Opportunities

A curious thinker, generous teammate, and fearless maker of ideas.

You do not need the perfect resume. You need curiosity, imagination, and the willingness to explore an idea before you know where the idea will lead.

Why this role exists

Retail design is changing. The boundaries between architecture, interiors, branding, storytelling, technology, and human behavior keep getting thinner. New tools are changing how ideas form, how teams work, and how quickly we test a direction. The job is no longer limited to drawing what others already know. At api(+), we want someone who wants to question the familiar, study how people live, shop, gather, eat, and move, then turn those observations into places with a clear point of view. You will help us rethink what a designer brings to the table and what a design studio should become next.

What you will explore

• Retail spaces, restaurants, food markets, mixed-use centers, and new experience formats.
• Ideas across space, identity, graphics, objects, service, technology, and storytelling.
• Fast ways to test a thought through sketches, models, images, writing, prototypes, research, and emerging tools.
• The reasons behind a design choice, from human behavior and culture to business goals and construction realities.
• Projects from the first messy question through the final built experience.

What you will bring

• A willingness to share ideas before they feel finished.
• The confidence to ask good questions and the humility to change your mind.
• A collaborative spirit. You listen, contribute, challenge with care, and help the team move forward.
• An interest in people and the small details of how they experience a place.
• A habit of making. You sketch, model, write, photograph, build, prompt, map, or invent another way to explain a thought.
• Enough self-direction to begin, plus enough openness to invite others into the work.

What you do not need

• A specific number of years in the industry.
• A degree from a particular program.
• A portfolio filled with polished retail projects.
• Mastery of every design platform on day one.
• One fixed definition of what a designer should be.

Experience still counts, in many forms

Your background might include architecture, interiors, industrial design, graphic design, filmmaking, theater, gaming, fashion, fabrication, hospitality, retail operations, research, writing, or something we have not listed. Professional experience is welcome. A traditional path is optional.

Show us how you think. Share work, experiments, sketches, unfinished ideas, side projects, photos, models, stories, or anything else that reveals what you notice and how you turn a question into a possibility.

How we work

• We start with questions, not a predetermined answer.
• We move between big ideas and real details.
• We treat technology, including AI, as part of a broader creative toolkit.
• We value original thought over familiar presentation language.
• We give feedback openly and expect every voice to shape the work.
• We take the work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.

About api(+)

api(+) is a multidisciplinary design studio in Tampa. We bring architecture, interiors, branding, and experience design together for retailers, restaurants, developers, and entertainment brands. Our waterfront studio is collaborative, hands-on, and built around the exchange of ideas.

We offer competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, performance bonuses, flexible work practices, mentorship, and room to shape your role as you grow.

Interested?

Send us your resume if you have one. More importantly, send us something that shows how your mind works. Tell us about an idea you keep returning to, a place you would rethink, or a problem you want to explore. info@apiplus.com