Don’t hire designers too late

When you think about hiring your first designer, it's probably already too late.

Too often when building a product, there has been the misconception that "design can come later" - and this often results in developers doing the UX themselves and building up usability debt that is costly to unwind.

For the right designer, joining an early-stage business can be a tremendous opportunity . Instead of months designing buttons for a corporation, they may transform a startup's entire trajectory, from early customer touchpoints to branding and product.

But in truth, 95% of designers don't want to be the first designer at a startup. It can mean sacrificing access to collaborators, mentors, or simply a well-structured environment that allows them to thrive.

Having joined startups like Gorillas, Mapify, Arive, and Yababa as the first designer, I wanted to share my key advice on how to hire and attract the right design talent for that position.

Let's go!

Look at products you like

One really effective way to source great designers is by looking at products that you love to use and then figuring out who built them. Don't just look at commercially successful products like Airbnb, Uber, or Instagram, but really ask yourself and your friends what tools they use and why they are truly great.

Once you find something cool, start hunting the creators on Product Hunt or Twitter and reach out. Don't be shy when cold-approaching. Most people love hearing from fans and appreciate the kudos.

Start building relationships today - and be patient

You want to start building relationships with designers as early as possible, not just because you are hiring. Once you run out of the designers you know, you're going to need to explore the nearest communities and start expanding that network.

Attend events, use LinkedIn, and don't forget venues where designers are known to mingle such as specific cafés, coworking spaces, or creative studios. As with any community, make sure to think about what you can offer to help them first.

I know many founders who approach inspiring designers on a regular basis. Even if you are not able to recruit them, invite them for a coffee and get to know their environment. Learn as much as possible about the design community.

The more you're invested in and care about design, the more designers will want to work with you. So start integrating design values into your company's culture.

Twitter as the secret Designer Hub

Usually, people always refer to Dribbble and Awwwards when sourcing new design talent - but the truth is, beautiful imagery and nice visuals are not primarily what you should be looking for in a first designer.

You want someone who is versatile - a jack of all trades. Someone who is able to think analytically and critique other designers' work. And Twitter is the secret place where designers are exchanging thoughts and giving each other this kind of revealing feedback. You can start following trending designers or simply start interacting with a few through tweets, threads, or direct messages.

Remember, your first designer will be part of crafting your product strategy, including entire design foundation, so make sure you look at those characteristics when evaluating your candidate.

Be generous with position and equity

Great designers are getting paid a lot and you won't be able to compete on salary. Fortunately, I know a lot of great designers who value ownership and impact over large paychecks. And that's your chance to win.

Consider giving your first designer the same amount of equity as your first engineer. Depending on your company's stage you should even be thinking about offering your designer a "co-founder" or "founding designer" position.

If that's not an option, an example for a founding designer position with current market expectations in e.g. Berlin would be around 70 to 85k EUR salary with an ESOP package from 0.5 to 1.2%.

Sounds like a lot? If they are the right candidate, it will be worth it. If you find someone that is hungry to learn and ready to grow with your startup, you want to be flexible with what you offer.

Closing thoughts

Getting to know the best of the best designers is a process that takes time and you will most likely have to try a lot of different things. Make sure you onboard design talent rather sooner than later in order to avoid the trap of building a product that no one knows how to use.

Generally, I am not a big fan of outsourcing design work at the beginning of a company, but a freelance UX/UI designer is still way better than no designer if you have no other choice.

A last thought: are you a designer or an agency that works with startups? We know many great founders who'd love to work with you and I am happy to make an introduction.

Just get in touch!