Freelance Senior Designer (UI)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Freelance Senior Designer (UI)

Company: AKQA

Location: Atlanta, GA, United States

Job Type: Contract/Freelance

Category: Creative & Design Operations / User Interface Design

Date Posted: 2026-06-25T01:42:02

Experience Level: 5-10 Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive high-quality UI design for complex digital product experiences, ensuring user experience principles guide all visual and interaction decisions.

• Contribute to and advance sophisticated design systems, focusing on components, tokens, patterns, and states for scalability and consistency.

• Execute detailed, pixel-precise visual designs that align with brand guidelines and enhance usability, translating UX flows and wireframes.

• Present design rationale and solutions with confidence to client stakeholders, demonstrating strong communication and advocacy skills.

• Develop and deliver high-fidelity prototypes and interactive experiences, leveraging advanced Figma capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior UI Designer focusing on complex digital products within a major travel brand ecosystem. The emphasis on design systems, stakeholder presentation, and direct client interaction suggests a need for a candidate who can operate with a high degree of autonomy and strategic input, bridging the gap between UX strategy and visual execution. The "Freelance Senior Designer (UI)" title, combined with the description, indicates a project-based engagement requiring seasoned expertise.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Deliver exceptional UI design across multiple product lanes within a complex digital ecosystem, balancing strategic thinking with meticulous execution.

• Translate UX flows, wireframes, and user research into polished, pixel-perfect visual designs that are both brand-aligned and highly functional.

• Contribute to and help evolve sophisticated design systems, meticulously managing components, design tokens, patterns, and states to ensure scalability and consistency.

• Develop and deliver high-fidelity prototypes and interactive experiences, primarily utilizing Figma, to effectively communicate design concepts and user flows.

• Confidently and clearly present design work, rationale, and solutions to client stakeholders, actively responding to feedback and advocating for optimal design decisions.

• Collaborate closely with UX designers, product managers, strategists, and engineers to ensure design decisions are well-integrated, user-centric, and technically feasible.

• Continuously strive to elevate design quality, refine processes, and improve delivery standards within the engagement, fostering a culture of design excellence.

• Champion progressive and limitless thinking in design, pushing creative boundaries while maintaining a focus on business objectives and user needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a need for a designer who can manage complex projects, contribute to foundational design infrastructure (design systems), and effectively communicate with senior client stakeholders. The emphasis on "multiple product lanes" and a "complex ecosystem" suggests a need for strong organizational skills and the ability to maintain consistency across a broad digital footprint.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational foundation in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Graphic Design, or a related field, complemented by a robust portfolio, is expected.

Experience: 5-10 years of progressive experience in UI Design, with a significant focus on complex digital products, enterprise-level applications, or large-scale digital ecosystems. Demonstrable experience in evolving and contributing to sophisticated design systems is crucial.

Required Skills:

• Expert-level Figma proficiency, including advanced component management, auto layout, variants, variables, design system architecture, and collaborative library management.

• Strong command of UX principles, user-centered design methodologies, and information architecture to inform visual and interaction design decisions.

• Proven ability to translate wireframes, user flows, and functional requirements into polished, pixel-precise UI designs across various platforms (web, mobile, etc.).

• Deep understanding and practical application of design systems, including component libraries, design tokens, pattern libraries, and state management for consistency and scalability.

• Experience in developing high-fidelity interactive prototypes to effectively communicate user flows, interactions, and design concepts.

• Confident and articulate presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design rationale, advocate for design solutions, and effectively respond to feedback in client-facing settings.

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience partnering effectively with UX designers, product managers, strategists, and engineers.

• Systems thinking: ability to understand and design within complex product ecosystems, ensuring coherence and consistency.

• Exceptional written and oral communication skills. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with other design and prototyping tools beyond Figma.

• Familiarity with front-end development principles (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to better understand implementation constraints.

• Experience working with globally recognized brands, particularly in the travel or hospitality industry.

• Understanding of accessibility standards (WCAG) and their application in UI design.

• Experience in contributing to or leading design sprints or workshops.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "expert-level Figma skills" and "sophisticated design systems" strongly suggests that candidates must demonstrate deep practical knowledge of Figma's advanced features for system management, not just basic design. The requirement for "systems thinking" and experience in "complex digital products" indicates a need for a designer who can handle intricate user journeys and a large number of interconnected features.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A compelling online portfolio showcasing distinctive work with a strong emphasis on UI craft within complex digital products.

• Clear evidence of systems thinking, demonstrating an understanding of how individual design elements contribute to a larger, cohesive digital ecosystem.

• Specific examples of contributions to or evolution of sophisticated design systems, including details on components, patterns, tokens, and their application.

• Case studies that articulate design challenges, the user-centered process, design decisions, and the resulting impact on user experience and business objectives.

• Demonstrations of advanced Figma capabilities, such as complex component structures, interactive prototypes, and design system libraries. Process Documentation:

• Showcase projects where you have documented design processes, from initial concept and user research through to final design delivery and iteration.

• Provide examples of how you have contributed to or established design system documentation, ensuring clarity and ease of use for cross-functional teams.

• Illustrate how you have utilized design processes to achieve specific efficiency improvements or consistency gains within a project or team.

• Demonstrate your approach to collaborating with engineering and product teams, outlining how design handoff and feedback loops are managed to ensure successful implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are critical for this role. Candidates must present tangible evidence of their ability to work with and contribute to design systems at a senior level, using Figma as their primary tool. Case studies should explicitly detail their role in complex product design and system development, emphasizing strategic thinking alongside visual execution.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: The stated weekly compensation is between 2,600 to 3,000 USD. This translates to an estimated annual freelance rate of approximately 135,200 to 156,000 USD, assuming a consistent 52-week engagement at 40 hours per week.

Benefits: As a freelance/contract position, standard employee benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plans are typically not included. However, the engagement offers:

• A high-visibility project with a globally recognized brand, providing significant portfolio enhancement.

• The opportunity to work with industry-leading creative agency AKQA and its parent company WPP.

• Potential for ongoing freelance engagements based on performance and project needs.

• Direct experience in designing for complex digital products within the travel industry.

• The flexibility of a freelance role with a defined weekly commitment.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range is provided on a weekly basis. For comparison and broader understanding, it has been annualized. It's crucial for candidates to understand that this is a freelance engagement, meaning benefits usually associated with full-time employment are not provided. The compensation is competitive for senior-level freelance UI design roles in major US markets.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: AKQA is part of WPP, a leading global advertising and marketing services group. AKQA itself operates within the digital transformation, innovation, and experience design sector. The client is described as a "globally admired company headquartered in Atlanta" in the travel industry, indicating a focus on customer-facing digital products and services for a large consumer base.

Company Size: AKQA is a large global agency with a significant number of employees, part of the even larger WPP network. This implies access to extensive resources, a wide array of expertise, and established processes, while also suggesting that individual projects might operate with focused, dedicated teams.

Founded: AKQA was founded in 2001. WPP's history dates back much further. This legacy suggests a company with deep experience in the industry, a strong reputation, and established methodologies, likely balanced with a commitment to innovation and modern digital practices.

Team Structure:

• The engagement team will likely comprise a dedicated group of AKQA creatives and strategists working closely with the client's product and engineering teams.

• This specific role reports into AKQA's creative leadership within the engagement, with direct interaction and presentation responsibilities to client stakeholders, including product managers and potentially senior leadership.

• Cross-functional collaboration is a core requirement, necessitating close partnerships with UX designers, product managers, strategists, and engineers on both the AKQA and client sides. Methodology:

• AKQA is known for its imaginative application of art and science, focusing on creating "beautiful ideas, products and services." Their approach emphasizes an entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit.

• Design processes likely involve a blend of strategic insight, user-centered design, iterative development, and a strong focus on craft and quality.

• Data-driven insights and rigorous user research are foundational to informing design decisions for complex digital products.

• Automation and efficiency practices are implied through the development and use of sophisticated design systems.

Company Website: AKQA Company URL

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding AKQA's reputation for creative excellence and their parent company WPP's global scale is key. The client's context as a major travel brand suggests a focus on user acquisition, retention, and seamless customer journeys within a highly competitive digital landscape. This requires a design approach that is both aesthetically pleasing and highly functional.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role represents a Senior-level Individual Contributor within the design discipline. It requires a high degree of autonomy, specialized expertise in UI design and design systems, and the ability to influence design direction and client strategy. The "Senior" designation implies not only technical proficiency but also the capacity for leadership in design thinking, problem-solving, and stakeholder management.

Reporting Structure: The freelance designer will report to AKQA's creative leads for this specific client engagement. While not a direct management role for this position, it involves significant interaction with and presentation to client-side Product Managers, UX Leads, and potentially Directors or VPs of Product/Digital.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is directly tied to the success of the client's digital products. High-quality UI design and a robust design system contribute to:

• Improved user experience and satisfaction.

• Increased user engagement and conversion rates.

• Enhanced brand perception and loyalty.

• Streamlined product development and maintenance through design system efficiency.

• Direct contribution to the client's revenue and competitive positioning within the travel market. Growth Opportunities:

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced Figma features, design system architecture, and complex product design methodologies.

• Portfolio Enhancement: Gain significant experience working on high-profile digital products for a recognized global brand, adding substantial value to the candidate's professional portfolio.

• Client Relationship Management: Develop stronger skills in client-facing presentations, feedback management, and advocating for design solutions.

• Industry Exposure: Gain insights into the operational and design challenges of a major player in the travel industry.

• Potential for Future Engagements: Successful performance can lead to further freelance opportunities with AKQA or its clients.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth in specialized design skills and client-facing experience, rather than traditional hierarchical advancement. The "growth" is measured by the complexity of projects, the impact of designs, and the development of advanced design system expertise.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is described as Hybrid, requiring the designer to be based in Atlanta and spend two days per week onsite at the client's location. This indicates a collaborative environment that values in-person interaction for brainstorming, alignment, and direct feedback, balanced with the flexibility of remote work.

Office Location(s): The primary work location is Atlanta, GA. The client is headquartered in Atlanta, suggesting the onsite work will be at their facilities. AKQA also has offices, and while the role specifies hybrid with onsite client days, understanding AKQA's general office culture and amenities might be relevant if any collaboration occurs at AKQA's local office.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic workspace where close collaboration with UX designers, product managers, strategists, and engineers is paramount. This includes daily stand-ups, design reviews, and brainstorming sessions.

• Tools and Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools, particularly Figma, will be essential. The client's digital ecosystem and AKQA's internal systems will also be part of the technological landscape.

• Team Interaction: Opportunities for direct interaction with both the AKQA engagement team and the client's internal teams, fostering strong working relationships and efficient communication.

Work Schedule: A standard 40-hour work week is expected. While freelance, the hybrid nature and client-facing responsibilities suggest a need for availability during core business hours, aligning with the client's operational schedule.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid model is specific: two days onsite with the client. This is a critical detail for candidates to consider regarding their commute and willingness to be physically present in Atlanta. The emphasis on collaboration means proactive engagement and clear communication are vital, both remotely and in person.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a review of your resume and portfolio by AKQA recruiters to assess basic qualifications and experience.

• Portfolio Presentation & Discussion: A deep dive into your portfolio with AKQA's creative leads. This will involve presenting specific case studies, discussing your design process, your role in design systems, and your proficiency with Figma. Expect detailed questions about your UI craft, systems thinking, and how you handle complex design challenges.

• Client Stakeholder Interview: A presentation to the client's product leadership. This is where you will articulate your design rationale for a selected piece of work, demonstrate your ability to present confidently, and discuss how you would approach their specific challenges. They will assess your understanding of their brand, user base, and business objectives.

• Final Assessment: May involve a brief technical exercise or a discussion about your approach to a hypothetical design problem relevant to the client's domain.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your UI design skills, experience with complex digital products, and, crucially, your work with design systems.

• Highlight Systems Thinking: For each project, clearly articulate your contribution to or impact on a design system. Show examples of components, patterns, and how they ensure consistency and scalability.

• Figma Mastery: Be prepared to demonstrate your advanced Figma skills, perhaps by walking through a complex component or a well-structured library.

• Client-Centric Approach: Choose projects where you can clearly articulate the problem, your solution, your process, and the measurable impact or learnings.

• Presentation Readiness: Practice presenting your work concisely and engagingly. Be ready to answer "why" behind your design decisions and how they align with user needs and business goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Deep Dive: Be ready to discuss the principles of robust design systems, their benefits, and common challenges in implementation and maintenance.

• Complex UX to UI Translation: Prepare to explain your process for translating intricate user flows and wireframes into intuitive and visually appealing UI.

• Stakeholder Communication Scenarios: Think about how you would handle constructive criticism, disagreements on design direction, or requests for design changes from clients or product managers.

• Travel Brand Context: Research the client's current digital presence. Understand their user base, their competitive landscape, and potential areas for design improvement.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily emphasizes portfolio presentation and client-facing communication. Candidates should prepare to "show, don't just tell" their design expertise, particularly concerning design systems and Figma. The client interview is a key gate, testing not only design skill but also presentation and strategic thinking alignment.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: This is explicitly stated as the primary tool for design and prototyping. Expert-level proficiency is required, including advanced features like component instances, variants, auto layout, variables, smart animate, and extensive use of libraries and design system architecture.

• Design System Management Tools: While Figma is the platform, understanding the principles and practicalities of managing design tokens, component libraries, and style guides within a system is paramount.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not directly a design tool, an understanding of how UI designs impact user behavior metrics is beneficial. Exposure to analytics platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics) and their reporting capabilities can inform design decisions. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the UI Designer role itself, but an awareness of how user interfaces interact with CRM systems or automated workflows can provide context for design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Figma is the non-negotiable tool for this role. Candidates must be able to demonstrate mastery beyond basic usage, focusing on its capabilities for building and maintaining scalable design systems. Other tools are secondary, but an awareness of the broader digital product ecosystem is advantageous.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Creativity & Imagination: AKQA champions the "imaginative application of art and science." This role requires innovative thinking and a drive to create "beautiful ideas."

• Craftsmanship & Quality: A strong emphasis on detail, precision, and high-quality execution in all design output. This means pixel-perfect designs, well-structured systems, and polished prototypes.

• Collaboration & Partnership: Working effectively within a multidisciplinary team and closely with clients is essential. This involves open communication, mutual respect, and a shared drive towards project success.

• User-Centricity: Designs must be grounded in user needs and behaviors, ensuring usability and delight for the end-user.

• Progressive & Limitless Thinking: Encouraging exploration of new ideas and approaches, pushing creative boundaries while remaining focused on client objectives.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teamwork: Expect a highly collaborative environment where designers work shoulder-to-shoulder with UX, product, strategy, and engineering. This involves regular feedback sessions, joint problem-solving, and a shared sense of ownership.

• Client Partnership: A professional and confident approach to client interactions, acting as a trusted advisor and design advocate. This includes actively listening to client needs and objectives while confidently presenting and defending design recommendations.

• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing best practices, insights, and learnings within the team and across disciplines to continuously improve collective output and individual growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes both individual creative brilliance and collaborative execution. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to thrive in a fast-paced, client-focused agency environment, where quality, innovation, and strong working relationships are paramount.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Complex Systems: Designing for a large, established travel brand with a complex digital ecosystem can present challenges in maintaining consistency and integrating new features seamlessly.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Effectively managing design expectations and feedback from multiple client stakeholders with potentially diverse priorities.

• Evolving Design Systems: Contributing to and evolving a sophisticated design system requires meticulous attention to detail, foresight, and the ability to anticipate future needs.

• Hybrid Work Integration: Successfully collaborating and maintaining strong communication across both remote and in-office workdays, ensuring seamless integration with the client team.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Design System Mastery: Opportunity to hone expertise in building, scaling, and maintaining complex design systems, a highly sought-after skill.

• Client Presentation & Influence: Significant opportunities to develop and refine client-facing presentation skills, negotiation, and design advocacy.

• Industry-Specific Design: Gaining in-depth experience in the nuances of designing for the travel industry, understanding user motivations and operational complexities.

• Exposure to Agency Best Practices: Learning from AKQA's established creative processes and methodologies for delivering high-impact digital experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed around the complexity of the project and the nature of client-agency relationships. The growth opportunities are geared towards elevating specialized design expertise and client management skills within a high-profile context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for a complex digital ecosystem. What were the key challenges, and how did your UI design and systems thinking approach address them?" (Focus on process, systems, and problem-solving.)

• "Walk us through your process for translating intricate UX flows into high-fidelity UI designs. How do you ensure usability and brand consistency?" (Highlight translation skills and attention to detail.)

• "How do you approach presenting your design work to client stakeholders, especially when receiving critical feedback or facing disagreements?" (Prepare for stakeholder management and communication scenarios.)

• "What is your philosophy on design systems, and what makes a design system truly scalable and effective?" (Demonstrate deep understanding of design system principles.) Company & Culture Questions:

• "Based on your understanding, how do AKQA's values of 'imaginative application of art and science' translate into your design approach for this project?" (Show you've researched AKQA and can connect their values to your work.)

• "How would you integrate into a hybrid team structure, balancing remote collaboration with mandatory in-office client days?" (Address your approach to hybrid work and collaboration.)

• "What attracts you to working with a major travel brand, and what unique design considerations do you believe are important in this industry?" (Demonstrate industry interest and strategic thinking.) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each portfolio piece, clearly define the problem, your role, the process, your specific contributions (especially regarding UI and design systems), the challenges, the solutions, and the outcomes/learnings.

• Deep Dive on Figma & Systems: Be prepared to navigate your Figma files, showcasing complex components, system architecture, and interactive prototypes. Explicitly call out how your work contributes to a scalable and maintainable design system.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use metrics or qualitative feedback to demonstrate the impact of your designs. If direct metrics aren't available, articulate the intended impact and rationale.

• Concise & Engaging Delivery: Practice presenting within a set timeframe. Focus on clarity, visual storytelling, and confidently articulating your design decisions and their strategic underpinnings.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating not just design skill but also strategic thinking, strong communication, and a deep understanding of design systems and Figma. The client interview is a critical component, so practicing client-facing presentations is essential.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the AKQA careers portal link provided.

• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to prominently feature projects that highlight your expertise in UI design for complex digital products and your contributions to design systems. Ensure your most relevant and impactful work is easily accessible and clearly explained.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your years of experience, specific UI design skills (especially Figma), design system development, stakeholder presentation experience, and any relevant industry exposure (e.g., travel, large-scale consumer digital products). Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio. Prepare to articulate your design rationale, process, and systems thinking clearly and concisely, especially for client-facing scenarios. Rehearse responses to common interview questions for senior design roles.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research AKQA, WPP, and the client (if identifiable). Understand their brand, mission, recent work, and company culture. This will enable you to tailor your responses and demonstrate genuine interest and cultural fit.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.