Creative Director - Brand & Marketing

Carl Friedrik is a luxury travel and leather goods brand on a mission to become the travel lifestyle brand of choice for discerning globetrotters. London-born and founded in 2013, we empower modern travellers with timeless luggage, bags and accessories that perform year in, year out. We’re hiring a Creative Director to lead our brand direction and creative output across every channel our customers touch.

The Creative Director leads Carl Friedrik’s brand direction and is responsible for everything that shapes how our audience perceives us; art direction, design, voice and positioning. You will lead and grow our creative team, manage product and campaign launches end-to-end, and ensure every asset we ship reflects the craft and considered design that defines the brand. This role sits at the intersection of brand, marketing and growth. You’ll report jointly to our co-founder and Head of Marketing, and work closely with teams across the business: marketing, retail, wholesale, product and partnerships.

Who you are

You are a senior creative leader with a strong aesthetic sensibility and sharp commercial thinking. You understand that great creative is purposeful: every campaign and asset is made to drive brand perception and business growth. You hold a high bar for craft, in imagery, copy and design, and know how to instil it across a team. You’ve built your career in-house at brands you believe in, producing beautiful work with both small and large teams. You are an excellent operator. You prioritise ruthlessly, delegate effectively, and deliver on deadlines. You’re cost-conscious by default, thinking about budgets and trade-offs from the start. You thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Your responsibilities

• Lead brand direction: Own Carl Friedrik’s art direction, voice and creative positioning across every touchpoint; Oversee and instil the brand message consistently across the company.
• Lead creative output: Direct the production of digital assets: imagery, ads, emails, socials, landing pages, product pages and web design; Manage creative for product launches and campaigns end-to-end, from ideation through to delivery; Develop creative for Carl Friedrik’s retail stores (London and New York City), wholesale presentations and corporate partnerships.
• Lead the team: Manage 3 direct reports initially (Art Director and Designers), with scope to grow; Prioritise workload, delegate effectively and ensure deadlines are consistently met; Develop and maintain a network of freelance photographers, film-makers, designers and agencies.
• Drive brand and business impact: Think commercially: every project should have a clear purpose and drive measurable impact; Manage creative budgets with rigour, presenting alternatives at different price points where appropriate; Liaise with internal stakeholders and external partners.

Requirements

• 8+ years in senior creative roles (Creative Director, Art Director or equivalent), mostly gained in-house. Agency-only backgrounds are not a fit;
• Significant in-house experience at a fashion, luxury, apparel or premium lifestyle brand; Experience at both small and large brands. Candidates whose entire career has been at large corporations are unlikely to thrive here;
• Outstanding portfolio across campaign creative, digital design, imagery direction and print;
• Strong sensibility for imagery and a strong sense for copy and advertising language;
• Strong experience managing and overseeing web design projects: landing pages, product pages and full site design. Direct hands-on web design experience is a plus;
• Commercial, growth-oriented thinking, with experience working closely with marketing and/or performance teams;
• Proven ability to run multiple projects simultaneously and deliver to deadline;
• Hands-on experience managing creative budgets, producing shoots and working with external agencies and freelancers;
• Expert knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite and Figma;
• Based in London, with the ability to work from our office 2–3 days per week.

More about Carl Friedrik

Carl Friedrik was founded in 2013 by brothers who set out to reimagine what a modern travel brand could look like — beautifully crafted, intelligently designed, and built to outlast the next trend. More than a decade on, we’re a fast-growing, award-winning global business headquartered in London with offices in Barcelona and Los Angeles. Still founder-led and still guided by the same obsession with craft and considered design. Once online-only, we’re expanding quickly across channels. We’ve opened a flagship store on Regent Street in London, another in Covent Garden, and a new store is opening in New York City.

Benefits

• Competitive salary;
• Share options;
• Offices in London, Barcelona and Los Angeles;
• Annual company trip and frequent team social events;
• Join a fast-growing, agile and international team, passionate about innovation and making a difference.