Strategic Design Leadership

Strategic Design Leadership

Strategic Design Leadership

I help teams move faster and scale smarter through strategic design, scalable systems, and experienced leadership.

Trusted by

The bottleneck behind every flagship launch.

The bottleneck behind every flagship launch.

You're shipping. But the next big launch needs more design work than your team can handle.

You're a founder with a breakout product and early traction but…

You're a founder with a breakout product and early traction but…

  • You've got a flagship project that deserves senior focus - and a team already at capacity.

  • You need expertise your team doesn't cover - web & mobile apps, AI tools & workflows, branding & marketing.

  • You want to ship faster and better than your current resources allow.

  • You want senior skills without permanent headcount.

Embedded design: senior craft on your team, only when you need it.

How I help

I don’t just advise from the sidelines - I embed inside teams to drive clarity, execution, and measurable design outcomes where they matter most.

Design Strategy

I translate your business objectives into a clear, actionable design roadmap. We'll define your product's core user experience, establish a strong brand identity, and ensure design is a key driver of your growth, not an afterthought.

Team Leadership

I lead, mentor, and upskill your existing designers, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation. I'll also guide your hiring process, helping you build a high-performing design team that can grow with you.

DesignOps

I establish the foundational processes and systems that enable your company to move fast without breaking things. Whether it's a scalable design system or agentic workflows, I'll ensure consistency and quality as you grow.

Project Delivery

I roll up my sleeves and lead your most critical design initiatives, from building software products to navigating a rebrand, I ensure execution is world-class and aligned with strategy every step of the way.

How it works

Every full engagement starts with a clear path to measurable value. This is the proven structure I use in my Design Foundations package to create design impact fast - and build capability that lasts.

Weeks 1–2

Discover

Deep dive into the company’s mission, team, product, and goals. Uncover the friction points. Establish success metrics.

Weeks 3-4

Strategize

Build a custom 90-day roadmap: OKRs, KPIs, quick wins, long-term priorities. Gain exec alignment, board support and team buy-in.

Months 2–6+

Execute

Lead sprints, guide team rituals, mentor talent, evaluate new tools and directly manage initiatives from marketing to product.

Ongoing

Empower

Build capability that scales - from team structure to ops, your designers will have superpowers and know how to use them.

What I offer

Product development for mobile and web apps, design systems, branding, marketing strategy and execution - I work end-to-end across the full stack, alone or embedded with your team. Each engagement is shaped around the work, not a fixed package.

Limited Availability

To stay focused and deliver high-impact results, I only work with 2–3 ambitious companies at a time. So if you're focused on scaling and looking to up your design game - let’s talk.

Get in touch

2 weeks

Design Audit

Evaluate brand, talent, tools, and output to reveal gaps and opportunities.

3 months

Design Foundations

Strategy, systems, and execution to turn design into a driver of clarity, quality and growth.

MAX. 2 Days/Week

Embedded Design Lead

World-class design leadership for your team, at a fraction of the cost.

TBD

Project Delivery

One-off, high-impact initiatives covering everything from building products to global launch campaigns.

Limited Availability

To stay focused and deliver high-impact results, I only work with 2–3 ambitious startups at a time. So if you're focused on scaling and looking to up your design game - let’s talk.

Get in touch

Results That Speak for Themselves

Results That Speak for Themselves

Design only matters when it delivers. Alongside testimonials and press, here are a few numbers that speak to the quality and impact of my work.

KEY RESULTS

30k+

hrs designing

20+

Design Awards

4.4

AVE. APP/PLAY STORE RATING

20M+

app downloads

2M+

monthly users

59%

best 12 month retention rate

Industry average: 30%

$80M+

Investment raised

PRESS

"Perfect"
"Pretty amazing"
"One of the best looking apps I've reviewed"
"Downright gorgeous"

PARTNER TESTIMONIALS

Jonny is simply a world class designer. On top of this, he is a real problem solver who meets the needs of even the most challenging brief. A pleasure to work with.
Joanne Savage

Former Head of Marketing
Fitbit, Google

One of the most talented designers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Everything Jonny worked on consistently wowed. The word I hear most often in response to his work is “Beautiful”.
Ben Harris

CEO
Fresco

CEO, Fresco

Jonny is extremely creative and reliable and has always impressed me with his speedy turn-around while maintaining excellent work.
Maddalena Loeb

Director, Client Relations
WAI

USER REVIEWS

Absolutely wonderful! Rarely do I give 5-star reviews, but this app and it’s associated product are STELLAR! Totally blown away!
App User
Instant Connect
Technology as it should be designed - making my life simpler while delivering better outcomes.
App User
Fresco
I find this app invaluable. I'm blind and can't use a touch screen interface so having this app really makes a difference.
App User
Instant Connect
Love it! The best guided cooking app you can find out there! It is just magical.
App User
Drop Recipes
This is a really well considered app. Like having a cookery school teacher on hand!
App User
Kenwood World
Easy to use, looks good, plenty of recipes to choose from and takes away the stress of cooking.
App User
Fresco

DESIGN REEL

case studies (coming soon)

frescocooks.com

Co-founder /
Head of Design

synths.com (launching soon)

Embedded
CDO

geargrader.com (launching soon)

Embedded
CDO

SAY HI!

If you’re shipping and serious about design, let’s talk.

If you’re shipping and serious about design, let’s talk.

STATUS

AVAILABLE for projects

AVAILABLE for projects

©2026 Jonny McCauley