CDO as a Service: Strategic Design Leadership On-DemandVarun Murkar
Why this exists
Hiring a full-time Chief Design Officer is expensive and overkill when you’re still proving or scaling. But running without design leadership usually means:
Inconsistent product experience
Team rework and wasted time
Design decisions made too late (or not at all)
With me, you get fractional design leadership — so you don’t burn money on a C-suite hire, but you still get the clarity and direction of one.
What to expect
Clear design strategy aligned with your company’s growth stage
Consistent oversight that keeps the team efficient and on track
High-level thinking with tactical design execution when needed
Flexible engagement (monthly retainer or project-based support)
Who is this for?
Startups past MVP but not ready for a full-time CDO
Founders who want a co-pilot for design while they focus on growth, fundraising, and sales
Teams who keep saying “we’ll fix design later” — but know that “later” never comes
What's included
Design Strategy & Vision
I’ll help you figure out where your product experience should go next — not just features, but the feel, flow, and consistency.
I’ll define or refine your product’s design direction, aligning it with business goals, market positioning, and user needs.
Team & Process Oversight
Guidance for in-house designers or cross-functional teams.
If you already have designers (or even engineers doubling as designers), I’ll give them structure, feedback, and scalable systems to do better work, faster.
Design System & Standards
Implementation or evolution of a design system to ensure consistency, efficiency, and brand alignment. We’ll build (or fix) a design system so your product doesn’t look like 10 different people worked on it.
High-Impact Reviews & Approvals
I’ll jump in for design reviews, approvals, and feedback so you don’t have to play “Chief Design Officer” on top of being a founder. Regular check-ins, design critiques, and decision-making support for key product initiatives.
Stakeholder Alignment
I’ll bridge design, product, and engineering leadership, making sure design has a voice at the decision-making table. I'll make sure design actually talks to product and engineering, instead of fighting last-minute fires.
FAQs
Designers execute. A CDO shapes vision, sets systems, and ensures design influences strategy. With me, you get executive-level guidance without the cost of a full-time C-suite hire.
Typical engagements range from 10–20 hours/month, adjusted based on your needs.
Yes — while the focus is leadership, I can step in for high-impact design work to set direction and standards.
Yes. I often help founders communicate product and design strategy to investors, boards, or advisory groups.
Both. My main role is strategy and leadership, but I can roll up my sleeves for high-stakes design work when needed.
Not necessarily. If you don’t, I can help you set one up (or get the most out of your current setup).
Starting at$3,000 /mo
Tags
Claude
Figma
Jira
Loom
Product Designer
Product Manager
UX Designer
Service provided by
Varun Murkar Mumbai, India
CDO as a Service: Strategic Design Leadership On-DemandVarun Murkar
Starting at$3,000 /mo
Tags
Claude
Figma
Jira
Loom
Product Designer
Product Manager
UX Designer
Why this exists
Hiring a full-time Chief Design Officer is expensive and overkill when you’re still proving or scaling. But running without design leadership usually means:
Inconsistent product experience
Team rework and wasted time
Design decisions made too late (or not at all)
With me, you get fractional design leadership — so you don’t burn money on a C-suite hire, but you still get the clarity and direction of one.
What to expect
Clear design strategy aligned with your company’s growth stage
Consistent oversight that keeps the team efficient and on track
High-level thinking with tactical design execution when needed
Flexible engagement (monthly retainer or project-based support)
Who is this for?
Startups past MVP but not ready for a full-time CDO
Founders who want a co-pilot for design while they focus on growth, fundraising, and sales
Teams who keep saying “we’ll fix design later” — but know that “later” never comes
What's included
Design Strategy & Vision
I’ll help you figure out where your product experience should go next — not just features, but the feel, flow, and consistency.
I’ll define or refine your product’s design direction, aligning it with business goals, market positioning, and user needs.
Team & Process Oversight
Guidance for in-house designers or cross-functional teams.
If you already have designers (or even engineers doubling as designers), I’ll give them structure, feedback, and scalable systems to do better work, faster.
Design System & Standards
Implementation or evolution of a design system to ensure consistency, efficiency, and brand alignment. We’ll build (or fix) a design system so your product doesn’t look like 10 different people worked on it.
High-Impact Reviews & Approvals
I’ll jump in for design reviews, approvals, and feedback so you don’t have to play “Chief Design Officer” on top of being a founder. Regular check-ins, design critiques, and decision-making support for key product initiatives.
Stakeholder Alignment
I’ll bridge design, product, and engineering leadership, making sure design has a voice at the decision-making table. I'll make sure design actually talks to product and engineering, instead of fighting last-minute fires.
FAQs
Designers execute. A CDO shapes vision, sets systems, and ensures design influences strategy. With me, you get executive-level guidance without the cost of a full-time C-suite hire.
Typical engagements range from 10–20 hours/month, adjusted based on your needs.
Yes — while the focus is leadership, I can step in for high-impact design work to set direction and standards.
Yes. I often help founders communicate product and design strategy to investors, boards, or advisory groups.
Both. My main role is strategy and leadership, but I can roll up my sleeves for high-stakes design work when needed.
Not necessarily. If you don’t, I can help you set one up (or get the most out of your current setup).
$3,000 /mo