Hire Startup Design Experts

Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Startup Design Experts

Hire startup designers, on demand. From pitch decks and MVP prototypes to brand-identity assets and investor-ready visuals, Toptal startup designers create compelling designs that help early-stage companies attract users and funding.

Hire a Top Startup Design Expert Now

No-Risk Trial, Pay Only If Satisfied.

Trusted by leading brands and startups

Hire Freelance Startup Design Experts

Bill Stewart

Verified Expert in Design
Canada
Toptal Member Since November 19, 2021

Bill is a product design director and principal designer with 15+ years of experience delivering high-value outcomes for clients and customers. He excels as a player-coach design leader, mentor, and innovator through the PM-UX-ENG agile design process for B2B or B2C. Bill loves building value in fast-moving 0-1 startup-like environments and in established products. He has proven success in delivering the highest business value (ARR) and the highest user value (usability) through design.

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Guilherme Cerqueira

Verified Expert in Design
Brazil
Toptal Member Since January 27, 2022

Guilherme is a seasoned UI/UX product designer with over 15 years of experience. He has a proven track record designing products for millions of users at Booking.com and helping SaaS startups achieve success through user-centered design and data-informed solutions. Specializing in web and mobile design, design systems, conversational AI interfaces, and rapid prototyping with AI tools, his work has been used by major brands including GSK, Unilever, Danone, Nestlé, and BRF.

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Hugo Barbera

Verified Expert in Design
Spain
Toptal Member Since June 8, 2020

Hugo specializes in pro-grade AI creative work, with 16 years of experience in advertising, working with global icons like Nike, Volkswagen, Audi, Coca-Cola, Hugo Boss, & Vogue. His work has earned awards at major advertising festivals. He's delivered 30+ commercial AI projects & has been exhibited in Milan, Paris, & NYC. A seasoned keynote speaker, he inspired audiences at Digital Fashion Week Paris, Upscale Conf, & Cannes Lions, showcasing the transformative power of AI-driven creativity.

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Giorgio Campo

Verified Expert in Design
Italy
Toptal Member Since November 2, 2020

Giorgio is a design consultant with 15 years of experience. He drives growth and efficiency on digital products by enhancing the customer experience through design. He leads design and cross-department challenges and executes UX and UI himself as a solo designer. An ex-Deloitte, ex-Condé Nast, and design lead at US/EU-based startups, Giorgio brings together the vision of consulting with the iterative approach and practicality of working inside products.

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Artur Maklyarevsky

Verified Expert in Design
United States
Toptal Member Since September 15, 2017

Over the last 10 years, Artur has built a few startups and has helped others create their designs via his studio, Design2Dev. He has an extensive background in iterative UI/UX, IxD, and solving problems creatively. Since 2000, he's also worked with a plethora of Silicon Valley agencies as a lead designer and art director. Artur has a master's degree in interactive telecommunications from ITP-NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

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Ljubomir Bardžić

Verified Expert in Design
Serbia
Toptal Member Since April 1, 2020

Ljubomir is a UI/UX designer and an Adobe Certified Expert. He has been working with tech startups for the last ten years, helping them deliver better experiences across desktop, mobile, and web apps. Besides doing client work, Ljubomir also teaches design online. His courses have been attended by over 6,000 students so far.

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Kim Eun Kyung

Verified Expert in Design
Singapore
Toptal Member Since October 24, 2022

Eun Kyung is a multi-cultural, all-rounded product designer based in Singapore with more than 10 years of experience. She has worked with various enterprises and startups in US and Singapore. As a seasoned product designer, she is specialized in finding easy-to-use solutions to complex problems.

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Trent McBride

Freelance Startup Design Expert
Verified Expert in Design
Japan
Toptal Member Since January 14, 2020

Trent has more than 15 years of design experience in agencies, in-house, young startups, and global corporations. He specializes in digital product design and brand identities, but his main goal is to conceptualize and design great products, brands, and experiences for his clients. He also co-founded Tadaku, a platform for cultural exchange through home-based cooking parties, which was acquired by Gaiax in 2015.

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Oskar Rutten

Verified Expert in Design
Australia
Toptal Member Since January 21, 2020

Oskar has 9+ years of experience as a UI/UX designer. He has worked with a wide range of clients from multinational corporations like Marchex to startups and charities. As the creative director of the Housing All Australians Charity and a freelancer, he has worked on multiple projects across fintech, B2B, B2C, and everything in between with teams of varying sizes.

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Michael Signal

Verified Expert in Design
Australia
Toptal Member Since May 13, 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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Raphael McDonnell

Verified Expert in Design
United States
Toptal Member Since June 9, 2020

Raphael is an award-winning digital product designer and product manager focused on UI/UX and strategy. With decades of experience working on multi-platform products for companies in the entertainment, gaming, pharmaceutical, and SaaS industries, such as Netflix, HBO, 2K, Riot Games, SAP, Pfizer, and early-stage startups. Raphael's approach to human behavior and user-centered design allows him to solve problems—ultimately helping to shape and make digital products better.

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Discover More Startup Design Experts in the Toptal Network

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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

How to Hire Startup Design Experts 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 startup design expert for your project. Average time to match is under 24 hours.
3

The Right Fit, Guaranteed

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

EXCEPTIONAL TALENT

How We Source the Top 3% of Startup Design Experts

Our name “Toptal” comes from Top Talent—meaning we constantly strive to find and work with the best from around the world. Our rigorous screening process identifies experts in their domains who have passion and drive.

Of the thousands of applications Toptal sees each month, typically fewer than 3% are accepted.

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Capabilities of Startup Designers

Startup designers use their creative skills and aesthetic sensibilities to help early-stage companies move from idea to impact. Toptal’s startup designers build intuitive interfaces, build scalable design systems, and develop cohesive brands that accelerate product validation and growth.

MVP User Interfaces

Startup designers build intuitive interfaces that highlight a product’s core functionality while eliminating distractions. Our startup designers create high-utility designs that enable startups to validate MVPs quickly and deliver seamless user experiences from day one.

Brand Identity and Visual Language

A strong visual identity helps startups stand out and communicate credibility. Our designers build cohesive brand systems—including logos, color palettes, and typography systems—that express their clients’ vision with clarity, creativity, and consistency.

Investor Pitch Decks and Marketing Assets

Designers play a pivotal role in shaping how startups tell their story to investors and users. Toptal startup designers produce visually compelling decks, graphics, and landing pages that turn complicated ideas into persuasive, high-quality visuals.

User Research and Testing

Effective product design begins with taking the time to research and understand real user needs. Our designers forgo guesswork and conduct structured interviews, usability testing, and data analysis to validate assumptions and guide rapid, evidence-based design decisions.

Prototypes and Wireframes

Visualizing product ideas helps teams identify issues before development, when mistakes are costly. Our designers build detailed wireframes and interactive prototypes in tools like Figma and Adobe XD to accelerate alignment between teams and stakeholders.

Collaborating With Founders and Engineers

Cross-functional collaboration ensures design decisions translate into functional products that meet users’ needs. Toptal designers work side by side with founders and engineers—and quickly adapt to evolving priorities and technical constraints.

Designing for Product-market Fit

Startups change rapidly as they align offerings with user demand. Our startup designers use feedback loops, behavioral analytics, and iterative design to refine interfaces that boost engagement and support company growth.

Scalable Design Systems

As features and product offerings expand, design consistency becomes critical. Toptal designers develop reusable component libraries and style documents that enable teams to scale design without sacrificing quality or cohesion.

Rapid Iteration Cycles

Startups thrive on experimentation and speed. Our designers coordinate short, agile sprints in which they test concepts, incorporate data, and refine user experiences while maintaining momentum and adaptability.

Go-to-Market Strategy

Design is central to how startups introduce products and communicate their value to users. Our startup designers deliver polished launch materials—such as onboarding flows, landing pages, and marketing visuals—that unify brand messaging and drive early adoption.

FAQs

  • Typically, you can hire startup design experts with Toptal in about 48 hours. For larger teams of talent or full end-to-end project 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 startup design expert, 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 startup design expert, 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 startup design experts for your project.

  • At Toptal, we thoroughly screen our startup design experts 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 startup design experts with Toptal, you’ll always work with world-class, custom-matched startup design experts ready to help you achieve your goals.

  • You can hire startup design experts on an hourly, part-time, or full-time basis. Toptal can also manage the project end-to-end based on your specific requirements as part of our Consulting and Services offerings. Whether you hire a startup design 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 startup design experts can fully integrate into your existing team for a seamless working experience.

  • We make sure that each engagement between you and your startup design expert 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 startup design expert who may be a better fit and with whom we will begin a second, no-risk trial.

Toptal Lets You Hire Fast,
With Unparalleled Success

  • Trusted Talent Only

    Trusted Talent Only

    Our talent network is composed of thoroughly vetted professionals who ramp up quickly, function as essential team members, and deliver results.

  • Precise Matching

    Precise Matching

    Our experienced talent matchers specialize in identifying talent that fits your needs. They work to understand your exact requirements and hand-select the best professionals for your project.

  • Seamless Hiring

    Seamless Hiring

    We handle all aspects of billing, payments, and NDAs, streamlining the hiring process so you can focus on innovation, not overhead.

  • No-risk Trial Period

    No-risk Trial Period

    We want to be sure your engagement is a total success, so we offer a no-risk trial period. Work with your new hire for up to two weeks and pay only if you’re satisfied.

  • Effortless Scaling

    Effortless Scaling

    We help you scale your team up or down as needed, with quick and efficient hiring in under 48 hours.

  • Flexible Engagements

    Flexible Engagements

    Our flexible engagement models allow you to choose the engagement type that suits your needs and adjust it anytime: hourly, part time, or full time.

Top Startup Design Experts Are in High Demand.

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