Designing a Design Team, Part 2
Defining Roles, Titles, and Hiring the Right Talent
Building the Right Team for the Right Work
A design team’s success isn’t just about having great talent, it’s about having the right roles filled by the right people. Without a clear structure of who does what, teams risk misaligned expectations, skill gaps, and inefficient workflows.
To avoid these pitfalls, leaders need to focus on:
Identifying the roles needed to achieve business goals
Creating clear job descriptions that align with those needs
Building an effective hiring process to attract the best talent
A well-structured team ensures designers have defined responsibilities, collaboration is smooth, and hiring decisions support long-term growth.
Defining the Right Roles for Your Design Team
Not every company needs every type of designer. The right mix depends on factors like:
The nature of the work (Brand vs. Product vs. Marketing design)
The size and maturity of the team
The company’s growth stage
For instance, a startup with a small design team may need generalists who can wear multiple hats, while a larger company may require specialists with deep expertise in specific areas.
The table below breaks down common design roles, their responsibilities, and when they are needed in a team’s evolution.
| Role | Primary Responsibilities | When You Need This Role | Best for Team Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Designer | Brand visuals, marketing materials, digital and print assets. | When you need brand consistency across campaigns. | Marketing, brand teams, agencies. |
| Product Designer | UI/UX design, user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes. | When building or improving digital products. | Tech companies, SaaS, startups, product teams. |
| UX Designer | Research, usability testing, and experience strategy. | When optimizing user experiences and increasing engagement. | Product teams, in-house UX teams, agencies. |
| UI Designer | Interface design, component libraries, pixel-perfect execution. | When refining or maintaining a digital product’s look and feel. | Tech companies, product design teams. |
| Design System Lead | Building and maintaining design systems, ensuring consistency. | When scaling design across multiple products or platforms. | Tech companies, enterprise teams, product teams. |
| Motion Designer | Animations, video content, interactive experiences. | When adding movement and storytelling elements. | Marketing teams, product teams, entertainment. |
| Creative Director | High-level strategy, design vision, team leadership. | When aligning creative work with business objectives. | Agencies, large in-house teams, enterprise companies. |
| Design Manager | Team leadership, process development, and career growth. | When scaling and mentoring a team effectively. | All team types. |
Writing Effective Job Descriptions
Once you’ve identified which roles to hire for, the next step is crafting job descriptions that attract the right candidates.
Best Practices for Writing Job Descriptions:
✔ Be clear about expectations. Avoid vague phrases like “rockstar designer” and instead outline specific responsibilities and deliverables.
✔ Specify skills and tools—but don’t overdo it. Requiring expertise in every design tool under the sun can alienate qualified candidates.
✔ Highlight career growth. Great designers want to know how they can evolve within the role.
✔ Avoid unrealistic expectations. If you’re asking for a unicorn who can code, animate, research, and brand all at once, rethink the job scope.
A strong job description sets realistic expectations and helps attract candidates who align with the role and the team’s needs.
Building an Effective Hiring Process
Hiring the right designer isn’t just about finding the most talented candidate—it’s about ensuring they’re the right fit for the team and the organization’s needs.
Key Steps for a Strong Hiring Process:
Define the role clearly.
Ensure alignment on the skill set, experience level, and responsibilities before opening the role.
Build a thoughtful interview process.
Portfolio review: Focus on how they think, not just the final visuals.
Design exercise (if necessary): Ensure it’s reasonable—no unpaid labor.
Team interviews: Gauge culture fit, collaboration skills, and adaptability.
Prioritize diversity and inclusion.
Expanding where you source candidates and removing biases from hiring criteria creates a stronger, more innovative team.
Make onboarding count.
A great hiring process doesn’t end when someone accepts the offer. Have clear onboarding plans so new hires feel set up for success from day one.
Final Thoughts
Building a design team isn’t just about filling open roles—it’s about hiring the right people for the right work and creating an environment where they can thrive by:
Identifying key design roles,
Writing strong job descriptions, and
Developing an effective hiring process
Remember…you’re not just staffing a team, you’re building a culture of design excellence that will scale with the company.