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Linear's Karri Saarinen: What to Look for When Hiring Your First Designer

By Karri Saarinen · Leadership · 1 min read

Saarinen built one of the best-designed dev tools. He shares what to look for in designer #1.

Key Points

Hire a generalist, not a specialist — your first designer needs to do everything
Look for taste, not tools — Figma skills can be learned, taste cannot
The first designer sets the quality bar for the entire company

Your first designer is not filling a role. They are setting the standard.

Generalist First

Your first designer will do UI, UX, brand, marketing materials, and presentations.

Do not hire a specialist. Hire someone who can do everything at 80% quality.

Specialization comes later. Versatility comes first.

Taste Over Tools

You can teach someone Figma in a week. You cannot teach taste.

Look at their portfolio. Do you want to use the things they designed?

If yes, hire them. If no, keep looking. No amount of skill compensates for bad taste.

Look for someone with a product design background. Not every designer is the same.

The Standard

The first designer's work becomes the baseline.

Every future designer will be compared to them. Every future design will build on theirs.

This hire is not about filling a seat. It is about defining quality for the company.