Freelance Design Director

About the Role

We’re hiring a freelance Design Director to elevate the creative output of the Complex Brand Partnerships team. You’ll collaborate with branded content (editorial and video), account management, product, and experiential teams to ideate and execute deliverables across digital content, live events, and more. This role demands a multidisciplinary creative with expertise in graphic design, social design, display media, printed collateral, merchandise, and experiential concepting. You’ll transform cultural insights and brand guidelines into iconic visual expressions across digital and physical mediums.

Responsibilities

• Work cross-functionally with Branded Production, Publishing, Experiential Producers, Product, Web Development, and Account Managers to craft executions for video, photo, social campaigns, and immersive events.
• Report to design and branded content leadership, elevating content across platforms while acting as a player-coach—both executing work and guiding partnering designers.
• Receive and incorporate internal and external creative feedback with urgency, professionalism, and attention to detail.
• Create engaging designs with a strong focus on art direction, including 2D compositing (3D rendering is a plus).
• Mentor and lead designers to bring concepts and campaign objectives to life.
• Collaborate with design leaders, account managers, experiential, and product teams to create visual roadmaps for deliverables.
• Execute projects from concept to launch, aligning brand guidelines with the Complex visual identity.
• Pitch and present work to senior leadership and brand clients as needed.
• Translate campaign initiatives into display and social deliverables.
• Conceptualize and execute physical brand experiences, from pop-ups to large-scale events like ComplexCon.
• Design limited-edition merch drops and collaborations, applying fashion sensibility to product storytelling.
• Conduct research to identify problems and validate designs.

Requirements

• Minimum 6-8 years of graphic design experience, with 3-4 years in art direction at an agency, culturally-adjacent media publisher, or in-house brand.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects), Google Slides, Figma, ReadyMag, and SketchUp or other 3D rendering software.
• Working knowledge of current AI render platforms.
• Impressive, wide-ranging portfolio showcasing brand, print, event, editorial, and product work.

Qualifications

• Passion for forward-thinking design across digital, print, experiential, and product.
• Voracious consumer of pop culture with a working knowledge of trends in music, events, streetwear, and fashion.
• Well-organized with strict attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Able to support design decisions using industry insight and best practices.
• Obsessive about details and committed to pushing creative to its best execution.
• Highly responsible, self-motivated, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth, entrepreneurial environment.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to pivot between multiple projects.
• Passion for materials in tangible design, including apparel, packaging, print, and experiential builds.

Pay

$125,000 - $138,000 a year (salary and commission). Actual pay varies based on location, experience, and performance.