Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Design Leads

Toptal is a marketplace for clients to find top design leads from around the world. Each Toptal freelance design lead is thoroughly vetted and trusted by top companies for their most critical design projects.

No-Risk Trial, Pay Only If Satisfied.

Hire Freelance Design Leads

Casey Weeks

Design Leads DesignerAdobe IllustratorAdobe PhotoshopMarvel AppSketchAdobe Experience Design (XD)Art DirectionUser Experience (UX)User Interface (UI)Creative DirectionProduct DesignGame DesignPublication Design

United StatesToptal Member Since March 12, 2018

Casey is a software UX/UI and marketing website interaction designer with 10 years of professional experience and 20 years of overall experience. He is skilled in creating productive, user-friendly interfaces for complex back-end data structures as well as front-end customer-facing interfaces and websites. He's adept in gathering qualitative feedback through ethnographic interview methodologies to build user-centric mental models.

Show More

Greta Corke

Design Leads DesignerMobile DesignSaaS DesigneCommerceProduct DesignWeb DesignWeb UXApp UXUser FlowsExperience MapsUX FlowsAgile UXWireframing

Côte D'IvoireToptal Member Since July 10, 2019

Greta is an outcome-driven product service design lead with over 17 years of experience in innovation, service, and product development. She has extensive expertise in leadership and management, earning the reputation of an innovator. One of her success stories is leading the team that developed the first cashless experience for Honestbee. Greta also created the world's first consumer-friendly energy monitor—Wattson—which was sold successfully across the EU and Asia.

Show More

Dawid Legierski

Design Leads DesignerAdobeMobileAdobe SuiteSketchPrincipleMobile UXAdobe PhotoshopWeb DesignMobile Web DesignMobile Web

PolandToptal Member Since December 7, 2016

Dawid has more than a decade of experience in the design industry and he specializes in UI design. He creates brands, products, and UI/UX designs for large and medium-sized companies all around the world. Dawid combines strategy, creativity, and technology to build unique brand identities and experiences.

Show More

Stephen Callender

Design Leads DesignerAdobe IllustratorAdobe Experience Design (XD)AndroidWebWeb DesigniOS UI DesignAndroid UI DesignAndroid App DesignPitch DecksSquarespaceBrand DesignBranding

United StatesToptal Member Since January 17, 2019

Stephen designs brands, software applications, and IoT hardware solutions in Austin. His variety of experience comes from founding and running a design and PR agency and also launching two tech startups – one a consumer interactive video app and the other data-driven solutions for airports and airlines. Stephen is a team player, eagerly takes on responsibility, and is always up for doing things differently and breaking the mold.

Show More

Matt Gillespie

Design Leads DesignerSketchAdobe PhotoshopiOSUI DesignWeb UXPrototypingFigma

United StatesToptal Member Since May 29, 2019

Matt is a designer with a decade of experience crafting user-centric strategies to design and build digital experiences for startups, Fortune 500 companies, advertising agencies, and individual clients. He's guided user research sessions, conducted user interviews, led marketing campaigns, built style guides, and published many websites and mobile apps.

Show More

Mike Slone

Design Leads DesignerWebsitesiPhonePitch DecksWebsite RedesignInformation Architecture (IA)MVP DesignIdeationUI AuditsiOS UI DesignIcon DesignIconographyUser Personas

United StatesToptal Member Since March 16, 2017

Mike is a highly experienced and successful product, UX, UI, visual, and branding designer with many years of experience creating large and small-scale designs. He has worked for global clients in many industries, including ExxonMobil, Reebok, Taco Bell, Nike, and many others. Mike has also provided his design and leadership experience to startups in healthcare, higher education, and SaaS companies.

Show More

Tom Bloomfield

Design Leads DesignerSketchInVisionOmniGrafflePhotoshop CCWebiOSProduct DesignUser Experience (UX)eCommerce UXMobile WebWeb UXeCommerce

United KingdomToptal Member Since October 11, 2019

Tom is a user experience lead who has defined experiences for global brands like Unilever and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and transformed many more in between. He has helped launch both startups in Asia and household names in the States. He takes a holistic approach to user experience, considering every interaction a user may have with a brand, from service to product design, and content strategy to motion.

Show More

Pili Fernandez Davila

Design Leads DesignerProduct DesignUX DesignUI DesignUser Interface (UI)Mobile UIMobile UXUser Experience (UX)WordPressVisual DesignInformation Architecture (IA)Usability TestingUX Research

CanadaToptal Member Since January 29, 2019

Pili is a hands-on digital designer with broad experience in product design, UX/UI, branding, and visual communication. She's been creating user-centered design solutions for brands, companies, and people around the world for the last 10+ years, working in partnership with developers, data scientists, and more.

Show More

Luis Machado Vaz

Design Leads DesignerAdobe PhotoshopAdobe FireworksiOSWebApp UIWeb UIWeb App UIiOS UI DesignMVP DesignProduct DesignMobile UI DesignMobile UX Design

PortugalToptal Member Since August 28, 2017

Luis fulfills many roles in his life: father, surfer, founder and designer of Canvaz Design Studio, and also as a judge for the CSS Design Awards. He loves to dedicate his time, creativity, and expertise to projects that represent real value and experiences for users—apps that provide and solve real needs. He has a special connection with anything sports-related, but he can't say no to a real challenge.

Show More

Sign up now to see more profiles.

Start Hiring
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
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 Leads 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 lead for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.
3

The Right Fit, Guaranteed

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

FAQs

  • How are Toptal design leads different?

    At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our design leads to ensure we only match you with talent of the highest caliber. Of the more than 200,000 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.

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

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

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

    We make sure that each engagement between you and your design lead 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

    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

    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

    Hire in under 2 weeks and scale your team up or down as needed, no strings attached.

  • 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

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

  • Expert Talent Matching

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

Top Design Leads are in High Demand.

Start Hiring