Design Hiring Agency — Est. 2024

Hire
exceptional
designers.

TONKO finds and places the world's best design talent — permanently, into your company. We do the searching, vetting, and matching. You make the hire.

Start your search

Finding the
right fit

01

Deep
Search

We go beyond job boards. Our network of passive, senior-level designers isn't on LinkedIn — we know where to look.

02

Rigorous
Vetting

Every candidate is screened for craft, culture fit, and seniority before you ever see a name. No noise, only signal.

03

Permanent
Placement

We place designers as full employees of your company. One placement fee, then the talent is entirely yours.

From brief
to signed offer

01

Brief

One conversation. We learn your role, team culture, growth stage, and what makes a designer succeed in your environment.

02

Search

We tap our curated network — actively headhunting top-tier talent, not filtering inbound applications.

03

Present

You receive a shortlist of 3–5 vetted candidates with detailed profiles, portfolio notes, and our recommendation.

04

Hire

You interview, you decide, you hire. We support negotiation and a smooth handover. Our commission is paid on placement.

Simple.
Transparent.
Commission only.

Fee structure 7% of first-year salary,
paid on placement
Upfront cost None — you pay only
when you hire
Guarantee Free replacement within
90 days if it doesn't work
Lock-in No retainers, no exclusivity,
no long-term contracts
Product Design UX / UI / Systems
Brand Identity Strategy / Visual / Naming
Motion & Interaction Animation / Prototyping
Design Systems Architecture / Tokens / Docs
Creative Direction Art Direction / Leadership
Design Leadership Head of Design / CDO / VP

Recently placed & available designers

"The best designers aren't looking for a job. They're waiting for the right one. We make sure that's yours."

— The TONKO approach

Start your search

Tell us
who you
need.

Contact us
Based in Lisbon, PT
Placements Worldwide
First shortlist Within 2 weeks
Initial call Always free