Freelance Design Director

StudioXAG - Certified B Corporation®

Design Director at StudioXAG shaping the future of their Creative Studio. Leading strategic projects while mentoring Lead Designers and raising creative standards.

Posted 6/26/2026contractLondon • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLeadWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define, direct and elevate design across the Creative Studio.
Lead some of our most ambitious and strategically important projects while helping raise the creative bar across the wider studio.
Mentor and develop Lead Designers, strengthen team capability and influence the evolution of our creative output through your standards, leadership and taste.
Take ownership of a key area of creative innovation or capability, helping shape how our Creative Studio grows in the future.

Requirements

What you’ll need

A highly creative and experienced design leader with exceptional creative judgement and the ability to define strong ideas across multiple projects and teams
Experienced within luxury brand, retail, experiential or agency environments, with a track record of mentoring creatives and elevating team capability
A confident communicator, presenter and storyteller who can sell ideas and build trust with senior stakeholders
Someone who balances bold ideas with commercial awareness and understands how to deliver impactful work at scale
Deeply connected to culture, design and innovation, with curiosity about how our industry is evolving
Technically confident across industry-standard tools (SketchUp, Adobe Creative Suite, rendering software etc.)
Bonus points for:
Experience shaping new capabilities, services or ways of working
Interest in emerging tools, AI or evolving creative processes
Strength in a particular area that could help evolve our Creative Studio over time

Benefits

Comp & perks

LocationWe work hybrid:**📍 3 days/week in our East London studio (E10)**🏡 2 flexible days
Standard hours are 9am–6pm, with flexibility available.
Belonging & Inclusivity at StudioXAGStudioXAG is a business that strives for equality for all its people. Known for our storytelling, our different perspectives make us more creative than ever.
No matter who you are, you are welcome at StudioXAG.

ATS Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

design leadershipcreative judgementmentoringproject managementcreative innovationcommercial awarenessstorytellingcommunication

Soft Skills

confidenceteam capability developmenttrust buildingcuriositybold ideas balancing