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Fractional creative director or in-house designer?

If your startup needs senior creative judgment but not 40 hours of design every week, a fractional creative director is usually a good first step. Hire full time when the design work is steady enough to fill a calendar, and when you’re ready to manage a creative team.

What a fractional creative director does

A fractional creative director works with your team a few days a month. The work usually covers:

• Planning the quarter’s launches, events and campaigns with you.
• Setting the creative direction and keeping the brand consistent.
• Designing the pieces that matter most, from decks to trade show graphics.
• Managing photographers, videographers, developers and other partners.

When fractional makes sense

• Your design needs come in waves around launches, raises and events.
• You need senior judgment more than a high volume of production.
• You don’t yet have someone to manage a designer day to day.
• You want someone who’s seen other companies at your stage.

When to hire in-house

• Design work fills most of every week, for example in a product or growth team.
• You need someone in the room for daily decisions.
• You’re building a creative team and need a leader to grow it.

Many companies do both: a fractional creative director sets the direction, then helps hire and guide the first in-house designer.

What it costs

A creative partnership with Studio Massenzio costs $1620 to $4050 a month for 2 to 5 days of senior creative work, billed month to month with no minimum. A full-time senior hire costs much more once salary, benefits, equipment and recruiting are included, and takes months to find.

Our experience

Studio Massenzio works as an embedded creative partner for Yucca Fins, creating campaigns, sales and press kits, email and social, and has done the same for AI companies including Waabi and Fundamental, with trade show and event graphics, social, decks and launch moments within each brand. Before founding the studio, Elisa Massenzio was the first design hire at Covariant, through to its acquisition by Amazon.

See the details on our Offerings page, or start a conversation.