Design Lead

Job description:

Design Leads at Stereo combine insightful thinking, visual obsessiveness and effective leadership at all stages of our creative process, ensuring we deliver culturally charged work for every brief.

You play a crucial role in balancing the ownership and delegation of projects from concept stage to production. You inspire teams with your creative vision and can nurture talent in others. You think holistically about creative solutions, not just visual outcomes, and have a reputation for going beyond briefs and challenging expectations.

Our portfolio spans identities, campaigns, motion narratives and digital innovation, so you’ll have a broad creative curiosity and the flexibility to treat each project as an opportunity.

You are a natural collaborator, comfortable working alongside any team and able to develop the wider creative culture at Stereo. You’re confident, decisive and always on the lookout for ways to improve your work and those around you.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate closely with our Creative Directors, Designers, Strategy and Copy teams to bring campaigns, identities and motion narratives to life.
• Deliver progressive and innovative designs, executed at the highest level.
• Lead our design output at each stage, from concept through to production — understanding the requirements of each project phase.
• Contribute to our conceptual and strategic thinking, ensuring the art direction and design foundations of a project remain strong across each touchpoint.
• Work across a wide range of clients and sectors: from campaigns to identities, films and digital innovation.
• Be part of pitch teams, crafting inspiring and visionary work at pace.
• Set the standard in the department for levels of design craft, attention-to-detail and ingenuity.
• Make compelling and persuasive presentations, convincing stakeholders of your vision.
• Mentor, inspire and guide more junior members of the team, knowing when to delegate and how to nurture talent in others.
• Communicate effectively and concisely, knowing how to challenge a brief correctly.

Key skills & requirements:

• At least 5+ years hands-on experience at a leading agency.
• Strong conceptual thinking for campaigns or brand identities.
• A portfolio demonstrating inspiring and progressive design with a broad, flexible approach.
• An ability to work independently under tight deadlines, as well as the stamina and determination to deliver longer term projects.
• Think big and small: show bold creative ambition but also obsess over the crucial details.
• Strong collaborative tendencies: remain open to feedback, welcome other perspectives and also share constructive criticism of your own.
• Build effective relationships with those above and below you.
• Be an articulate and confident presenter, able to create compelling decks from scratch.
• Be proactive, energetic and self-motivated with a reputation for going beyond the brief.
• Be connected to creative culture and emerging industry trends, but also have a point of view that considers the world outside of design.
• Be able to use a variety of typical design programs (Adobe CC suite, Figma) etc.

Beneficial Skills:

• Art direction experience, photo/film shoot experience, an ability to draft storyboards and narratives.

Stereo benefits:

Holidays:

• 23 days holiday (basic).
• Extra day off on your birthday.
• Extra day off per year of service (up to 5 years).
• Summer hours (half days) on Fridays through July & August.
• Studio closed over entire Christmas period.

Learning & Culture:

• Flexible hybrid working model (3 x mandatory days in the studio: Tues, Weds & Thurs).
• Monthly Stereo Sessions (learning opportunities with guest speakers).
• Annual training budget: spend how you like.
• Annual summer & Christmas parties.
• Twice a month team lunch.
• Travel offsite for briefs and research when needed.

Wellbeing & Health:

• 1 x paid volunteer day per year.

Additional Benefits:

• New business bonus based on a % of the profit of a project (up to 1 year).
• £1,000 recruitment bonus for bringing friends into the business full-time.