Hire the top 3% of freelance design directors

Toptal is a marketplace for top design directors. Each Toptal design director is thoroughly vetted and trusted by top companies for their most critical design projects.

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Trusted by leading brands and startups

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Hire Freelance Design Directors

View Alex

Alex Engzell

Director Designer, Adobe Photoshop, UI Design, Adobe Illustrator, Web UX Design, Adobe InDesign, Responsive Web Design (RWD), iOS, Branding, Android, Responsive, Pitch Decks, Websites,  + 0 more

EstoniaToptal Member Since March 2, 2017

Alex has been a designer-of-the-year nominee for four years in a row, and he's won Breakthrough Designer of the Year in 2014, Swedish Designer of the Year in 2015, and Visual Designer of the Year in 2016. Words like powerful, stimulating, and daring come to mind—also beauty and magic. Engzell is a designer with a hefty number of awards, an impressive client list, and a philosophy. He practices what he preaches.

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Vogue
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Realventure
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Pendry Cannon
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Urbanite
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Young Kim

Director Designer, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, UI Design, Web UI, Visual Design, Web Design, Icon Design, Digital Design,  + 0 more

United StatesToptal Member Since January 19, 2016

Young is a systematic thinker and a problem solver. He focuses on user-centric design, but is always looking to push the boundaries and try something new. He has experience working in both small digital agencies and top global digital advertising agencies like Razorfish Global, working with brands like Honda/Acura and Google. His work with PBS as art director recently won a 2016 Revere Award from the Association of American Publishers.

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Acura ILX Soundcloud
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SEHT Digital
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Synergy CHC
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Dispatch
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Bruno Santiago

Director Designer, UX Design, UI Design, Product Design, Creative Direction, Brand Design,  + 0 more

CanadaToptal Member Since March 15, 2017

Bruno is an award-winning design-oriented product strategist, with a passion for digital transformation challenges. Over the past 20 years, he has gained experience in the following industries: Fintech, Travel, Automotive, FMCG, and Fashion.

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JetMarketplace › Biz Airlines Technologies
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JetGrid › Biz Airlines Technologies
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Caixa on the Road
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Noq › Social Media Unfaked
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Simon Moolman

Director Designer, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, UX Design, UI Design, Web Design, Web App Design, Adobe Creative Suite, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Branding, Art Direction, iOS UI Design,  + 0 more

South AfricaToptal Member Since December 6, 2016

Simon has more than 11 years experience in the creative industry. He became an integral part of agencies such as MC Saatchi, VML, and Ogilvy—where he led various creative teams. He has worked with the world's largest brands and transformed emerging brands into competitive entities. His focus is interactive and experience design. He is constantly pursuing meaningful storytelling through design that makes a difference in people's lives.

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Heineken
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MC SAATCHI ABEL
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Tidy Pets
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Aide: Pitch Project
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Rafael Castello

Director Designer, Sketch, User Experience (UX), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Adobe, App UX,  + 0 more

FranceToptal Member Since May 19, 2017

Rafael received his undergraduate degree in Barcelona, Spain and his graduate degree in New York. He is currently based in New York and enjoys staying in touch with the latest and most relevant innovations in media, technology, art, and design. His aesthetic is influenced by notions of playfulness. Ultimately, Rafael’s goal is to create experiences that will help users see and connect with each other in real life.

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Toyota Mobility Foundation
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Oral B Global Redesign
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Toyota CSRC
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Aesop
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Thomas McKay

Director Designer, Adobe Photoshop, Figma, UX Design, UI Design, Wireframing, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Digital Product Design, Portal Design, Web App Design, Mobile Design,  + 0 more

United KingdomToptal Member Since April 8, 2016

Tom is a British web and mobile designer, specializing in crafting clean user interfaces and engaging user experiences. His background lies in product design, giving him a solid foundation in turning user and business requirements into elegant functional solutions.

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GradCircle
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Mobizio
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Luxdeco
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Infinity Roses
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Tom Koszyk

Director Designer, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch 3, User Interface (UI), UI Design, iOS UI Design, Web Design, Mobile App Design, User Experience (UX), Visual Design, Responsive, Mobile Design, Logo Design,  + 0 more

PolandToptal Member Since December 11, 2015

Tom is a multidisciplinary designer focused on UX/UI. He communicates extremely well and is very passionate about his work. Before going independent he was the Head of Design of th Digital Department at Mullen LOWE Warsaw. His work has been featured on Behance, Abduzeedo, and CreativeBloq among others. He also teach UI/UX design at Envato and had pleasure to give few lectures at the Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology in Warsaw.

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Naked Groove
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Happy Hours Multiplatform App
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Custody Schedule Planner
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Apple Music Redesign Project
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Sergey Krasotin

Director Designer, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, iOS, Android, UX Research, Product Design, Usability Testing, Art Direction, Creative Direction, Web UX, Web UI,  + 0 more

GermanyToptal Member Since July 9, 2017

Sergey designs interfaces for websites, cars, and mobile and augmented reality apps. He has had the opportunity to work for clients such as UBS, Raiffeisen, Home Credit, Barclay's startup accelerator, Honeywell, Volkswagen Group, and more.

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Google Bank Concept – Mobile Banking for the 21st Century
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Enterprise Web Service for Synthetic Monitoring
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Raiffeisen Mobile App
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Nexar
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Trustpilot
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
Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide
Thierry Jakicevic
Building a cross-platform app to be used worldwide
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3
Creating an app for the game
Conor Kenney
Creating an app for the game
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2
3
Leading a digital transformation
Elmar Platzer
Leading a digital transformation
1
2
3
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

improvemygun.com

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

LeanTaaS, Inc.

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

Prose Market

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

Union Station

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

Langlotz Patent & Trademark Works, Inc.

Toptal gave us access to the best designers out there. They’re not easy to find. Those designers integrated very quickly with our existing teams. They very quickly understood our business case and the value of our solution. Toptal really allowed us to focus on building the best possible product and save a lot of time on the typical administrative pains that goes with it -- specifically, finding the best talent. Toptal designers were very responsive, always online -- and that made life very easy for us. We have ambitious goals on how to grow the application and already Toptal has been a key contributor to that success.

Thierry Jakircevic, General Manager, Digital Solutions, Bridgestone Head Office, Tokyo

Bridgestone Corporation

We had an amazing experience working with our Toptal designer. In only two weeks, we accomplished what would've taken most companies 3 months to complete. We also enjoyed working with the Toptal team to make sure we were paired up with the right designer that would fit both our company culture and working style.

Ted Blosser, Head of Sales and Customer Success

WorkRamp

Dean blew us away. He ranks right up there as one of the top five designers of the hundreds I have worked with in the past. He listened, was totally professional, and came up with a 3D rotating cube design completely on his own. We didn't even ask for it, and yet it has become the centerpiece of our app and how users engage with it right off the bat. What he produced inspired all of us at Votify, and put us on track for launch and investor funding.

Michael Lawrence, Founder & CEO

Votify LLC

How to Hire Design Directors through Toptal

1

Talk to One of Our Industry Experts

A Toptal director of design 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 design director for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.
3

The Right Fit, Guaranteed

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

FAQs

  • How are Toptal design directors different?

    At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our design directors to ensure we only match you with talent of the highest caliber. Of the more than 100,000 people who apply to join the Toptal network each year, fewer than 3% make the cut. You'll work with design experts (never generalized recruiters or HR reps) to understand your goals, technical needs, and team dynamics. The end result: expert vetted talent from our network, custom matched to fit your business needs. Start now.

  • Can I hire design directors in less than 48 hours through Toptal?

    Depending on availability and how fast you can progress, you could start working with a design director within 48 hours of signing up. Start now.

  • What is the no-risk trial period for Toptal design directors?

    We make sure that each engagement between you and your design 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. Start now.

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 in under 2 weeks 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.

Featured Toptal Director Publications

Micah Bowers
DesignDesign Process

The Higher Ground – A Guide to Design Ethics

by Micah Bowers
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Top Design Directors are in High Demand.

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