Design Leadership
for Startups

This is a fractional design leadership service for early-stage startup companies, or innovative projects in larger companies.

Fractional leadership is when organizations hire an expert with high-level skills, experience, and network, without committing to full-time employment.

A design leader can be responsible for all kinds of hands-on design work, including product design, the company website, marketing assets, and internal communications. He helps other teams like dev, marketing, and sales to use design effectively. He joins strategic conversations on business and org design.

I don't do all of these things all the time, and I don't do all of them for every client. Rather, we continuously analyze the needs at hand, and re-compose my role as required, zooming in and out between strategic leadership and hands-on tactical contributions.

Most of my clients are founders leading a startup in its first couple of years of business, employing 2 to 20 people. They have raised seed or series A capital, or earning at least 6-figure annualized revenue.

I also work with organizations that support multiple startups, such as VCs, incubators, accelerators, syndicates, and venture studios, providing design expertise to their portfolio companies.

I'm often as the only designer on the team, and have always been (but don't have to be) the most senior designer.

One reason why leaders choose me is that I speak the languages of engineering and business. I work seamlessly with dev and marketing teams, and business-focused CEOs. (Before my PhD in design, I double-majored in engineering and economics.)

I specifically work with startups and come with experience in the lifecycle, needs, and practices of early-stage tech companies.

Finally, every designer has a unique personality and visual style, and my clients often prefer mine over the alternatives.

I can personally deliver all kinds of design work that an early-stage startup might need, including: product design, product strategy, branding, creative direction, prototypes, web design and development, design systems, and printed matter.

I often call upon my battle-tested network of freelancers for specific deliverables to increase quality and speed. This is included in my fees.

I also recruit and direct specialists for high-caliber artistic and engineering work (e.g. bespoke typography and illustrations, motion design, photography, 3D graphics, physical products), whose fees are added to my invoices. I don't charge an additional fee to manage them.

I'm very experienced in designing and building websites and web applications.

My domain experience and interests span publishing, education, fashion, photography, industrial design, social sciences, academic research, AI, and blockchain applications.

I charge monthly and commit 40 hours per month to each client, paid upfront. Payments are made in the form of a monthly subscription using Stripe, which accepts various cards and payment providers. It is possible to purchase multiple 40-hour blocks.

Currently I charge $5,000 per each 40-hour commitment. My rates are informed by the Sweden-based Design Leadership Community's annual State of Design Report.

My company Weatherlight AB is registered in Sweden and taxes are charged or waived according to your business domicile.

My designs are based on strongly-defended minimalist ideas executed with extreme attention to detail in materials and interaction.

I aspire to create impeccable typography, sophisticated layouts, and exquisite microinteractions, resulting in digital experiences that feel well-organized and luxurious.

I'm often inspired by mid- and late-20th century European graphics and industrial design (as seen in the works of Massimo Vignelli, Josef Müller-Brockmann, Armin Hofmann, Karl Gerstner, and Dieter Rams), as well as contemporary Scandinavian graphic design.

This website and the work showcased above are good examples of my designs. If you like what you see here, you will probably like what I design for you.