Creative Director, Design

Microsoft’s Creative, Advertising & Integrated Marketing team is seeking a Creative Director, Design to shape brand expression into scalable design systems and customer-facing experiences for Windows, Surface, and Services.

Responsibilities

• Translate brand strategy, consumer insights, cultural observations, and product truths into distinctive, relevant, memorable design concepts
• Lead design expression for major campaigns, launches, and brand initiatives across digital, web, social, OOH, retail, experiential, photography, product storytelling, and other customer touchpoints
• Create visual concepts and design systems that reinforce the central creative idea while building brand recognition and equity
• Partner closely with the Head of Design to evolve and apply the visual identity systems for Windows, Surface, and Services
• Develop scalable visual expressions of foundational brand principles, including typography, color, composition, layout, imagery, iconography, graphic language, and other design elements
• Lead internal design teams and agency partners from brief through visual exploration, system development, production, and final delivery
• Set creative direction by providing clear guidance, critique, and actionable feedback to designers, art directors, and external partners
• Art direct photography, key art, illustration, typography, and other visual assets needed to support brand and campaign design systems
• Coordinate with the Creative Director, Art & Film to align the design system and film expression as a coherent visual world, while respecting ownership within the Art & Film function
• Partner with Creative Directors in Copy to align language, hierarchy, typography, and visual expression into a unified experience
• Collaborate with Integrated Marketing, Product Marketing, Retail, Digital, Product Design, and other internal partners to deliver cohesive design experiences across customer touchpoints
• Present and represent design thinking to creative leadership, marketing partners, and senior stakeholders, including articulating rationale and advocating for strong design outcomes
• Creatively direct brand design agencies and specialists including photographers, illustrators, typographers, image-makers, and other partners
• Ensure final work adheres to the core design idea and established brand principles while enabling experimentation, evolution, and creative innovation
• Find opportunities to improve existing design systems, tools, and frameworks to increase clarity, consistency, and quality
• Maintain a strong point of view on contemporary brand design, typography, image-making, technology, fashion, culture, and visual communication
• Run multiple design initiatives simultaneously while maintaining creative clarity, systems coherence, high standards, and attention to detail
• Mentor designers and art directors to strengthen conceptual thinking, systems thinking, visual judgment, and executional craft
• Contribute to a design culture focused on ambition, rigor, curiosity, collaboration, and world-class craft

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications, or a related field, AND 8+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment, OR equivalent experience
• Experience as Creative Director, Design Director, Associate Creative Director, or equivalent in a leading brand design studio, advertising agency, or in-house creative team at a consumer organization
• An outstanding portfolio showing excellence in brand identity, visual systems, campaign design, typography, image-making, and visual storytelling
• Significant experience developing design systems and visual expressions for major consumer brands, campaigns, launches, or culturally relevant products
• Deep hands-on expertise in typography, composition, color, layout, photography, image-making, identity design, and visual systems
• Proven ability to translate foundational brand identity into flexible campaign and launch systems across multiple channels, formats, and customer touchpoints
• Experience building scalable design systems that maintain clarity and distinctiveness across global markets, audiences, and execution partners
• Experience leading initiatives from early creative exploration through system development, production, implementation, and final delivery
• Experience directing multidisciplinary teams and specialist partners including agencies, studios, photographers, illustrators, and typographers
• Strong conceptual thinking connecting brand strategy, customer insight, and product truth to a clear visual idea
• Experience partnering with copywriters, advertising creatives, filmmakers, marketers, and other disciplines while maintaining a clear design point of view
• Ability to present, defend, and evolve design ideas with creative leadership, cross-functional partners, and senior business stakeholders
• Exceptional visual taste, attention to detail, and a strong point of view on contemporary design, technology, and culture
• Experience developing or evolving identity and design systems for nationally or globally recognized consumer brands
• Experience leading the design expression of high-profile integrated campaigns, product launches, and brand initiatives
• Experience developing large-scale campaign systems spanning digital, web, social, OOH, retail, experiential, and other customer-facing channels
• Experience applying foundational visual identity systems to campaign and launch work without compromising brand consistency or creative ambition
• Experience developing photography frameworks, key art systems, typographic systems, and distinctive approaches to product storytelling
• Experience balancing long-term brand stewardship with the creative needs of individual campaigns, launches, and business priorities
• Experience mentoring designers and art directors to raise standards in conceptual thinking, systems thinking, and visual craft
• Experience building productive relationships with design studios, agencies, photographers, illustrators, typographers, and creative talent

Benefits

• Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation
• Find additional benefits and pay information: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Overview

• Microsoft’s Creative, Advertising & Integrated Marketing team is hiring a Creative Director, Design to support Windows, Surface, and Services
• Reporting to the Head of Design, you will translate brand vision and visual identity into distinctive, scalable design systems and customer-facing experiences
• Lead design expression across digital, web, social, OOH, retail, experiential, photography, product storytelling, and other visual touchpoints
• Hands-on creative leadership with conceptual thinking, systems building, and deep expertise in brand identity, typography, composition, imagery, and art direction
• Collaborate with Creative Directors in Copy and the Creative Director, Art & Film to strengthen systems and campaign ideas while maintaining integrity of each function
• Raise quality and consistency of design while helping evolve the broader visual expression for Windows, Surface, and Services
• Portfolio submission required for consideration

Location and Salary

• Location: Mountain View, CA (onsite)
• Salary: USD 142,800 - 331,200 per year
• Minimum experience: 8 years