Designer hiring
for founders
You're making your first design hire and can't afford to get it wrong. We define the role and hiring criteria with you, then deliver a shortlist of screened designers worth interviewing, so you can keep building.
30 minutes on the role, aligning the fastest way to your shortlist.
Testimonials
What founders say after the shortlist.
“WCD ran our designer search and consistently delivered candidates that matched our exact requirements. WCD is a thoughtful, dedicated search partner, I recommend them without hesitation for any company hiring senior designers.”
“We brought WCD in for a precise AI product designer search, including work that touched our bank-side partners at BNP Paribas. They understood the brief fast, kept candidate quality high, and ran the process without noise.”
“Nothing on the shortlist made us want to pass. On design quality, we trusted WCD's judgment completely.”
“WCD delivered a shortlist of 15 product designers for Mozart Bett, mix of active and passive talent. The quality was exactly what we needed. I was super happy with it.”
“WCD shortlisted designers for roles we were filling through DesignJobs, including Senior searches and a Principal Product Designer B2C brief in Germany. Clear profiles, fast turnaround, and easy to work with when we needed to refine for language and fit.”
How we screen designers
Checked before you see them.
Before anyone reaches your shortlist, we review their work by hand: craft, research, systems, and storytelling. We assess each portfolio against the role you're hiring for.
Curious what designers actually earn? See the salary data
Case Study
Stripe Dashboard Redesign
2.2/3
Craft & Visual Design
Polished, consistent UI with a clear grid, with a couple of spacing inconsistencies on secondary screens.
User-Centered Research
Research is described but few artifacts are shown; no testing evidence or user quotes.
Interaction & Systems Thinking
Strong flows and states; component reuse is implied but a system isn't made explicit.
Communication & Storytelling
Problem is framed well; impact is asserted but not quantified.
Hiring signals
Green flags
Clean, confident visual craft that reads as senior. Clear before/after problem framing.
Yellow flags
Research process claimed but not evidenced. Probe in interview. Impact stated without metrics.
Red flags
No usability testing or user feedback shown.
Illustrative example of our screening checklist. Every designer on your shortlist goes through this review.
How it works
From your brief to someone in the seat.
We define the brief and hiring criteria with you, then source designers and review their work. Choose a shortlist or full hiring support through to their start date.
We review portfolios
We review portfolios by hand, looking at shipped products and each designer's contribution against your role requirements.
You get: A review of real work against hiring criteria we agree with you.
Read, not searched
Shortlist & Rank
We rank designers against your role based on shipped work, explain what each portfolio demonstrates, and suggest what to explore in interviews.
You get: A ranked shortlist with the why for every name.
Judged on evidence
We support the hire
With full hiring support, we coordinate screening and interview scheduling through to the start date. You meet the shortlist and make the final decision.
You get: Someone in the seat, not a stalled search.
Until someone startsBuilt for founders making their first design hire
You're hiring a designer without being one yourself, and this first hire sets the bar for every designer after them.
- You can't tell great work from a great-looking portfolio, and there's no design lead to ask
- Every case study is polished and team-built; you can't see what they actually did, or how senior they really are
- Get it wrong and it's months of runway gone, plus a design bar your next hires inherit
Here's what you actually care about:
Why founders trust us with the first hire
We assess shipped work, build your shortlist, and help you evaluate candidates. With full hiring support, we keep the process moving through interviews to the start date.
Protect your runway
Our founder, Guidione, has reviewed 10,000+ portfolios. His experience shapes how we assess shipped work.
Reach the right people faster
Our network includes designers already reviewed by Guidione, giving your search a stronger starting point.
Right on the first hire
Guidione has led 10+ design teams and built products from 0 to 1. We bring that perspective to your search.
You see every why
We assess work against consistent criteria. You see the evidence behind every recommendation.
Roles we recruit for
We assess every designer we recommend for skill, craft, and shipped results.
Mid
Ships fast and well, even when the brief is still moving.
Senior
Owns a product area end to end and raises the bar.
Staff
Sets direction, mentors, and levels up the whole team.
600,000+ designers in the network. Explore the data
Shopify, Spotify, Klarna, Meta, Revolut, Uber, Adyen, Microsoft, Wise, Zalando
Simple pricing. Hire on proof.
Choose a shortlist or full-search support. You always know what you pay and when.
Shortlist
We review portfolios and deliver a ranked shortlist for your first design hire.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- We review portfolios against your role
- A ranked shortlist you can interview
- Profiles judged on shipped work
- You run the interviews from there
- Names in days, not a month of inbox
Full hire
We manage sourcing, screening, and interview coordination through to the start date.
EVERYTHING IN SHORTLIST
- Dedicated Slack channel
- Custom-built tracking tool for complete transparency
- Designers matched to your role
- Warm introductions
- Screening calls by World Class Design
- Interview scheduling on your booking link
- You run interviews and make the final decision
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FAQ
Questions founders ask before the first hire.
Fees, what we need from you, and how we assess designers. Anything else, ask us on the call.
Two ways. A shortlist is a flat €3,000. We review portfolios and deliver ranked candidates for you to interview. A full hire is €3,000 to start, then 10% of first-year salary.
About 30 minutes to agree on the role and hiring criteria, then your feedback on the first candidates we send. We handle sourcing and portfolio reviews. With full hiring support, we also coordinate screening and interview scheduling. You run interviews and make the final decision.
We review portfolios for evidence of craft, individual contribution, and shipped results. Our founder Guidione's experience as a designer informs that assessment. We explain why each candidate fits your role, suggest what to explore in interviews, and flag risks before you commit.
Product, UX, UI, brand, and design leadership, from your very first design hire to a founding designer who can own product 0→1.
NEXT STEP
Let's get the first hire right.
Book a free call. In 30 minutes we'll help you shape the role, size up who's out there, and map how the search runs from here.