Find the perfect Heads of Design in Berlin in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI
Need design leadership for brand systems, product design, or team setup? Work with a Head of Design who can align stakeholders, sharpen the design process, and guide delivery across product and marketing. Get fast, precise matching with vetted, available freelancers.
About the role
Design leadership
A Head of Design sets the design direction and keeps it tied to the business goal. They guide product design, brand design, and communication design so the work feels consistent across every touchpoint. In Berlin, this often means working with product teams, founders, and marketing leads who need clear design ownership without hiring full time.
What they deliver
- Design vision and principles that teams can use in daily work
- Review and improvement of design systems, workflows, and handoff
- Guidance on product UX, UI, and brand consistency
- Team structure, hiring input, and mentoring for designers
- Stakeholder alignment on scope, priorities, and quality
Key skills
A strong Head of Design combines taste with structure. They should be able to talk to designers, product managers, engineers, and founders without losing the details that make the work usable.
- Strong UX and UI judgment
- Experience with design systems and Figma
- Ability to lead critique and feedback rounds
- Skill in translating strategy into concrete design decisions
- Confidence in cross-functional collaboration
Tools and context
Common tools include Figma, FigJam, Miro, Notion, and prototyping tools used in product teams. Depending on the setup, the work may also touch Adobe Creative Cloud, research tools, and documentation systems. Strong candidates know when to stay close to delivery and when to step back and shape the larger process.
When companies bring one in
Companies usually hire a freelance Head of Design when they need leadership for a specific phase: a new product launch, a brand refresh, a design system reset, or support after rapid growth. It is also a good fit when the in-house team needs senior direction before a permanent hire is made. Berlin startups, scale-ups, and digital teams often look for someone who can work remote, join workshops on site when needed, and communicate clearly in English or German.
What strong professionals do well
A good Head of Design does not only improve visuals. They raise clarity, set standards, and help teams move faster with fewer revisions. The best freelancers can step into a messy setup, find the real design problems, and bring order without slowing delivery. They know how to balance craft, speed, and business needs.
Meet FRATCH Heads of Design
Reuf Kadic
Independent mechanical development engineer, head of design and development of the pipedeck
Last position:
Independent mechanical development engineer, head of design and development of the pipedeck at Herrenknecht Vertikal GmbH
- Development and design of a new oil drilling machine for the Beatrice oil rig in Scotland
- Concept design of the pipe-overdeck platform with crane, total load 200 tonnes
- Static FEM and CFD flow analysis to ensure safe discharge of oil-contaminated wastewater
- Planning, calculation and design of the concept
- Management of 5 designers
- CAD: CREO, Model Manager, SAP
- FKM, VDI 2230 and Euro Code 3
Pedro Hernández
Senior Design Manager & Creative Director
Last position:
Senior Design Manager & Creative Director at PHCDESIGN
- Design and development of technical sportswear, lifestyle and fashion collections
- Trend research
- Apparel design
- Graphic design
- Techpacks
- Product development
- Brands: ZARA, JACK & JONES, ZIENER, OCEANS APARTS, NALINI, JOMA, GIESWEIN, BERGMENSCH
Vale Querini
Product Design Team Lead
Last position:
Product Design Team Lead at saas.group
- Managed a central team of 3 senior product designers
- Acted as practice lead for several junior and mid-level designers across the brands of the group
- Developed the company's product design career framework, including level progression and competency matrix
- Provided strategic product design direction and process optimization support across multiple cross-functional teams
- Guided product leaders on design discovery methods and design-driven value creation, building and spreading knowledge across teams
- Developed educational content, including articles, templates, and presentations
Ulf Germann
Multidisciplinary UX/UI Designer & Design Lead
Last position:
Freelance Multidisciplinary Designer (Product • UX/UI • Brand) at Ulf Germann
Marcela Grupp
Brand Design & Creative Director
Last position:
Freelance Design Director at Landor
Allison Cheng
Brand Design Lead
Last position:
Brand Design Lead at Flink
- Merit in Video
- Merit in Print
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Heads of Design statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
20 years
Position duration
2.3 years
Positions per freelancer
12
Top business areas
Marketing, Product Development, Research and Development
Top industries
Fashion, Information Technology, Media and Entertainment
Bachelor's degree or higher
100%
Master's degree or higher
60%
Certifications per freelancer
1
Most common languages
German, English, Spanish
Speak two or more languages
100%
Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for Heads of Design & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? See our quick guide to FRATCH
A Head of Design defines the design direction, sets priorities, and helps the team deliver work that is consistent and usable. On freelance projects, that can include design reviews, team coaching, design system work, and alignment with product or marketing leads. The scope is often practical and hands-on, not just advisory.
Look for strong product thinking, clear design judgment, and the ability to lead people without creating confusion. A good Head of Design should understand UX, UI, design systems, and collaboration with engineers and product managers. You also want someone who can explain decisions in plain language and keep stakeholders aligned.
The titles overlap, but the focus can be different. A Head of Design usually carries broader responsibility for direction, team setup, and design standards across a business or product area. A Design Director may be more focused on strategy and leadership, while a Lead Designer is often closer to hands-on delivery on one team or product.
A freelance Head of Design makes sense when the need is urgent, temporary, or tied to a specific change. Common cases are a redesign, a new team setup, a missing senior leader, or a period where hiring is still open. It is also useful when you need senior design guidance before committing to a full-time role.
Yes, if the scope is clear and the team gives access to the right people and decisions. The best collaborations are with product, engineering, and marketing teams that already know where design has to move the business forward. A freelance Head of Design can lead workshops, review work, and support the team without becoming a bottleneck.
Not always. Many projects can run remotely, especially when the freelance Head of Design has access to good documentation and regular decision-making meetings. On-site time in Berlin can help for workshops, stakeholder alignment, or the early phase of a turnaround or redesign.
Review how they talk about past design problems, not just finished visuals. A strong Head of Design can explain the trade-offs they made, how they worked with other teams, and what changed because of their work. Ask for examples of team leadership, design systems, product launches, or brand work that needed real coordination.
Freelance Heads of Design are usually expected to bring structure quickly, define priorities, and earn trust across the team. The work can include strategy, feedback loops, mentoring, and hands-on problem solving, depending on the company stage. Clear access to stakeholders and a direct line to decision makers makes the project much easier to run.
The average hourly rate for Heads of Design in Berlin is 89 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 709 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Heads of Design in Berlin, 100% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 60% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers working as Heads of Design in Berlin have 20 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.3 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Heads of Design in Berlin are German (100%), English (100%), and Spanish (33%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Heads of Design in Berlin are Fashion (67%), Information Technology (67%), and Media and Entertainment (67%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Heads of Design in Berlin are Marketing (83%), Product Development (83%), and Research and Development (50%).
FRATCH Heads of Design main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
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