Principal Designer, Brand Studio

At Expedia Group, we help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time. As a global travel company powered by passionate people, trusted partnerships, and leading technology, we connect travelers, partners, and advertisers through our consumer brands, B2B network, and travel advertising business.
Here, you'll do meaningful work that helps millions of people discover, book, and experience travel with more ease, confidence, and joy. Our five Behaviors-Traveler First, Think Big, Operate with Excellence, Ownership Mindset, and Succeed Together-help foster a supportive environment where people can grow their careers and have the flexibility, benefits, and support to do their best work. Join us and build for travelers everywhere.
*please kindly include a link to your portfolio in your application
About the role
We're looking for a senior, hands-on Principal Designer to set the standard for design across three of the world’s biggest travel brands: Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo. A hybrid creative thinker who moves fluidly between design and motion, you will shape how our travellers see and feel our brands and raise the bar for design everywhere they show up.
In this position, you will own the depth and quality of our craft and help shape the studio's creative direction. You will push our brands to be bolder and more distinctive, balancing precision with speed across a fast-moving, high-volume studio. You will also be at the forefront of what’s next, exploring how generative AI and emerging tools can unlock new creative possibilities for our brands.
Reporting to the Creative Director, you will bring strong taste and systems thinking to the frameworks that keep the studio ahead of a fast-changing creative landscape. Above all, you will help build a culture where craft and great ideas come first, and creative innovation thrives.
In this role, you will
Start with the idea. Bring an ideas-first, conceptual approach to every brief, turning strategy and business goals into compelling brand narratives with strong storytelling.
Lead through craft. Create world-class design and motion across campaign, brand, commercial and retail work, taking ideas from first concept through to final delivery.
Shape the creative point of view. Help define the studio’s visual direction and the standard of craft across every brand touchpoint, with a clear view on where AI adds value and what should stay human.
Own the brand’s visual identity. Evolve and safeguard the identity systems, guidelines and playbooks that keep Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo distinctive and consistent wherever they show up.
Build systems the studio can use. Create reusable templates, toolkits and workflows, including generative and AI-driven ones, that help the team make on-brand work faster and at scale.
Mentor and inspire. Coach and develop designers and motion designers through hands-on collaboration and give craft direction to freelance and agency partners on specialist work.
Partner with senior stakeholders. Present and champion creative work with senior leaders, and collaborate closely with integrated marketing, product and teams across the business.
Push the craft forward. Test and pilot new tools, formats and creative technologies, and bring the best of them into the studio’s roadmap.
Experience and Qualifications
7+ years in design, with significant experience at a senior level in an in-house brand studio, agency or design consultancy
A portfolio that shows exceptional craft and range across brand identity, campaign and digital work
Strong motion design skills, and an understanding of how motion shapes an identity
Hands-on experience with generative and AI creative tools such as Comfy, Weave, Midjourney, Flora, Adobe Firefly or Runway
A strong understanding of brand systems and how to keep work consistent at scale
Experience presenting creative to senior stakeholders
The ability to balance creative ambition with deadlines, budget and business priorities
Nice to have experience
Comfort with code to build or customise generative tools and pipelines
Experience fine-tuning or training generative AI models for design
Experience working with product and UX design teams on design systems
Experience in a large, multi-brand or global organisation
Award-winning or widely shared design work
If this sounds like you, we'd love to see your work.
Accommodation requests
Expedia Group is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience. If you need an accommodation or adjustment due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please submit a request at https://expedia.service-now.com/askeg?id=job_accommodation.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group includes three flagship consumer brands - Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo - along with a leading B2B travel business and travel advertising offerings. Across our brands and business, we help travelers explore the world with confidence and ease.
Important notice
Employment opportunities and job offers at Expedia Group will always come from Expedia Group's Talent Acquisition and hiring teams. Never share sensitive personal information unless you are confident of the recipient. Expedia Group does not extend job offers via email or messaging tools to individuals with whom we have not made prior contact. Our email domain is @expediagroup.com. The official place to find and apply for roles is https://careers.expediagroup.com/jobs/.
Equal Opportunity
Expedia is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or age.