Design Director — Creative Studio Leader (Hybrid)

StudioXAG; London; Hybrid; NOK 1,142,000 - 1,649,000; Full time

Job summary

StudioXAG is seeking a Freelance Design Director in London to shape the future of our Creative Studio. You will define, direct, and elevate design across projects, mentoring Lead Designers and raising the studio's creative standards.

You will lead ambitious work while balancing commercial realities and maintaining strong client relationships. Reporting into the Associate Creative Director, you will own a key area of creative innovation and help evolve our studio’s capabilities, ensuring

Qualifications

• Senior design leader with exceptional creative judgement and ability to define strong ideas across multiple projects and teams.
• Experience within luxury brand, retail, experiential or agency environments, with mentoring track record.
• Confident communicator, presenter and storyteller who can sell ideas to senior stakeholders.
• Balances bold ideas with commercial awareness and understands delivering impactful work at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead concept-led design across multiple projects, turning briefs into clear, compelling creative direction.
• Own and direct high-profile, creatively ambitious work, setting the benchmark for quality and craft.
• Raise creative standards across the studio, guiding teams toward stronger ideas.
• Lead reviews with clarity and decisiveness, balancing creative ambition with commercial reality.
• Mentor and develop Lead Designers, supporting growth through feedback and development.
• Collaborate with Design Project Management to balance ambition with delivery.
• Build trusted relationships with clients and internal stakeholders from briefing to production.

Skills

Design leadership

Creative direction

Mentoring

Stakeholder communication

Brand experience

Tools

SketchUp

Adobe Creative Suite

Rendering software

Job description

StudioXAG is seeking a Freelance Design Director in London to shape the future of our Creative Studio. You will define, direct, and elevate design across projects, mentoring Lead Designers and raising the studio's creative standards.

You will lead ambitious work while balancing commercial realities and maintaining strong client relationships. Reporting into the Associate Creative Director, you will own a key area of creative innovation and help evolve our studio’s capabilities, ensuring