Design Director - Guidelines

Landor is looking for a Design Director (Guidelines) to join our Global Design Studio. Could this be you? 

We are Landor. 

World-leading brand experts, underpinned by the most expansive strategic & creative capabilities in our category.

We make brands more valuable and less vulnerable.

We build brands differently.

We work with our clients to define and solve their business problems through the lens of brand.

We strategically join the dots between our design, experience, governance and measurement capabilities, and always connect our brand work to business outcomes. 

Landor companies also include amp (sonic branding), bdg (workplace & architectural experts), Deep Local (creative technologists) and ManvsMachine (3D motion design).

We are part of WPP.

Job Overview:

Plays a key role in translating brand identities into clear, cohesive, and scalable design systems. This role focuses on developing comprehensive brand guideline documents and toolkits that ensure consistency and excellence across all brand touch points, from packaging and print to digital, retail, and motion. As a specialist, the individual will collaborate closely with design directors, brand designers, and production teams to interpret creative concepts into structured and functional brand documentation. They will oversee the end-to-end process, from defining brand assets and usage principles to creating visual templates and detailed specifications that guide internal and external stakeholders. This role demands a strong understanding of design systems, layout principles, typography, and brand application, along with the ability to distill complex design decisions into clear, accessible frameworks. The ideal candidate will bring both creative sensitivity and precision, balancing aesthetics with practical implementation. Working across global clients and diverse industries such as FMCG, corporate, lifestyle, and technology, the individual will ensure every brand story is told consistently, no matter the medium or market.

What you’ll do;

• Define, develop and maintain comprehensive brand guidelines / design systems for global and/or FMCG clients—covering logos, typography, colour palettes, imagery, layout, retail & digital applications.
• Analyse new brand work (or existing identities) and recommend the structure, content and layout of guideline documentation—ensuring it is logical, easy to understand, production-ready, and scalable.
• Collaborate with design, artwork, brand, and production teams—ensuring that all creative assets align with the brand identity, guidelines are adhered to, and any inconsistencies are resolved before delivery.
• Lead the design, layout, production and review of guideline manuals, brand books, identity toolkits and internal/external brand-usage documents. Includes overseeing page layout, typography, print/production knowledge and digital distribution.
• Mentor and guide junior designers and teams (in senior roles)—setting standards, providing feedback, driving the creative vision, and ensuring quality across touchpoints (from brand identity through to packaging, retail, digital).
• Stay current with global brand trends, design systems innovation, production workflows and brand implementation challenges—advise leadership on process improvements and future-fit guideline setups.

What you’ll need:

• 10 years of experience in branding, design systems or brand identity—often in an agency environment or global studio setting.
• Proven record of creating brand systems, identity frameworks and documentation that span print, digital, packaging, corporate/retail environments.
• Strong technical skills in layout, typography, print processes and design software (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) with production/packaging awareness.
• Excellent organisational, time-management and project-leadership capabilities—able to manage multiple projects, maintain consistency and work to deadlines in fast-paced studio settings.
• Ability to collaborate across functions (brand strategy, design, production, client services) and to translate high-level brand strategy into usable guideline assets. Also: strong communication and presentation skills.

We build brands. We build futures. Landor, a WPP company, is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics, committed to a culture of respect where everyone belongs and can progress in their careers.