Design Director Job Description Template

Design directors are responsible for delivering world-class products and experiences, whether digital or physical. Where creative directors are charged with casting artistic vision, design directors are more output-focused. To that end, they oversee design teams and ensure that all efforts lead to creative outcomes that are high-quality and on-brand. As design leaders, design directors have a wide base of technical knowledge and guide staff through an array of complicated design problems.

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The design director is a senior role for leaders with a proven track record of effective communication, innovation, and high-level design problem-solving. Design directors ensure that all products and experiences are delivered on time, on budget, and to the highest standards of quality. In addition to communicating a company’s creative vision to design teams and stakeholders, a design director supervises the entire design process and all-important technical decisions.

A design director may also be tasked with tracking timelines, managing budgets, and maintaining client relationships. As expert communicators, they keep in touch with all team members and make sure that everyone has the resources and knowledge needed to succeed.

Design Director Job Description and Ad Template

Copy this template, and modify it as your own:

Company Introduction

{{Write a short and catchy paragraph about your company. Make sure to provide information about the company’s culture, perks, and benefits. Include office hours, remote working possibilities, and anything else you think makes your company interesting.}}

Job Description

We are looking for a design director who is able to quickly interpret business needs and client briefs and turn them into compelling creative solutions. Often working under tight deadlines while overseeing multiple projects, the design director must be a skilled manager of creative teams (including but not limited to: art directors, copywriters, content strategists, graphic artists, and designers). The design director must be an effective communicator, especially when it comes to relaying creative concepts to design teams and company stakeholders. {{Add any specific experience here.}}

Responsibilities

Distill abstract business concepts and client needs into elegant creative solutions.
Take responsibility for the creative vision and the standard of output across team members who work under them.
Pitch ideas confidently and present the creative vision clearly to clients, as well as communicate in the same manner to members of the creative team.
Have strong people management and leadership skills in order to hire, develop, and inspire the creative team.
Ensure that all of the organization’s or client’s creative output/visuals are consistent with the overall brand.
Lead multiple projects from conception to completion in accordance with deadlines.
Collaborate with other team members and stakeholders.
Ask smart questions, take risks, and champion new ideas.
{{Add other relevant responsibilities here}}

Requirements

A degree in a visual or experiential design discipline or equivalent professional experience.
Five or more years of experience as a senior-level designer. Preference will be given to candidates who have experience directing complex solutions for digital products.
Ability to work with clients to understand detailed requirements and determine a plan that will ensure they are met or exceeded.
Excellent interpersonal skills to clearly and effectively communicate the creative vision, concepts, ideas, and solutions to stakeholders, internal teams, and clients.
Ability to work effectively in a team setting, including synthesizing abstract ideas into concrete design implications.
Extensive supervisory experience (including leadership, team-building, and delegation) leading and managing a creative team.
A solid grasp of art history, design history, photography and the visual arts, pop culture, and counterculture, fluency in current technology, politics, and a deep understanding of the zeitgeist of social tastes and current affairs.
Be excited about collaborating and communicating closely with teams and other stakeholders via a distributed model to regularly deliver design solutions for approval.
Be open to receiving feedback and constructive criticism.
{{List education level or certification you require}}