Typical comp shape
Brand designers usually earn isos or rsu. Common employers include Linear, Notion, Figma, Airbnb. Brand designers at early startups often hold ISO grants where 83(b) and early exercise decisions set up QSBS eligibility.
What Maryland changes
In Maryland, every RSU vest, NSO exercise, and ESPP purchase carries 5.75% state tax on top of federal. For a senior brand designer with $300k+ of equity income, the state layer routinely adds $25-45k to the annual bill.
Planning cadence
For a brand designer in Maryland, the three planning windows are: after each RSU vest (withholding check and sell-vs-hold), before any ISO exercise (AMT model at federal only), and in Q4 (estimated tax top-up to clear the safe harbor).