Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Creative Directors

Toptal is a marketplace for top creative directors. Top companies and startups choose Toptal creative direction freelancers for their mission critical design projects.

No-Risk Trial, Pay Only If Satisfied.

Clients rate Toptal creative directors 4.9 / 5 on average based on 1,969 reviews.

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Find and hire Top Creative Directors worldwide. Simply click on your preferred time zone on the map.

Trusted by leading brands and startups

Hire Freelance Creative Directors in the UTC-08:00 America/Los Angeles time zone

Jared Booye

UTC-08:00
United States
Toptal Member Since September 1, 2021

Jared has over 15 years of experience leading design teams to create products for global brands. He has employed and led over 100 creatives and directed hundreds of global scale marketing, digital design, branding, and motion projects. As the founder of multiple agencies, he has produced designs for international brands such as Ericsson, Fox, Incase, VM Ware, and others. He believes good design strikes the perfect balance of usability and aesthetic and has the power to shape the future.

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Jen Armstrong

UTC-07:00
United States
Toptal Member Since November 16, 2015

Jen is a UX designer with 13+ years of experience, including six as a co-owner and creative director of a thriving 30-person digital design agency. Her 30+ ADDY awards reflect her unwavering commitment to excellence. An asset to any team, Jen delivers user-centered solutions, leveraging her expertise in research, prototyping, and usability. Her captivating designs consistently surpass business objectives, making her the ideal choice for companies seeking a dynamic, results-driven professional.

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Melissa Patenaude

UTC-06:00
United States
Toptal Member Since May 17, 2017

Melissa has over 17 years of experience in design (UI/UX, visual, product, and identity) as well as art direction and strategy. She's worked for Fortune 500 companies and startups in various fields, including B2B, developer tools, retail, food, education, and finance. Melissa's passionate about the relationship between people, technology, and culture and is dedicated to creating experiences that charm people from the digital world to daily life.

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Anna Krych

UTC-05:00
United States
Toptal Member Since March 15, 2018

Anna is a creative professional with extensive hands-on experience in a broad range of industries and media. She has worked with brands like The New York Times, Harland Clarke, Shape, Victoria’s Secret, A&E, and many others. She helps organizations of all sizes realize their business goals with thoughtfully crafted design solutions.

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Bill Greaves

UTC+00:00
United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since January 19, 2017

Bill is a senior creative professional with degrees in graphic design (BA) and marketing communication (MA). With over 20 years of experience, he has worked in hands-on creative leadership roles across various disciplines, including creative direction, strategic brand development, product design (UX/UI), website design and development, graphic design, motion graphics, and marketing.

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Nick Talmers

Freelance Creative Director
UTC+01:00
Spain
Toptal Member Since September 27, 2024

Nick is a creative director with a proven track record of success in AAA, independent games, and Web3. He has 17 years of expertise in leading multidisciplinary teams and spearheading the production of 30+ products from ideation to live operation. Nick is committed to delivering experiences that stick with users and grow communities, driving innovation and fostering collaboration across cross-functional teams.

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Pavel Pekanov

UTC+03:00
Russia
Toptal Member Since July 14, 2020

Pavel's been delivering branding, UI/UX, visual/product design, and creative direction since 2004. He served as the head of design at a fintech unicorn, where he ran all of the company's creative efforts that helped settle a $100-million round. Pavel is interested in gaming, crypto-banking, internet banking, and fintech and designs with complex interfaces that are human-oriented and straightforward. Pavel is the second runner-up in Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - Product Development 2020.

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Dmitry Chernov

UTC+04:00
Georgia
Toptal Member Since April 26, 2022

Dmitry is a lead UI/UX and visual designer with 13 years of experience focused on creating high-quality UI, UI redesign, and design systems for web and mobile apps. He can also handle all cycles of product design tasks, including client briefing, UX research, design audit, art direction, concepting, prototyping, responsive mockup, and development handoff. He taught 1500+ UI/UX designers and reviewed 7500+ projects as a mentor. Dmitry is passionate about visual communication and typography.

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Nathan Patton

UTC+04:00
United Arab Emirates
Toptal Member Since July 28, 2022

Nathan is a product designer from Northern Ireland, with a bachelor's degree in interaction design. He is currently based in Dubai and is working on investment and blockchain products, including creating digital products and experiences for saving, investing, and managing money. Nathan is an expert at leading design teams and creating easy-to-use straightforward interfaces and universal design systems that provide a smooth design experience to all users.

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Jun Kim

UTC+09:00
South Korea
Toptal Member Since April 28, 2016

With over a decade of experience in product UI/UX design and brand experience design, Kim has had the opportunity to work with a diverse range of teams and companies from Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, Europe, and the USA. In addition, Kim is well-versed in design principles, color theory, and typography and leverages these elements to create consistent and effective design solutions.

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Michael Signal

UTC+10:00
Australia
Toptal Member Since March 23, 2017

Michael is an experienced creative director with over 20 years of industry experience in all aspects of the design process. He's gained his experience by founding a web design agency as well as working for a larger global telco organization as their creative digital lead. Michael has an acute sense of visual design aesthetics and strives for continuous improvement outcomes—this experience has led to his own startup initiatives.

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Creative Direction Hiring Resources

Resources to Hire Creative Directors

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THE TOPTAL ADVANTAGE

98% of Toptal clients choose to hire our talent after a risk-free trial.

Toptal's screening and matching process ensures exceptional talent are matched to your precise needs.

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Toptal in the press

... allows corporations to quickly assemble teams that have the right skills for specific projects.

Despite accelerating demand for coders, Toptal prides itself on almost Ivy League-level vetting.

Our clients
Creating an app for the game
Conor Kenney
Creating an app for the game
Leading a digital transformation
Elmar Platzer
Leading a digital transformation
Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide
Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide
Drilling into real-time data creates an industry game changer
Drilling into real-time data creates an industry game changer
Testimonials
Michael is an incredible designer, and has been a great fit for our project. He just gets it in a way that can’t be taught. My goal was to pay Toptal to find me a high quality designer for my project, and that is exactly what happened. It was easy. Being able to see the portfolio work on Toptal’s platform is what gave me the infomation I needed to choose Michael. I have nothing but good things to say about Toptal and am looking forward to using Toptal for other projects in the future.

Edward Daniel

Co-Founder

I've worked very closely with Martina for over a year and have to say she is one of the best people I have ever worked with. Instead of simply following instructions blindly, she thinks through the task at hand, becoming a thought partner to help with whatever the project may be. Besides being super talented at design, she possesses specific qualities that make her exceptional to work with given the fast paced nature of being a startup. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a talented, professional designer who doesn't need much direction to hit the ground running.

Sahil Khanna

Sr. Manager, Marketing

Darko did a great job figuring out the user architecture for our concept, which led him to produce terrific wireframes. His knowledge of usability and design was a perfect match for the outside voice we needed to help jumpstart our project. We would certainly recommend him and work with him again in the future.

Rich Danker

Founder

Carlos has the unique talent of blending both quantitative and qualitative research to keenly identify UX challenges and opportunities. He thinks methodically, emphatically, and holistically to produce data-driven strategies and well-executed designs. Over the past 8 years of working with fully or partially distributed teams, Carlos manages working remotely far better than anyone I've encountered because of his strong communication and presentation skills. He is the first on my list the next time I need a UX designer.

Michelle Krogmeier

Project Manager

Rafael is an amazing designer. His aesthetic sense is spot on, and he seems to be able to anticipate our needs before we even know what they are. He's taken the time to understand both our company and our clientele, and his solutions are consistently in-line with our values, interests, and our customers' needs. He delivers on time (if not earlier), works quickly, is well organized, and very effective. He's a pleasure to work with, and we're very happy to have found him through Toptal.

Ethan Brooks

CTO

How to Hire Creative Directors Through Toptal

1

Talk to One of Our Client Advisors

A Toptal client advisor will work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics.
2

Work With Hand-selected Talent

Within days, we'll introduce you to the right creative director for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.
3

The Right Fit, Guaranteed

Work with your new creative director for a trial period (pay only if satisfied), ensuring they're the right fit before starting the engagement.

Find Experts With Related Skills

Access a vast pool of skilled designers in our talent network and hire the top 3% within just 48 hours.

FAQs

  • How quickly can you hire with Toptal?

    Typically, you can hire a creative director with Toptal in about 48 hours. For larger teams of talent or Managed Delivery, timelines may vary. Our talent matchers are highly skilled in the same fields they’re matching in—they’re not recruiters or HR reps. They’ll work with you to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics, and match you with ideal candidates from our vetted global talent network.

    Once you select your creative director, you’ll have a no-risk trial period to ensure they’re the perfect fit. Our matching process has a 98% trial-to-hire rate, so you can rest assured that you’re getting the best fit every time.

  • To hire the right creative director, it’s important to evaluate a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and communication skills. You’ll also want to consider the fit with your particular industry, company, and project. Toptal’s rigorous screening process ensures that every member of our network has excellent experience and skills, and our team will match you with the perfect creative directors for your project.

  • At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our creative directors to ensure we only match you with the highest caliber of talent. Of the more than 200,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, fewer than 3% make the cut.

    In addition to screening for industry-leading expertise, we also assess candidates’ language and interpersonal skills to ensure that you have a smooth working relationship.

    When you hire with Toptal, you’ll always work with world-class, custom-matched creative directors ready to help you achieve your goals.

  • You can hire creative directors on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis. Toptal can also manage the entire project from end-to-end with our Managed Delivery offering. Whether you hire an expert for a full- or part-time position, you’ll have the control and flexibility to scale your team up or down as your needs evolve. Our creative directors can fully integrate into your existing team for a seamless working experience.

  • We make sure that each engagement between you and your creative director begins with a trial period of up to two weeks. This means that you have time to confirm the engagement will be successful. If you’re completely satisfied with the results, we’ll bill you for the time and continue the engagement for as long as you’d like. If you’re not completely satisfied, you won’t be billed. From there, we can either part ways, or we can provide you with another expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial.

Tap Into World-Class Talent

  • Trusted Experts Only

    Trusted Experts Only

    All of our talent are seasoned experts who ramp up quickly, readily contribute as core team members, and work with you to minimize onboarding time.

  • The Right Fit

    The Right Fit

    We have a knack for matching you with the right fit. Start working with your new hire on a no-risk trial period, paying only if satisfied.

  • Scale as Needed

    Scale as Needed

    Hire talent within 48 hours and scale your team up or down as needed, no strings attached.

  • Seamless Hiring

    Seamless Hiring

    We handle all aspects of billing, payments, and NDA’s. Let us take care of the overhead while you focus on building great products.

  • Flexible Engagements

    Flexible Engagements

    Choose the engagement type that suits your needs — hourly, part-time, or full-time — with the ability to change anytime.

  • Expert Talent Matching

    Expert Talent Matching

    Focus on your project and enjoy support from your dedicated account executive and expert talent matcher.

Top Creative Directors Are in High Demand.

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