[01] Design Talent That Defines
High-Craft Design Recruiting
We're former designers and design leaders turned recruiters. We know the work because we've done it.
Specialized search for the design and product talent that defines great companies: founding designers, senior ICs, and design leaders.
We focus on three disciplines that are increasingly hard to hire well: Product Design, Creative, and Design Engineering. Whether you need a Founding Designer, a creative lead, or a Design Engineer who can ship, we know the profiles, the portfolios, and how to find the people other recruiters miss.
[01] Who We Work With
You're good at the design part. We're good at the people part.
Early Stage
Pre-seed to Series A founders making their first design hire. We help you find the Founding Designer who sets the bar for everything that comes after.
Growth Stage
Series B and C companies scaling a design org. We place the senior ICs, staff designers, and design leaders who can operate at speed and ambiguity.
AI & Emerging Tech
Companies building at the frontier who need designers that understand the medium. Voice AI, multimodal, agentic — we know these roles and how to evaluate them.
Design-Led Teams
Companies where design has a seat at the table. We find the talent that matches your bar — not just someone who can ship, but someone who can raise the standard.
Any Stage, Any Size
From a solo founder making their first design hire to a scaling team building out a full design and product org — if design matters to your company, we can help.
[02] Why It Matters Who You Hire
A Recruiter Who's Been on Both Sides
Former Designer
Before I recruited designers, I was one. I spent years as a Product Designer and Founding Designer at early-stage startups and portfolio companies backed by 500.co and Plug and Play. I know what good design thinking looks like, how it shows up in a portfolio, and what it doesn't.
10+ Years in Recruiting
I've spent 10+ years in recruiting, including 6 years at Meta placing designers, creative directors, and product engineers across Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook. I've hired Founding Designers, senior ICs, design leaders, product and design engineers, and creatives for early-stage and fast-growing companies. I've reviewed thousands of portfolios. I know what elite looks like and I know how to find it.
Boutique
X2Talent is intentionally small. When you work with us, you get me — not a junior coordinator working from a job board. Every search gets hands-on attention, honest feedback, and a recruiter who can have a real conversation with your candidates.
Design Community
I've spent years building relationships with the design community — running communities, mentoring designers, and staying embedded in the space. When I reach out, designers respond. That access is the difference between a good shortlist and a great one.
[03] How We Work
How We Work
- Retained Search
- For your most critical hires. We work exclusively on your role with dedicated sourcing, weekly updates, and a structured process from kickoff to close.
- Contingency Search
- No upfront cost — you only pay when we place. We move fast and draw on our active network to get quality candidates in your pipeline quickly.
- Contract & Freelance
- Need design talent for a project, a sprint, or a gap between hires? We place contractors and freelancers who can hit the ground running.
- Contract-to-Hire
- Not ready to commit full-time? Start with a contract engagement and convert when the fit is confirmed.
- Fractional Design Leadership
- Need a senior design leader before you're ready to hire one full-time? We can connect you with experienced fractional CDOs and Heads of Design.
[04] What to Expect
A Process Built for Startup Speed
- Step 1
Week 1
Kickoff
- Step 2
Week 1–2
Active Sourcing
- Step 3
Week 2–3
Curated Shortlist
- Step 4
Weeks, not months
Offer
[05] Track Record
Companies We've Placed Designers At
Here are just some of the companies we have worked with.
[06] What We Search For
Specialized Design Search
Founding Designer Recruiting
Specialized search for the first design hire at early-stage startups — the zero-to-one designer who sets the bar for brand, product, and team culture before anyone else.
View serviceProduct & UX Design Recruiting
Recruiting for Product Designers, UX Designers, and Interaction Designers — the core design roles that define how a product thinks, feels, and works.
View serviceVisual & Brand Design Recruiting
Recruiting for UI, Visual, and Brand Designers — the designers who build the visual systems, identities, and creative direction that define how a company shows up in the world.
View serviceEmerging & Specialist Design Roles
Recruiting for Voice AI Designers, Conversation Designers, and other cross-disciplinary specialists — the hardest roles to find and the ones most recruiters don't know how to evaluate.
View serviceDesign Engineering & Technical Talent
Recruiting for Design Engineers, Front-End Engineers, and Product Engineers — the technical talent that sits at the intersection of design and code.
View service[07] Team
Design-Literate Recruiters
Carl
Founder of X2Talent, Ex-Product Designer
10+ years in design. Transitioned from product design to recruiting, building teams at BCG Digital Ventures portfolio companies. Spent 6 years at Meta across Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook. Founded X2Talent.
Jeremy
Ex-Meta Design Recruiting Leader
11 years at Meta. Came up in design, transitioned to building design recruiting teams. From IC to Org Leader, has personally recruited hundreds of designers and design leaders.
[08] FAQ
Questions, Answered
Who do you work with?
We partner with early-stage and fast-growing startups at any funding stage — founders making their first design hire, growth-stage teams scaling a design org, and companies that know great design is a competitive advantage.
What are your pricing models?
We offer retained search (engagement fee + success fee) for senior and critical hires, and contingency search (success fee only, paid on placement) for all other roles. We'll recommend the right model based on your role and timeline, and we're always open to building something custom that works for your needs.
How long does a search take?
We move at startup speed. Expect vetted, high-fidelity candidates in your inbox within the first week — and an offer in hand in weeks, not months.
What roles do you specialize in?
We place across all levels, from individual contributors to leadership. Founding Designers, senior and staff Product Designers, design leaders, Design Engineers, brand and visual designers, Content Designers, and the cross-disciplinary hybrid roles that are hardest to fill, including Voice AI and Conversation Designers, creatives, Digital Designers, and Product Engineers. Not sure where your role fits? Just let us know what you need and we'll figure it out together.