At a Glance
- Tasks: Create innovative designs and concepts for various platforms in a dynamic travel company.
- Company: Join KAYAK, a leading travel search engine with a focus on creativity and innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy 5 weeks of vacation, health insurance, remote work options, and mental health support.
- Other info: Be part of a progressive team that values diversity and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make your mark in a creative role that influences travel experiences worldwide.
- Qualifications: 5-7 years of creative experience with a strong portfolio and collaborative spirit.
The predicted salary is between 55000 - 65000 £ per year.
KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world’s leading travel search engine.
With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package.
We’re also transforming business travel with a new corporate travel solution, KAYAK for Business.
As an employee of KAYAK, you will be part of a travel company that operates a portfolio of global metasearch brands including momondo, Cheapflights and Hotels Combined, among others.
From start-up to industry leader, innovation is in our DNA and every employee has an opportunity to make their mark.
Our focus is on building the best travel search engine to make it easier for everyone to experience the world.
We’re looking for a
Conceptual Designer/Art Director with strong advertising agency or brand-side creative experience to join KAYAK’s in-house creative team, based in London.
You might come from a brand design background, a traditional creative team, a social-first environment, or somewhere in between.
What matters most is that you know how to develop strong ideas, craft visually compelling work, and bring campaigns to life across multiple channels.
At KAYAK, creativity plays a central role in how we grow our brands.
We’re looking for someone with strong visual instincts - someone who can turn product truths, cultural insight, and business challenges into work people actually notice.
Work that entertains, builds the brand, and drives performance.
You should be ready to take ownership of projects, combining concept and design with a hands-on, collaborative attitude.
As comfortable having and communicating your ideas as you are bringing them to life in a progressive studio setting.
This role will be required to work from our London office at least 3 days per week.
In this role, you will
- Develop creative concepts and visual executions across brand, performance, social, video, digital, OOH, and emerging platforms
- Help take ideas from brief through execution while maintaining a high level of craft
- Create visually distinctive work that cuts through in a crowded category
- Partner with writers, marketers, motion designers, and product teams to create cohesive, insight-led creative
- Contribute to visual identity, campaign platforms, moodboards, presentations, and creative strategy
- Translate product truths and business challenges into emotionally resonant visual storytelling
- Use testing and performance insights to refine creative and improve results
- Help maintain and elevate creative standards across the team
- 5-7+ years into your creative career, with strong thinking, craft, and a portfolio that shows what you can do
- Curious, collaborative, and highly motivated
- Strong conceptually, with excellent craft in art direction, design, and visual storytelling
- Comfortable balancing creative ambition with commercial objectives
- Interested in using data, testing, and audience insight to improve creative performance
- Passionate about branding, storytelling, travel, and culture
- Excited by emerging creative tools and technologies, including AI
- Ready to be part of an idea-first, progressive in-house studio
You should ideally
- Have experience working within an advertising agency or strong creative environment
- Have a portfolio demonstrating thorough conceptual thinking and execution across multiple formats
- Demonstratable experience working across digital, social, film, OOH, and emerging platforms
- Have a natural instinct for typography, composition, motion, and storytelling
- Have strong communication and collaboration skills
- Be highly organised and comfortable managing multiple projects at once
- Have a genuine passion for travel and creativity
- Experience in production process/motion design advantageous
Benefits and Perks
- 5 weeks of paid vacation
- Generous paid vacation + time off for your birthday
- Private health & dental insurance
- Income protection and life assurance
- Pension plan contributions
- Work from (almost) anywhere for up to 20 days per year
• Focus on mental health and well-being
- Company-paid therapy sessions through Spring Health
- Company-paid subscription to Headspace
- Company-wide week off a year - the whole team fully recharges (and returns without a pile-up of work!)
- No meeting Fridays
- Paid parental leave
- Paid volunteer time
• Focus on your career growth
- Development Dollars
- Leadership development
- Access to thousand of on-demand e-learnings
- Travel Discounts
- Employee Resource Groups
- Employee Assistance Program - including 24/7 GP & free legal advice
- Discounted gym membership
- Bike2Work
- Season ticket loan
- Social events & Thursday happy hours
- Free lunch 2 days per week
- Inclusion
At KAYAK, we want everyone to have the space to grow, share ideas and do great work.
That’s why we’re focused on hiring the best talent from all walks of life and experiences, supporting them well and making sure no one feels like they have to fit a mold to belong here.
Need an accommodation for the interview, application or on the job? No problem - just give us a heads-up. We’ve got you.
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Conceptual Designer employer: Kayak
KAYAK is an exceptional employer that champions innovation and employee growth within the dynamic travel industry. With a strong focus on mental health, work-life balance, and professional development, employees enjoy generous benefits such as flexible working arrangements, extensive vacation time, and company-wide initiatives that foster a culture of inclusivity and continuous improvement. Located in London, KAYAK offers a vibrant work environment where every team member can contribute to meaningful projects while enjoying perks like free lunches and social events.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Conceptual Designer
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
In the world of UX/UI design, your portfolio speaks volumes! Make sure it's packed with your best work and showcases your process, not just the final product. We want to see how you tackle design challenges, so consider adding case studies that reflect your thought process and user-centric approach.
✨Get Involved in Design Communities
Jump into local or online design meetups and workshops! Places like UXPA or local design events can be goldmines for networking and learning. Plus, mingling with fellow designers can introduce you to potential job openings that might not be listed elsewhere.
✨Tailor Your Applications
When you find a role that excites you, like the one at Kayak for a Conceptual Designer, make your application count! Highlight specific projects and skills that directly relate to the job description. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who fit into their specific team, so show them you’re the one!
✨Leverage Social Media
Don't underestimate the power of social media in finding a UX/UI design job! Follow design leaders on platforms like Twitter or Instagram, share your work, and engage in conversations. It’s a great way to get noticed by recruiters and even catch wind of openings at companies like Kayak before they go live!
We think you need these skills to ace Conceptual Designer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Design Process:When you're applying for a UX/UI Design role like Conceptual Designer at Kayak, make sure to include examples that clearly highlight your design process. We want to see not just the final product but also the journey that led you there—wireframes, user personas, and iterations demonstrate your thought process and user-centric approach!
Tailor Your Portfolio:A tailor-made portfolio is crucial for a full-time design role! Curate your best projects that align with the kind of work Kayak does. We suggest including 3-5 case studies that showcase a variety of skills such as wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to really make your application pop.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter should not just be a summary of your CV. Use it to express why you’re excited about UX/UI Design and what draws you specifically to Kayak. Mention any relevant experience, tools you’re proficient in (like Sketch or Figma), and how you can contribute to their projects.
Highlight Collaboration Skills:In the world of UX/UI Design, teamwork is crucial. Make sure to highlight any past experiences where you worked in cross-functional teams. Illustrate how you communicated design decisions and listened to feedback, as this will resonate well with the culture at Kayak.
How to prepare for a job interview at Kayak
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
When you're gunning for a full-time UX/UI design role, your portfolio is your best friend! Make sure you've got a solid selection of your work, showcasing not just the final designs, but the process behind them—think wireframes, user flows, and any user research you've conducted. During the interview with Kayak, be prepared to discuss your design decisions and how they solve specific user problems.
✨Prepare for Design Challenges
Expect to face some practical design tasks during your interview. Kayak might ask you to tackle a quick design challenge or critique an existing interface. Brush up on your problem-solving skills and try to articulate your thought process as you work through these scenarios. Showing how you approach a design problem is just as important as the final output!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Familiarise yourself with the tools commonly used in the industry—figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch should be second nature to you. Be ready to discuss your preferred tools during the interview and how they've shaped your design process at previous positions. This knowledge could give you an edge at Kayak!
✨Show Passion for User Experience
In a full-time UX/UI design role, having a genuine passion for improving user interactions can set you apart. Be prepared to share instances when you went above and beyond to ensure a great user experience in your previous projects. This will demonstrate that you’re not just a designer, but a user advocate, which is exactly what Kayak is looking for.
