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SM-SVC-005 · Service

Advisory

Fractional leadership. Embedded perspective.

Overview

Some organizations don't need a full-time design leader. They need someone who shows up with the depth of one — available when it matters, informed enough to weigh in on what counts.

Three engagement models, each built for a different situation. Fractional CD for teams that need ongoing direction. Design ops for teams that need to fix how they work. Agency management for teams that need a proxy who knows design.

Service
Advisory — SM-SVC-005
Scope
Fractional creative direction · Design ops · Agency management
Engagement models
Three models — see below
Commitment
Monthly retainer or fixed-term engagement
Pricing
From $3,500/mo — scoped per engagement
Suitable for
Organizations that need design leadership without a full-time hire
Engagement Models

Three ways to work.

01 From $3,500/mo

Fractional Creative Director

8–12 hrs/mo · 3-month minimum

Principal design leadership — without the full-time cost. Creative direction, team coaching, design system governance, and strategic input on your most critical design decisions. Best for organizations with an in-house design team that needs senior direction.

Best for: Growing companies with 1–3 designers · Post-Series A product teams · Organizations bridging from agency to in-house
02 From $8,000

Design Operations Consulting

Fixed-term engagement · 4–12 weeks

Design systems, tooling, workflow, and team structure. We audit how your design function operates, identify the friction, and build the infrastructure to fix it. Deliverables include a design ops playbook, process documentation, and tooling recommendations.

Best for: Teams scaling past 3 designers · Post-acquisition design integration · Organizations migrating design tooling
03 From $2,500/mo

Agency Management

Monthly retainer

Managing external agencies on your behalf. Brief development, vendor selection, output review, feedback delivery, and final approval. You stay in the loop without spending your time managing the work day-to-day.

Best for: Marketing teams without design leads · Founders running active rebrand or web projects · Organizations with multiple concurrent vendors
How it starts
01

Conversation

A 30-minute call to understand your situation. No commitment required. We tell you if we're a fit; you tell us if you're ready.

02

Scoping

We propose an engagement structure — which model, at what commitment level, for how long. You review and adjust before anything is signed.

03

Month one

The first month is diagnostic. We learn how you work, where the friction is, and what needs attention first.

Let's talk
about it.

30 minutes. No pitch. Just a conversation about what you're dealing with.

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