Design Director (Branding)

Vision for the Role and Agency

This is a unique opportunity to join a well established studio in the middle of a period of major transformation, and help shape it. This hire is one of the most important they have ever made-a partner in shaping the agency's future. The goal is to build a studio defined by strategic, ideas-led work, not just visual polish.

About the Agency

Our client is a brand-led growth consultancy. They combine top tier strategic rigour with the disruptive soul of a venture studio.

They don't just deliver beautiful execution; they deliver commercial impact driven by strategic insight and big ideas. This isn't code for performance marketing-it's about brand-led growth that pushes clients to execute bold, category challenging work.

Key Areas

• Growth Strategy: Identifying untapped "white space" and market opportunities.
• Innovation: Rapidly prototyping and launching next-gen products and services.
• Brand Experience: Crafting every touchpoint to ensure brands are different, special, and better.
• Venturing: Putting skin in the game by investing creative capital and cash into a £250m+ portfolio.
• Agile & Punchy: They punch far above its perceived weight. By eschewing rigid structures, the core team tailors every project team and approach to the specific brief, challenge, and creative vision of the client. It's a model built for agility and high-level results.

The Next Chapter

With an enviable client list, they are now entering a pivotal period of transformation. As the studio evolves its proposition, they are scaling design leadership to spearhead a new-look vision that will define the next era of the agency. The work is driven by strategic insight and big ideas, not just beautiful execution. Everything is done with the intention of making a commercial impact for clients, but that's not code for performance marketing. Driven by difference they're pushing clients to do bold, category-challenging work that helps them grow. The core team adapts the approach and project teams in a way which is tailored to each brief, challenge, and creative vision.

The Role

This is a critical, high-impact hire-effectively the number two to the Head of Creative and Partner. You'll help shape the creative direction of the agency, define how we work, and influence the type of studio we become. The role is hands on. Direction from the tools. Driving work through big, creative, transformational ideas. Helping manage a small permanent team and a dynamic pool of freelancers while continuing to drive day to day craft from within the weeds. You'll be expected to bring energy, confidence, and strategic thinking to both the studio and client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary design projects from concept to delivery, ensuring strategic ideas drive creative output-not just executional craft.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of Creative to define and execute the agency's vision.
• Act as a client facing leader, building trust and excitement in every interaction.
• Lead and build a wider network of freelancers.
• Bring a strong point of view on brand, motion, and new technologies.
• Contribute to business development, pitching, and shaping new opportunities.
• Help evolve the agency's structure, processes, and creative culture.
• Take ownership of external communications, and how we show up to the world inside the creative community and beyond.

The Ideal Candidate

• Either an experienced Senior Designer ready to step up, or a seasoned Design Director looking to make their mark.
• Multidisciplinary: strong in brand, visual, and digital design, ideally with motion and creative tech curiosity.
• Strategist in disguise: comfortable supporting strategy, developing brand propositions, finding white space, and selling big ideas, not just delivering beautiful work.
• A 360 brand thinker: thinking beyond the immediate scope of a brief, and helping the client see the potential the impact of those ideas across the entirety of a brand experience and beyond.
• Confident, energetic, and able to inspire both clients and teams.
• Comfortable with a lean, entrepreneurial environment and able to work autonomously when required.
• Experience managing freelancers and small teams.
• London based, hybrid (ideally three days a week in the studio).
• Salary up to £85k, depending on experience.

To apply, please send your CV and folio to Josef: