🚀 Art Director (Brand & Digital)
👋 Hi from TRAU
We're looking for an Art Director who is equally strong in brand and in digital craft. Someone who designs brand identities and then takes them all the way into websites and product UI that real users touch. This is hands-on design for startups, not advertising or campaign work, and not slow corporate brand programs. You'll own the creative direction from strategy to the final pixel, lead the two or three designers on a project by being in the work with them, and present with conviction to a founder. Direction here means setting the bar and lifting the people around you, not running a department. The work ships, and it ships fast.
Location: Prague 2 – Vinohrady / hybrid
Contract: Freelance (IČO) to start, with the option to move to employment once the fit is clear
Rate: 140,000–180,000 CZK/month (full-time IČO), or roughly 900–1,200 CZK/hour
Scope: Part time or Full-time
Start: ASAP
👉 What we offer
Meaningful work. You'll lead the creative on projects that genuinely matter to the people building them.
Real creative ownership. Direction, not just execution.
Startup pace. Fast iterations, no corporate red tape.
Small international team. 3 to 5 in person, more online.
Flexibility. Up to one month a year working from anywhere.
Hybrid. Ideally 3 to 4 days a week at the Vinohrady studio.
The kit. MacBook, large monitor, whatever else you need.
25 days of paid time off.
Growth and learning support, plus team dinners and offsites.
👋 About us
We're TRAU, a venture design studio that helps startups turn ideas into products, brands, and services that make sense to users and investors. Design here isn't about aesthetics for their own sake. It's about clarity, strategy, and real business impact.
We work with startups in AI, proptech, fintech, and crypto, like Carl for Social, Ogre, Rendero, Twinzo, and Littlebit. Our partners include VCs like Rockaway and Soulmates Ventures, and global brands like Rohlik Group, Luxury Presence, and Jägermeister. The team is small and focused, and we want someone with the taste and experience to raise the creative bar.
💻 What you'll be doing
Owning art direction on brand and digital projects, from discovery and strategy through to brand system, guidelines, and launch
Setting the visual direction for brand identities, websites, and the product UI that ships alongside them
Leading two or three designers on a project hands-on, raising the bar through the work rather than from above
Working directly with startup founders, knowing when to listen, when to push back, and how to bring them with you
Presenting concepts with clarity and conviction, then adapting them to real feedback, not just preference
Helping shape how TRAU itself shows up in the market
You own it end to end. Concept, direction, execution, and the judgment to know when to zoom out and when to get into the details yourself.
🕵 Who we're looking for
An exceptionally strong brand and digital designer who leads through craft.
We care most about taste and craft. Your portfolio, your eye, and your judgment are the bar. You lead other designers by being in the work with them, not by reviewing from a distance. If you'd rather mostly manage than make, this isn't the role. We're also moving the studio toward AI-first workflows, so you don't need to be AI-native, but you can't be AI-averse.
Must-haves
8+ years in brand design and art direction, shown in an exceptional portfolio across brand identity and digital
A clear point of view. You know what works, you can articulate why, and you can defend every choice in the work.
Range that crosses brand and digital, ideally work that shows direction and thinking, not just execution
Comfortable presenting to founders and C-level clients, confident and not precious
Able to give clear, useful direction to other designers while staying hands-on
Excellent English, written and spoken. You'll present to English-speaking clients regularly.
Probably not the right fit if
- Your background is mostly advertising or campaign art direction, with little hands-on UX/UI
- You've worked mainly on large corporate brands and haven't designed digital products that ship
- You prefer directing other people's execution over making the work yourself
Nice to have
Already working with AI tools day to day, ideally Claude Code
Motion design
Webflow or Framer
3D design (Blender or 3ds Max)
A background that spans both agency and in-house
Ability to speak Czech
📩 Interested?
Send us an a message with:
Your portfolio (this matters most, show range and show thinking)
A short note on why you want to join TRAU
One project where you led the creative direction: the brief, what you decided, and the outcome
Brand or studio work that's caught your eye lately, and why
🤝 How our hiring process works
Portfolio check. We review your materials and get back to you, no matter what.
Intro call. You meet Ondřej, our founder and Head of Design.
Craft deep-dive. You walk us through two projects in detail, so we can see how you think, decide, and direct.
On-site interview. Meet Ondřej and the team at our Prague studio.
Offer. If it's a match, we finalize the details and you can start within days.
If this sounds like your kind of place, we'd love to hear from you ✨