Design Director

Design Director

Location: Pune (Full-Time)

Exp: 7-8+ yrs

Compensation: ₹12-15 LPA

Reports To: Head of Marketing & Brand

Team: Designers, Jr. Designers, Motion Graphic Artists, Stop-Motion Artists; collaborates w/ Copywriters & Freelancers

About Together Hospitality

Together Hospitality is home to five distinct brands, each w/ its own personality, audience & creative world. We believe design is a strategic tool that builds desire, creates memory, drives awareness & shapes how people experience our brands. We're looking for a Design Director to own & elevate the visual identity of all five brands while leading a multidisciplinary design team to produce exceptional creative work.

About the Role

The Design Director is the design conscience of Together Hospitality, owning the visual language across all five brands & ensuring every creative output meets a consistently high standard. This senior, hands-on leadership role brings creative decision-making on visual hierarchy, illustration, direction & execution directly into the design function, reducing reliance on external creative intervention.

You'll lead designers, Jr. designers, motion & stop-motion artists, while collaborating closely w/ copywriters, strategists & the Creative Director. You think first about what an audience needs to understand, feel or do, then determine the most effective way to communicate it visually. We're looking for someone w/ exceptional creative range, strong design fundamentals & a constant appetite for experimentation across graphic design, motion, illustration, photography, retouching, stop-motion & emerging creative tech.

What You'll Do

Own the Design Language Across Five Brands

● Define & maintain each brand's visual identity

● Establish & evolve typography, colour, image treatment, motion & illustration styles, & layout systems

● Keep each brand distinct, recognizable & true to its identity

● Make key creative decisions on hierarchy, emphasis & storytelling

● Evolve brand aesthetics while preserving brand equity

Set & Maintain the Creative Standard

● Serve as the final quality filter before work is published

● Translate communication objectives into clear visual direction

● Define what audiences should notice first & how creative should make them feel

● Give actionable, developmental feedback to designers

● Reduce dependency on founder/leadership-level creative reviews

Lead & Grow the Design Team

● Manage designers, Jr. designers, motion & stop-motion artists

● Allocate projects, review work, unblock challenges & mentor

● Brief & direct copywriters so words & visuals work together

● Build stronger creative judgment & execution across the team

Direct Craft Across Mediums

● Design-direct graphic design, motion, illustration & stop-motion work

● Oversee photography editing & retouching standards

● Develop inventive, on-brand motion/stop-motion executions

● Introduce new formats, techniques & references so design stays ahead of trends

Build Systems & Scale Consistency

● Create design systems, templates & brand guidelines

● Establish workflows for consistency across teams & freelancers

● Onboard new designers/creative partners efficiently

● Integrate AI tools where they improve quality, creativity or execution

Working w/ the Creative Director

This role partners closely w/ the Creative Director, who owns storytelling, narrative, content concepts, brand films, shoots, reels & video production. The Design Director owns brand identity, visual systems, design craft & creative consistency. Where storytelling & design intersect, both collaborate as equals.

What This Role Does Not Own

● Storytelling, video production, shoots & editing

● Content strategy & content calendar management

● Campaign strategy & brand narrative development

● Photography/videography execution on shoots

Key Result Areas (KRAs)

● Creative Quality & Standards (25%): Better creative quality across brands; less need for leadership intervention; strong visual POV in major deliverables

● Brand Integrity Across Five Brands (20%): Distinct, consistent identities; no visual overlap or dilution

● Team Capability & Leadership (20%): Stronger team output; better briefing; greater autonomy

● Creative Range & Experimentation (20%): New formats/techniques adopted; elevated motion, illustration & editing; contemporary, differentiated work

● Reliability & Delegation (15%): Consistent delivery; scalable systems; full ownership w/ minimal oversight

What We're Looking For

Education & Foundation

● Degree from a leading design institution (NID, MIT-ID, Srishti, NIFT, Symbiosis or equivalent)

● Strong grounding in typography, composition, colour theory, hierarchy & visual communication

● Ability to teach & develop these fundamentals in others

Experience

● 7-8+ yrs in design & creative leadership

● Exp owning the visual identity of one or more brands

● Proven success leading designers/multidisciplinary teams

● Exp in hospitality, F&B, lifestyle, culture or consumer brands preferred

Craft & Creative Range

● Strong graphic design foundation w/ fluency in motion, illustration & image editing

● Exp directing retouching & photography post-production

● Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite; familiar w/ motion workflows & After Effects

● Portfolio showing breadth, experimentation & adaptability

Leadership & Brand Thinking

● Strong briefing & communication skills

● Deep understanding of brand-building through design

● Ability to coach, mentor & elevate creative talent

● Clear, actionable & constructive feedback style

What Sets Great Candidates Apart

● Portfolio showing range across multiple brands & mediums

● Evidence of elevating both teams & brands over time

● Ability to articulate design decisions through communication objectives

● Proven examples of evolving a brand's visual identity over time

Who You Are

● Sets the standard: creative quality improves simply because you're in the room

● Has range: adapts approach to brand needs rather than imposing a signature style

● Experiments constantly: curious about new formats, tools, AI workflows & creative possibilities

● Leads through others: enjoys building great teams as much as great work

● Teaches the thinking: develops people, not just projects

● Brand obsessed: instinctively protects & strengthens brand identity

● Has exceptional taste: notices every detail & won't let mediocre work ship

● Thrives in complexity: managing multiple brands & priorities energizes you

Compensation & Benefits

● ₹12-15 LPA (based on exp & fit)

● Full-time role based in Pune

● Opportunity to shape the visual identity of five growing brands

● Lead a multidisciplinary creative team

● Significant ownership, creative freedom & impact

If you're passionate about building brands through design, leading creative talent & pushing visual craft forward, we'd love to hear from you.