Freelance Design Director

Landor is seeking a Freelance Design Director for its Cincinnati studio. This role requires a visionary and strategic leader to guide the creative team, drive design strategy, and execute impactful brand solutions. The director will foster innovation, build client relationships, and champion collaboration, balancing creative vision with business acumen to deliver extraordinary design.

Must Have

• Lead and mentor a creative team, fostering innovation and design excellence.
• Drive design strategy and execution, balancing vision with hands-on engagement.
• Act as a strong advocate for design, building robust relationships with clients and internal teams.
• Apply strategic business acumen to deliver impactful brand solutions.
• Champion communication and collaboration across disciplines.
• 5+ years of Design Director experience in branding.
• 8+ years of broad creative and management experience with global sophistication.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Graphic Design, Communication, Fine Arts, or a related field.
• Proven experience leading cross-discipline teams and design leaders.
• Passion for CPG, Home Care, Health & Wellness, Food & Beverage, and Beauty sectors.

Good to Have

• Motion and/or Industrial Design skills
• Digital Offer experience

Perks & Benefits

• Hybrid work approach (teams in the office around four days a week)
• Accommodations or flexibility can be discussed during the interview process

Landor is looking for a Freelance Design Director to join our Cincinnati studio. Could this be you?

We are Landor.

World-leading brand experts,

underpinned by the most expansive strategic & creative capabilities in our category.

We make brands more valuable and less vulnerable.

We build brands differently. We work with our clients to define and solve their business problems through the lens of brand. We strategically join the dots between our design, experience, governance and measurement capabilities, and always connect our brand work to business outcomes.

Landor companies also include amp (sonic branding), bdg (workplace & architectural experts), Deep Local (creative technologists) and ManvsMachine (3D motion design).

We are part of WPP.

What you’ll do

We're looking for a visionary and strategic Design Director to help lead our creative team. You're a master designer, brand storyteller, and inspirational leader passionate about solving challenges through extraordinary design.

In this role, you will:

• Lead and mentor a creative team, fostering a culture of innovation and design excellence.
• Drive design strategy and execution, balancing vision with hands-on engagement.
• Act as a strong advocate for design, building robust relationships with clients and internal teams.
• Apply strategic business acumen to deliver impactful brand solutions, understanding client challenges, financials, and metrics.
• Champion communication and collaboration across disciplines, adapting to changing priorities with a restless drive for improvement.

What you’ll need

• 5+ years of Design Director experience in branding.
• 8+ years of broad creative and management experience with global sophistication.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Graphic Design, Communication, Fine Arts, or a related field.
• Proven experience leading cross-discipline teams and design leaders.
• A passion for CPG, Home Care, Health & Wellness, Food & Beverage, and Beauty sectors.
• Bonus: Motion and/or Industrial Design skills, Digital Offer experience.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

We build brands. We build futures. Landor, a WPP company, is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics, committed to a culture of respect where everyone belongs and can progress in their careers.

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