Design Director

Design Directors lead the creative heart of a project, from early ideas to final delivery. You'll set the vision, guide designers and writers through execution, and bring clarity and point of view to every stage of the work.

You're someone who can turn strategy into concepts, concepts into systems, and systems into beautiful, functional design, while helping the team and our clients see where an idea can go.

At Rudy, everyone designs, directors included. Staying hands-on is how we stay sharp, stay current and keep the work honest. You'll lead brands built from scratch, refreshes of established ones, and work that brings clarity to complex challenges across digital, physical and experiential touchpoints.

We're looking for people who take creative risks, have a real appetite for experimentation, and are excited to push what's possible, with past work that shows it.

This role will have you:

• Lead creative direction across brand identity, typography, colour, illustration, motion and design systems
• Design hands-on alongside the team, from early explorations to final craft
• Guide designers, writers and interns from exploration through execution, with clear direction and feedback
• Shape strategy into creative: turn research and messy inputs into compelling concepts and clear directions
• Partner with studio leadership, strategists, technologists and collaborators to bring ideas to life
• Shape and share the work with clients, building trust and bringing them along on the thinking
• Champion experimentation, AI-enhanced workflows and non-linear exploration
• Hold a high bar for detail, quality and conceptual integrity across every project
• Mentor the team and help foster a studio culture of critique, generosity and play

You might be a great fit if:

• You have 8+ years of experience in branding, digital design or adjacent creative fields, including leading teams and projects
• You still love to make things, and you'd never want to stop designing
• You have mastery of the fundamentals – layout, typography, hierarchy and visual storytelling – and can teach them
• You take smart risks and are energised by ideas that haven't been tried yet
• You have range: you can lead identity, digital and campaign work without losing clarity
• You give feedback that makes work and people better, and welcome it in return
• You value craft, but you're not precious – you iterate, explore and evolve until the work sings

Bonus points for:

• Experience directing motion, 3D or illustration
• Fluency in Figma, AI workflows, prototyping tools and modern digital design practices
• Experience in fractional or embedded creative direction with in-house teams
• Interest in culture, ideas, technology and the future of what creative studios can be

Working arrangements

This is a hybrid role based in Rudy's Chinatown, NYC studio. They strongly prefer candidates based in New York, but would consider remote for the right person working East Coast hours. Pay starts at $120,000 depending on experience, plus quarterly profit sharing and performance bonuses.

To apply, email your portfolio and a note on why you'd like to join.