Principal Designer, Brand Studio

Expedia Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Expedia Group is seeking a senior, hands-on Principal Designer to set the standard for design across Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo. This hybrid role shapes the studio's creative direction and elevates the craft across multiple brands.

You will lead world-class design and motion across campaigns and brand touchpoints, explore AI tools, and maintain a strong visual identity. You will mentor designers and partner with senior stakeholders to drive impactful work.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in design with senior-level experience in brand studios, agencies, or consultancies.
• Strong portfolio across brand identity, campaigns and digital work.
• Solid motion design skills and understanding of how motion shapes identity.
• Hands-on experience with generative/AI creative tools such as Comfy, Weave, Midjourney, Flora, Adobe Firefly or Runway.
• Ability to maintain brand systems and consistency at scale.
• Experience presenting creative to senior stakeholders.
• Ability to balance creative ambition with deadlines and business priorities.

Responsibilities

• Start with the idea. Turn strategy and business goals into compelling brand narratives with strong storytelling.
• Lead through craft. Create world-class design and motion across campaign, brand, commercial and retail work, taking ideas from first concept through to final delivery.
• Shape the creative point of view. Define the studio’s visual direction and the standard of craft across every brand touchpoint, with a view on where AI adds value and what should stay human.
• Own the brand’s visual identity. Evolve and safeguard identity systems, guidelines and playbooks that keep Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo distinctive and consistent.
• Build systems the studio can use. Create reusable templates, toolkits and workflows, including generative and AI-driven ones, to speed up on-brand work.
• Mentor and inspire. Coach designers and motion designers and provide craft direction to freelance and agency partners.
• Partner with senior stakeholders. Present and champion creative work with senior leaders, and collaborate with marketing, product and teams across the business.
• Push the craft forward. Test and pilot new tools, formats and creative technologies and bring the best into the studio’s roadmap.

Skills

Senior design experience

Motion design

Brand storytelling

Stakeholder communication

Creative leadership

Tools

Comfy

Weave

Midjourney

Flora

Adobe Firefly

Runway

Job description

At Expedia Group, we help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. As a global travel company powered by passionate people, trusted partnerships, and leading technology, we connect travelers, partners, and advertisers through our consumer brands, B2B network, and travel advertising business.

Here, you'll do meaningful work that helps millions of people discover, book, and experience travel with more ease, confidence, and joy. Our five Behaviors-Traveler First, Think Big, Operate with Excellence, Ownership Mindset, and Succeed Together-help foster a supportive environment where people can grow their careers and have the flexibility, benefits, and support to do their best work. Join us and build for travelers everywhere.

About The Role

We're looking for a senior, hands‑on Principal Designer to set the standard for design across three of the world’s biggest travel brands: Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo. A hybrid creative thinker who moves fluidly between design and motion, you will shape how our travellers see and feel our brands and raise the bar for design everywhere they show up.

In this position, you will own the depth and quality of our craft and help shape the studio's creative direction. You will push our brands to be bolder and more distinctive, balancing precision with speed across a fast-moving, high-volume studio. You will also be at the front of what's next, exploring how generative AI and emerging tools can unlock new creative possibilities for our brands.

Reporting to the Creative Director, you will bring strong taste and systems thinking to the frameworks that keep the studio ahead of a fast-changing creative landscape. Above all, you will help build a culture where craft and great ideas come first, and creative innovation thrives.

In this role, you will

• Start with the idea. Bring an ideas‑first, conceptual approach to every brief, turning strategy and business goals into compelling brand narratives with strong storytelling.
• Lead through craft. Create world‑class design and motion across campaign, brand, commercial and retail work, taking ideas from first concept through to final delivery.
• Shape the creative point of view. Help define the studio’s visual direction and the standard of craft across every brand touchpoint, with a clear view on where AI adds value and what should stay human.
• Own the brand’s visual identity. Evolve and safeguard the identity systems, guidelines and playbooks that keep Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo distinctive and consistent wherever they show up.
• Build systems the studio can use. Create reusable templates, toolkits and workflows, including generative and AI‑driven ones, that help the team make on‑brand work faster and at scale.
• Mentor and inspire. Coach and develop designers and motion designers through hands‑on collaboration and give craft direction to freelance and agency partners on specialist work.
• Partner with senior stakeholders. Present and champion creative work with senior leaders, and collaborate closely with integrated marketing, product and teams across the business.
• Push the craft forward. Test and pilot new tools, formats and creative technologies, and bring the best of them into the studio’s roadmap.

Experience And Qualifications

• 7+ years in design, with significant experience at a senior level in an in‑house brand studio, agency or design consultancy
• A portfolio that shows exceptional craft and range across brand identity, campaign and digital work
• Strong motion design skills, and an understanding of how motion shapes an identity
• Hands‑on experience with generative and AI creative tools such as Comfy, Weave, Midjourney, Flora, Adobe Firefly or Runway
• A strong understanding of brand systems and how to keep work consistent at scale
• Experience presenting creative to senior stakeholders
• The ability to balance creative ambition with deadlines, budget and business priorities

Nice To Have Experience

• Comfort with code to build or customise generative tools and pipelines
• Experience fine‑tuning or training generative AI models for design
• Experience working with product and UX design teams on design systems
• Experience in a large, multi‑brand or global organisation
• Award‑winning or widely shared design work

If this sounds like you, we'd love to see your work.

Accommodation requests

Expedia Group is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience. If you need an accommodation or adjustment due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please submit a request at https://expedia.service-now.com/askeg?id=job_accommodation.

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group includes three flagship consumer brands - Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo - along with a leading B2B travel business and travel advertising offerings. Across our brands and business, we help travelers explore the world with confidence and ease.

Equal Opportunity

Expedia is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.