Senior Art Director

Material is looking for a multifaceted Senior Art Director to live at the intersection between strategic business objectives and creative expression. Seasoned enough to take lead in delivering on our Creative Director’s direction, the Senior Art Director will possess the originality to develop new visual directions for our clients, the fluency to mimic existing ones, and the dexterity to flex across them all. The Senior Art Director is a designer at heart and can make compelling, conceptual work–together with captivating copy–that solves business problems with beauty. Strong experience extending concepts across all execution channels–including digital, web, packaging, advertising, and environmental–is critical.

An illustrative hand is a plus.

Responsibilities:

– Develop conceptual solutions for all manner of execution: digital, social, video, and print.
Collaborate with creative directors and art directors as assigned to develop conceptual solutions across channels and industries
– Bring a seasoned background from a variety of industries
– Create strategic campaign work that either defines a brand personality or amplifies an existing one.
– Concept and art-direct compelling video content, including understanding how timing, video, music, and language all play together.
– Prepare for, manage and thrive in the spontaneity of photo and video shoots from end to end Must be able to inspire and collaborate with directors and photographers and be able to manage the relationship with clients on set
– Work with the team to articulate the business case for the creative approach, preparing sound and thoughtful rationale for work that works. Offer your ideas clearly and proactively, both in writing and in person (this is not everyone’s skillset; we require it)
– Leads strong, collaborative partnerships with account managers to ensure the delivery of work is brief and strategically relevant.
– Understand each client’s business model basics, key issues, demographics, and competitive situation.
– Has an unusual eye for sourcing great swipe, stock and other to bring surprising comps to life
– Lead brainstorming sessions and encourage fresh thinking from junior creative staff
– Develop and deliver thoughtful client presentations and represent the agency and the work with consideration and creativity.

Characteristics:

– Unafraid of lobbing big ideas into the pit
– Maintains a hungry design diet: track trends, know where design is at and where it’s heading
– Prizes design that communicates powerfully and beautifully and can resist the temptation to design for design’s sake.
– An ideas person that can bring strategic insight to every point of influence in the marketing continuum
– Respects, and knows what to do with, content
– A relationship builder who instills confidence in the work product both internally and for clients
– Possesses flexibility: in the work and with clients. Someone who can pivot unflustered when the situation requires it.
– Is an optimistic problem solver who relishes challenges and has the stamina to work through them.
– Is collaborative and proactive, taking initiative and anticipating the next steps.
– Prideful in detail, file and asset organization

Requirements:

– At least 7 years of design and art direction experience in an agency or studio setting.
– Has both traditional advertising campaign experience and extensive digital media insight
– A Bachelor’s degree, preferably from an art school or an ad/design program
– Detailed, current knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite e.g., Photoshop, InDesign,
– Illustrator. Knowledge of other design applications is a plus e.g., Sketch/Figma, Invision,
– Microsoft Office Suite. AfterEffects and Premiere are a plus.
– Knowledge of social platforms and social media best practices.
– Experience presenting to clients
– Experience producing photography + video shoots.
– A rich book including the following: several multimedia campaigns that demonstrate concepts that flex across platforms, particularly video; fluency in the digital, web and social spaces, some long-form print.

About Us:

Material is an analytics-driven marketing services firm powered by sophisticated analytics and deep human understanding. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in LA, the company has grown consistently for nearly 50 years and currently has 1200 employees in 20 offices including NY, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, and London. Material has actively acquired a portfolio of businesses to build a unique, integrated marketing services business with key capabilities in analytics, intelligence and experience for an array of top tier clients in entertainment, tech, retail, healthcare, and packaged goods.

Material+ is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer oriented toward inclusivity. We celebrate diversity, not just in commitment but in action. We get it and hire people who do, too.