our design heritage is rooted in helping people around the world make confident investing decisions. We look for team members who bring good judgment, empathy, and a collaborative mindset — and who can navigate competing priorities while maintaining Morningstar's standard of design excellence. The Creative Services team embraces brand consistency and efficiency through design systems and AI-enabled workflows.
Job responsibilities
Lead visual design for Morningstar's B2B marketing website — web experiences, landing pages, and the design system that powers them.
Apply exceptional craft in typography, layout, composition, color, and information hierarchy to create brand-forward digital experiences.
Contribute to and help art-direct imagery so that visual assets feel cohesive and consistent across the site.
Translate briefs and creative direction into polished, high-quality visual executions.
Present and defend design solutions to cross-functional teams, connecting visual decisions to brand and business goals.
Contribute to and evolve Morningstar design systems and digital brand standards, partnering with engineers to ensure design quality through implementation.
Champion AI-enabled design workflows, piloting tools that augment creativity and accelerate production.
Qualifications
Design
7+ years of experience designing large-scale marketing websites or digital marketing experiences.
Exceptional visual design skills — typography, layout, color, brand expression, and data visualization.
Experience contributing to and managing design systems.
Bachelor's or master's degree in visual/graphic design, a related field, or equivalent experience.
Communication & Collaboration
Ability to clearly present and defend design decisions to senior stakeholders, connecting visual rationale to brand and business impact.
Proven ability to build alignment across teams while navigating competing priorities and feedback.
Work Style & Leadership
Self-directed and able to manage multiple projects in a fast-moving environment.
Experience mentoring peers; interest in people leadership is a plus.
Tools & Technology
Advanced proficiency in Figma.
Proficiency with CMS platforms (Contentstack is a plus), HTML, and CSS
Working knowledge of AI-assisted design tools, used responsibly to augment creativity and efficiency.
How to apply
Include a portfolio showcasing your visual design work — polished layouts, typography, and marketing website executions. We're looking for visual craft, not UX case studies. Tell us about your role in each project and the visual decisions that shaped it.
Compensation and Benefits
At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:
Financial Health
100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
Stock Ownership Potential
Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Physical Health
Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
Emotional Health
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Social Health
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups
Total Cash Compensation Range
$95,275.00-139,741.66Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive
Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.
001_MstarInc Morningstar Inc. Legal EntitySkills Required
- 7+ years designing digital products, interactions, large-scale websites, or applications
- Experience contributing to and managing design systems
- Bachelor's or master's degree in digital/visual design or related field, or equivalent experience
- Strong skills in information hierarchy, typography, and data visualization
- Advanced proficiency in Figma and other design and prototyping tools
- Familiarity with CMS platforms (Contentstack is a plus)
- Working knowledge of HTML and CSS
- Proven fluency with AI-enabled content workflows and experience evaluating or operationalizing AI tools
- Experience leading cross-functional projects and presenting/defending design decisions to senior stakeholders
- Experience mentoring or leading peers; interest in people leadership
- Portfolio of work demonstrating design impact and process
What the Team is Saying
Morningstar Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — A recurring paid sabbatical every four years and flexible time off in North America provide substantial time away from work. A global minimum of six weeks’ paid caregiving leave further extends coverage for personal and family needs.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave sets a stated global minimum of 16 weeks for primary caregivers and up to eight weeks for secondary caregivers, with adoption assistance reimbursing eligible expenses. These policies are positioned as global standards that complement broader leave programs.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Employees can convert a portion of bonuses or commissions into RSUs with an additional company match on the converted amount. Impact RSU awards in some cases add further upside tied to strong performance.
Morningstar Insights
What We Do
At Morningstar, we believe in building great products in-house in a highly collaborative, agile environment where we focus on technical excellence, the user experience, and continuous improvement. Our technologists represent a range of skills and experience levels, but they all view their work as a craft and push technology’s boundaries.
Why Work With Us
Imagining big things is in our blood -- it's transformed us from a company with just a few employees in 1984 to a leading independent investment research company with a worldwide presence today. As of April 2020, we acquired Sustainalytics to drive long-term meaningful outcomes for investors in the ESG space. Join us on this exciting journey!
Gallery
Morningstar Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
