Design Director

Crispin; New York (NY); On-site; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid parental leave

Generous holiday calendar

Flexible vacation policy

Job summary

Crispin is seeking a Design Director to lead design across disciplines, guiding teams toward culturally relevant, beautifully executed work. You will shape creative direction, develop systems, and mentor designers while presenting compelling narratives to clients.

You will work in a fast-paced agency environment, partnering with strategists, copywriters, and producers to deliver outstanding brand identities, campaigns, digital products, and experiences.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in design or creative leadership in a fast-paced agency or brand setting.
• A portfolio demonstrating craft, conceptual thinking, and translating ideas into distinctive visuals.
• Strong point of view on contemporary design and culture.
• Experience leading design across brand identity, campaigns, social, digital, commerce, and product experiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead design at the project level with a clear creative vision and drive ambitious, distinctive work.
• Partner with Creative Directors, Art Directors, Copywriters, Strategists, and Producers from brief to final execution.
• Concept, develop visual systems and design solutions across campaigns, branding, social, digital, and experiences.
• Translate big ideas into compelling visual expressions and explore multiple life paths for ideas.
• Provide hands-on direction and maintain high craft from sketch to production.
• Develop and evolve flexible design systems with a distinct point of view.
• Push for culturally relevant, surprising, and impactful work.
• Lead critiques and provide clear, constructive feedback to elevate work.
• Manage and develop designers, strengthening craft and point of view.
• Present work with passion and a narrative that ties design decisions to business goals.
• Build trust with clients and partners while advocating for strong creative solutions.
• Collaborate across the agency to foster a culture where great ideas come from anywhere.
• Manage multiple projects and priorities without compromising quality.
• Understand when to bring in the right talent to strengthen the work.

Skills

Design leadership

Team mentoring

Brand systems

Creative direction

Presentation skills

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Typography and layout

Design across mediums

Education

Bachelor's degree in design

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Job description

You are a Design Director at Crispin, a creative leader who believes great design can turn a good idea into something people actually want to engage with. Our Design Department works across clients and disciplines, moving fluidly from brand identity and campaigns to social, digital products, experiences, commerce, and everything in between.

You’re a designer at heart and a leader by nature. You inspire teams, challenge thinking, champion craft, and help turn ambitious ideas into work that is culturally relevant, beautifully executed, and impossible to ignore.

Responsibilities

• Lead design at the project level, establishing a clear creative vision and pushing teams toward ambitious, distinctive work.
• Partner closely with Creative Directors, Art Directors, Copywriters, Strategists, Producers, and other disciplines from brief through final execution.
• Concept, ideate, and develop visual systems and design solutions across campaigns, brand identities, social, digital, commerce, experiential, and emerging formats.
• Translate big creative ideas into compelling visual expressions—and help teams see multiple ways an idea can come to life.
• Provide hands-on creative direction and design when the work calls for it, maintaining a high level of craft from the first sketch through final production.
• Develop and evolve design systems that are flexible enough to work across channels while maintaining a distinct point of view.
• Push beyond the expected and identify opportunities to make work more culturally relevant, surprising, and impactful.
• Know when to use the grid, when to break it, and when the best design decision is the one that creates a feeling rather than simply follows a rule.
• Lead critiques and provide clear, constructive feedback that helps designers and multidisciplinary teams elevate their work.
• Manage and develop designers, helping them strengthen both their craft and their creative point of view.
• Present work internally and to clients with passion, clarity, and a compelling narrative that connects design decisions back to the brief and business challenge.
• Build trust with clients and partners while confidently advocating for the strongest creative solution.
• Collaborate across the agency and contribute to a culture where great ideas can come from anywhere.
• Manage multiple projects and priorities without sacrificing the quality of the work.
• Work from start to finish while knowing when to bring in the right talent, discipline, or expertise to make the work stronger.

Qualifications

• Ability to work out of our OWTC office on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• 7+ years of experience in a design or creative agency, brand, or similarly fast-paced creative environment.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional design craft, conceptual thinking, and the ability to translate ideas into distinctive visual experiences.
• A clear and confident point of view on contemporary design, culture, and creativity.
• Experience leading design across multiple mediums, including brand identity, campaigns, social, digital, commerce, experiential, and/or product experiences.
• Deep understanding of typography, layout, composition, visual systems, art direction, and design principles.
• Experience leading and mentoring designers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to clearly articulate the thinking behind creative decisions.
• A collaborative mindset and the ability to build strong relationships with creatives, strategists, account teams, production, and clients.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to give thoughtful feedback and confidently defend a point of view.
• Strong understanding of digital design, UI/UX, and how design systems translate across web, mobile, social, and emerging platforms.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Figma; motion, 3D, animation, or other emerging creative capabilities are a bonus.
• Curiosity, adaptability, and a genuine desire to keep learning.

Compensation Range

$135,000 - $150,000 annually, depending on experience. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on relevant experience, job-related qualifications/skills, and geographic location. The Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time.

Benefits

• health/dental/vision insurance
• matching 401(k)
• FSA and HSA accounts
• flexible vacation policy
• sick time
• paid parental leave
• paid medical leave
• STD/LTD insurance benefits
• generous holiday calendar