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; solid 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.

📌 Design Director (Pune)
🏢 Together Hospitality
📍 Pune