Design Director

• Be equal parts designer and leader, balancing creativity and practicality. • Identify, curate, and refine great ideas in collaboration with the Creative Director. • Spend time leading and designing in equal parts. • Champion exceptional brand identities and bring them to reality. • Direct photographers, animators, and illustrators to produce outstanding work. • Build strong narratives, construct presentations, and lead client workshops.

• Exceptional understanding of branding and the creative practitioners within it. • Ability to manage both up and down, acting as conduit between Creative Director and Designers. • Strong awareness of time and team required to produce excellent work. • Ability to successfully manage your own time, team's time, calendars, and meetings. • Great understanding of Figma, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Pitch. • Willingness to work in person in the London studio. • Openness to travel globally, from Stuttgart to San Francisco.

• Experience directing photographers, animators, and illustrators. • Background in leading workshops and client presentations. • Experience mentoring and developing junior designers. • Track record delivering work for impactful companies and founders.

• Encourage and nurture great ideas in your team, teaching them to do the same. • Collaborate intimately with the team around you, mentoring wherever possible. • Continue the dialogue around work with clients beyond presentations. • Collaborate with the Strategy Team to produce immersion and strategic phases of work. • Consistently deliver work for the most impactful companies of today and founders defining tomorrow. • Demonstrate ownership of your role and take and action feedback from your manager. • Deliver actionable feedback and valuable support for any member of your team.

• Meaningful and regular access to your manager for personal development. • Promotions, pay increases, and discretionary annual bonus of up to 10% of salary. • Significant paid maternity and paternity leave. • 25 days holiday plus UK bank holidays, one additional day per year (capped at 5), and studio closure between Christmas and New Year. • 3% pension contribution to the People's Pension Scheme. • Monthly employee wellness package of £75 via Juno. • Access to YCN and funded relevant training opportunities. • £5,000 and 5 days holiday for 5 years service; £10,000 and 4 weeks holiday for 10 years. • Opportunity to work from any of the four Koto studios globally.

Koto is a branding studio that encourages their team to be 'rationally optimistic' about the potential of their work, clients, their businesses, and the power of brand. They pursue the best briefs, want to inspire meaningful work, and provide an opportunity for those interested to make the work of their lives. They are actively cultivating leadership, culture, and spaces to encourage this.