At Design Bridge and Partners, part of WPP, we design brands with the power to move. Pulling people towards them with an irresistible force that compels and connects. With 900 creative minds across 17 studios worldwide, diverse in expertise, experience, backgrounds and beliefs, we are united in our ambition to achieve real impact for our clients’ brands benefiting their business, people and the planet.
With expertise across brand strategy, brand design, brand engagement and brand effectiveness our clients across the world include NASA Artemis, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Mastercard, Intel, HSBC, Tencent, Twitch, Heineken, Reckitt and the BBC.
About WPPWPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.
About the roleAs a Design Director, you will be the champion of your projects, bringing strategic creative leadership to bear across high-profile re-brands, exciting concept generation, and iconic design solutions. Working in close partnership with our Creative Directors and Client Leads, you will lead multidisciplinary design teams to deliver work that is insightful, confident, inspirational, and craft-driven.
You’ll act as a true agency partner rather than a reactive supplier, challenging briefs, driving concept generation, and presenting with gravitas and conviction. Beyond the work, you will play a vital role in the health and energy of the studio, inspiring, motivating, and guiding designers through the highs and lows of the creative process, while ensuring our high standards of craft, financial efficiency, and production feasibility are met every step of the way.
About youYou are an experienced and inspirational Design Director with solid CPG experience and a portfolio that demonstrates deep, varied brand exposure. You combine big conceptual thinking with a critical eye for crafting detail, alongside the tenacity and "can-do" attitude it takes to turn great ideas into award-winning reality.
Key qualities and experience we are looking for include:
- CPG & Varied Brand Expertise: Solid experience leading projects within the consumer packaged goods space, alongside a broad range of brand identity experience across various industries.
- Creative Leadership & Gravitas: Confident in leading high-profile re-brands and concept generation, presenting to senior client stakeholders with a clear rationale, and standing up for exceptional work.
- Quality & Craft Driven: A critical eye for execution and detail, ensuring that every design solution is not only visually stunning but also technically implementable in production.
- People & Team Champion: A natural motivator who can guide and inspire designers across the studio, maintaining momentum and a positive atmosphere through all stages of a project.
- Strategic & Commercial Mindset: Ability to challenge briefs constructively, understand client business needs, and manage design budgets and resourcing efficiently in partnership with Client Service teams.
- Collaborative Partner: Excellent interpersonal skills with a desire to work in genuine partnership with Creative Directors, Client Leads, Print Consultants, and client teams.
We’re passionate about our people and their careers. We’ll help you develop your skills and provide you with outstanding benefits. So you’ll have a chance to make your mark on our future, as we make a mark on yours. We’re proud to be the world’s most awarded brand design agency, with 28 Cannes Lions to our name and Creative Review Annual’s Most Creative Design Agency of the Year 2024. You’ll get to take new projects to award-winning potential, as part of a connected team of brilliant, tenacious people right by your side and across the world.
We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
Design Bridge and Partners, a WPP company, is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
Due to the volume of applications, we unfortunately can only respond to successful candidates.
We will not accept unsolicited CVs or approaches via recruitment agencies.
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Skills Required
- Proven experience as a Design Director with a strong portfolio demonstrating varied brand exposure and CPG work.
- Ability to lead and present high-profile rebrands and concept work to senior client stakeholders with conviction.
- High standards of craft with attention to execution detail and production feasibility.
- People leadership: motivate, guide, and manage designers through project lifecycles.
- Strategic and commercial mindset: challenge briefs, manage design budgets and resourcing efficiently.
- Collaborative interpersonal skills to work closely with Creative Directors, Client Leads, and production teams.
What We Do
Design Bridge and Partners is a revolutionary design partnership, redefining what design is and what design can do for brands, businesses, people and the planet. With 850 people in 12 countries, our expertise includes strategy, identity, brand experience and brand guardianship. Globally, clients include NASA Artemis, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Diageo, Mastercard, Intel, Mondelez, Tencent, HSBC, Colgate, Reckitt, Fortnum & Mason, and the BBC.
