Senior Brand & Digital Designer

Critical Playground LLC; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full-time

Hybrid working

25+ days annual leave

Pension

Training and professional-development

Annual Christmas trip

Job summary

Ascend Studio, a London-based branding, design and digital agency, seeks a Senior Brand & Digital Designer to lead brand identities and digital experiences. You will work hands-on, influence creative direction, and mentor designers while delivering distinctive identities and scalable design systems.

The role is hybrid in London, with opportunities to influence the team, processes, and culture, as the studio expands and takes on ambitious projects for UK and international clients.

Qualifications

• Seven years of professional design experience.
• Strong portfolio spanning brand identity and digital design.
• Strong UX and UI experience, including user journeys and responsive design.
• Excellent typography, layout, art direction and visual-system skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Experience creating scalable digital design systems and leading projects from concept to completion.

Responsibilities

• Lead brand and digital projects from initial thinking to final delivery.
• Turn strategy into distinctive identities and flexible brand systems.
• Design digital experiences grounded in strong UX and UI.
• Create user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, responsive layouts and design systems.
• Maintain a clear creative vision across physical and digital touchpoints.
• Present ideas confidently to clients and colleagues.
• Collaborate with strategists, writers, developers, motion designers and other specialists.
• Review development work and protect the design intent.
• Guide other designers, improve our processes and help shape the future team.
• Balance creative ambition with deadlines, budgets and practical delivery.

Skills

Brand identity

Digital design

UX/UI

Figma

Adobe Creative Cloud

Leadership

Collaboration

Presentation

Design systems

Tools

Figma

Adobe Creative Cloud

Job description

Were looking for an accomplished Senior Brand & Digital Designer to join Ascend Studio.

This is a hands-on role for an ideas-led designer who is equally confident creating distinctive brand identities and turning them into intuitive, beautifully crafted digital experiences.

Youll lead ambitious projects, influence our creative approach and help shape the team we build next.

About Ascend Studio

Ascend is an independent branding, design and digital agency based in Farringdon, London.

For 20 years, weve helped leading organisations uncover what makes them special and turn it into enduring brands. We combine rigorous strategic thinking with brave ideas and exceptional craft.

Our work spans strategy, identity, campaigns, motion and digital experiences for clients in the UK and internationally.

Were a small, close-knit team of strategists, designers, digital specialists and project leads. Were candid, collaborative and ambitious. Our values are simple: do it with guts, tell it like it is and make it count.

The opportunity

This is a pivotal appointment for Ascend.

Working closely with our Creative Director and design team, youll lead brand and digital projects, guide other designers and connect strategic thinking with exceptional execution.

We plan to expand the team further. Youll help shape that growth by supporting new designers and influencing our culture, standards and processes.

The role will suit someone who wants greater influence while remaining closely involved in the work.

What youll do

• Lead brand and digital projects from initial thinking to final delivery.
• Turn strategy into distinctive identities and flexible brand systems.
• Design digital experiences grounded in strong UX and UI.
• Create user journeys, wireframes, prototypes, responsive layouts and design systems.
• Maintain a clear creative vision across physical and digital touchpoints.
• Present ideas confidently to clients and colleagues.
• Collaborate with strategists, writers, developers, motion designers and other specialists.
• Review development work and protect the design intent.
• Guide other designers, improve our processes and help shape the future team.
• Balance creative ambition with deadlines, budgets and practical delivery.

About you

Youre a strong conceptual thinker with excellent visual judgement and an exceptional eye for detail. You care about the idea as much as its execution and understand that a successful brand must work just as effectively on screen as it does everywhere else.

Youll bring:

• At least seven years2 professional design experience.
• An outstanding portfolio spanning brand identity and digital design.
• Strong UX and UI experience, including user journeys, information architecture, responsive design and interaction.
• Excellent typography, layout, art direction and visual-system skills.
• Advanced proficiency in Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Experience creating scalable digital design systems and leading projects from concept to completion.
• Confidence presenting work and communicating directly with clients.
• The ability to give thoughtful feedback and help other designers develop.
• A collaborative, low-ego approach to leadership.
• A practical understanding of how designers and developers work together.

Previous line-management experience isnt essential. What matters is that you can take creative responsibility, bring people with you and grow into a broader leadership role.

Motion design or animation experience would be a welcome bonus, whether hands-on or through creative direction.

What we offer

• 0£50,000–£65,000, depending on experience.
• Full-time, hybrid working.
• 25+ days A0of annual leave, plus public holidays.
• Pension.
• Training and professional-development budget.
• Annual Christmas trip.