Freelance Designer

Freelance Designer (Shopify & DTC E-commerce)

Barrel partners with CPG brands to elevate their online presence and drive growth through e-commerce, website optimization, email, SEO, and content strategy. As a globally distributed team, we’re united by a mission to help clients succeed through thoughtful, customer‑centric solutions. Our goal is to create experiences that resonate, add value, and build lasting connections with their communities.

About the Role: We’re seeking a Freelance Digital Designer with strong expertise in Shopify and DTC e‑commerce UX/UI design. This is a freelance, project‑based role (not full‑time). You’ll collaborate closely with our team to design and strategise e‑commerce experiences, expand digital style guides, and apply UX best practices across all deliverables.

Key Responsibilities:

• Concept and design engaging e‑commerce experiences for Shopify DTC brands
• Create key UX deliverables including strategy decks, sitemaps, and wireframes
• Translate briefs into high‑quality, functional designs aligned with client goals and audiences
• Lead or support client meetings and workshops when needed
• Advise clients on e‑commerce and UX best practices
• Collaborate with creative, development, and project management teams throughout the process
• Create detailed annotations and responsive designs for handoff
• Build and maintain comprehensive Figma style guides and component libraries
• Ideate and execute creative concepts that map back to the client’s business goals, audience, and vertical
• Maintain high standards in the work created and ensure only the best work is shared with the client
• Confidently lead client meetings and workshops and delegate tasks to junior team members
• Challenge clients on their requirements and advise on best practices
• Take and develop briefs from the account team into execution
• Contribute to and drive the process with both internal and client teams
• Provide scoping estimates and accurately estimate time to complete work
• Continuously experiment with new tools and technologies, and prototype with existing ones
• Provide useful contributions to team meetings and conversations, actively participating in client meetings and workshops
• Provide thoughtful and constructive feedback to junior team members during presentations and critiques
• Mentor junior designers and interns
• Use AI to improve workflow efficiency and streamline the design process

Qualifications:

• 4+ years of agency or freelance experience in digital design
• Proven experience designing Shopify e‑commerce experiences (product pages, checkouts, landing pages)
• Experience with CPG brands (food & beverage, skincare & beauty, supplements)
• Experience with Shopify Themes is a plus
• Proficient in Figma (including prototyping and component systems)
• Deep understanding of UX/UI best practices for e‑commerce
• Strong communication skills and ability to clearly present design decisions
• Self‑managed and proactive, with strong organisation and attention to detail
• Comfortable working asynchronously in a remote‑first environment
• Solid knowledge of industry tools and understanding of designing intuitive and responsive user experiences
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially when talking about design and collaborating with other team members

Preferred

Skills:

• Agency experience
• Digital design
• Attention to detail
• Product design
• Experience managing cross‑functional website projects
• Third Party Applications
• CSM or PMP certification

Location:

New York, New York, United States