Design Director

The Design Director is a conceptual thinker, a craft obsessive, and a generous leader who knows great design starts with thoughtful strategy. They live between insight and execution, happily wading with teammates in the messy early stages while pushing for a high bar for where the work lands. Rigor and process matter. Ideas that feel human, true, and new to the world matter even more.

They turn business opportunity, strategy, and research into moodboards, concepts, and finished work that works. One moment they’re at 30,000ft shaping the big idea. The next, they’re at 3ft fussing over kerning–and both are fun. They sharpen the team’s thinking, direct collaborators across disciplines, and roll up their sleeves when the work calls for it.

In the room, they’re the creative voice clients trust, leading presentations and work sessions that turn nervous nods into bold decisions. They make sure the work is as viable as it is beautiful, and they’ll have an honest conversation when the idea deserves it.

They also make design a great place to grow. With their triad, they keep spirits up when projects get tough, protect SYLVAIN’s creative reputation, and spot the next opportunity before anyone else does.

TYPICAL ACTIVITIES + RESPONSIBILITIES

• Sets a craft standard that is aesthetically compelling and rigorously executed with systems that hold up across every aspect of design: brand, colors, typography, imagery, words — big, small, and everything in between.
• Generates conceptual and visionary ideas, pushes others’ ideas to their sharpest articulation, and builds shared clarity around the concept internally and with clients.
• Thoughtfully and effectively galvanizes team members to align with a bold vision and creative expression and bring everyone to the finish line.
• Understands client creative needs, manages expectations, challenges constructively when it serves the work, and builds relationships that last beyond the project.
• Thrives at the intersection of strategy and design, translating research, insights, and business objectives into a distinct creative POV and visual language that brings the strategy to life.
• Presents the work with clarity and conviction, telling a story that’s tight, evocative, and ready for any room, whether it’s a CMO or the team.
• Draws on a deep understanding of the design and communications landscape, including emerging tools and AI, to direct a diverse set of collaborators and produce the artifacts the work needs.
• Mentors and leads junior creative team members, providing continuous feedback and constructive critiques of their work.
• Manages up, down, and sideways with ease, keeping everyone in the loop and knowing when to ask for support from Creative Directors or discipline leads.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will be a... 

• Obsessive craftsperson
• Empathetic leader
• Strategic multi-tasker
• Relationship builder
• Flexible collaborator
• Optimistic problem solver
• Impeccable organizer
• Ruthless prioritizer
• Clear communicator 
• Cultural contributor

Other requirements:

• 7+ years of brand design experience in a studio, agency, or in-house environment
• 2+ years mentoring design teams within the context of a project
• A portfolio that reflects a diverse array of brand identity projects elevated craft 
• Deep knowledge of typography and design systems
• Mastery of Figma and Adobe Creative Suite
• Comfortable working across multiple projects concurrently
• Experience presenting to and leading senior clients 
• Bonus for familiarity with motion, digital, and AI tools

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

This position is based in New York City and the base salary is $150,000-$170,000 per year. Individual compensation may vary based on business needs, experience, responsibility level, and qualifications. Not all applicants’ experience will match the qualifications of this role, in which case an alternative role or level may be suggested. 

We’re in the office together 3 days a week, and we balance that with ‘Work from Anywhere’ time throughout the year.

DIVERSITY AT SYLVAIN

SYLVAIN is committed to building and sustaining a culture that celebrates our diversity and is rooted in community. We recognize that the collective sum of individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and company’s achievement. 

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, race, ethnicity, disability, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, religion, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. Lending such an array of qualities to our work ensures a human-centered approach to our way of doing things and treatment of each other.