The successful Creative Director leads and guides the creative process and related creative projects, including integrated cross-channel initiatives, print design, marketing campaigns, eCommerce, online advertising, digital marketing, retail, wholesale and tradeshow environments. S/he is accountable for ensuring the creative work is high quality and aligned with the company brand and target customer. The position drives successful projects with conceptual power and exceptional design skills in a collaborative team environment.
Essential Functions:
Creative Direction
- Leads and manages the creative process as it relates to brand marketing from concept to completion
- Translate marketing objectives into clear creative strategies
- Collaborate with cross-functional multidisciplinary project teams, particularly Marketing, eCommerce, Merchandising/Design, and Sales in order to ensure projects are effective, on time, and that creative is consistent across the channels
- Lead the conceptual and strategic direction for location photo shoots from season to season
- Ensure visual communication and brand standards are met
- Oversee deliverables, timelines and budgets
- Meet with senior leadership to present and communicate campaign strategies and solutions
- Review work, troubleshoot and provide feedback to creative teams
- Respond to requests and ensure proper image selection is provided and utilized in all channels
- Ensure consistency with and appropriateness of all brand imagery through the lenses of our different channels and geography, and through the eyes of our customers and communities; identify issues and take action to resolve
- Oversee the creative direction of internal HQ imagery, graphics, and messaging
Leadership, Management and Communication
- Lead and direct a creative team of up to 15 team members in the design and production of all marketing collateral
- Prepare annual goals and budget for creative; oversees budget
- Keeps teams informed. Coaches for development of brand understanding and creative execution
- Hires and develops staff members
- Prepares and conducts performance assessments and pay reviews
- Ensure effective processes and procedures with clear roles and responsibilities within and across the team
- Oversee all project creative calendars and works with Trafficking to ensure all projects are on time and meet respective project requirements
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Job Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.
Education and Experience Requirements:
- Bachelors’ Degree in design or visual arts, or equal combination of experience and education highly preferred
- 4-6 years working experience as either an Art Director with similar scope of responsibilities and accountabilities
- Experience performing or managing a range of creative positions, such as graphic designer, art director and copywriter
- Strong creative ideas through to execution, and effective problem-solving abilities
- Experienced and skilled at presenting information to upper management and leadership teams
- Proven ability to build and execute on concepts
- Demonstrated strong sense of design and illustration skills
- Experience working in a fast-paced environment adhering to plans and adapting quickly to changes
- Experience managing projects and assignments in collaboration with others
Technical Skills and Experience:
- Must be highly proficient with current versions of Adobe Creative Suite and familiar with a wide range of other design, web and multimedia software and applications.
- User Interface Design - general understanding user analysis, information architecture, usability evaluation and testing, graphical interface design
- Best practice knowledge for creating and optimizing web graphics
- Familiarity with Magento e-commerce platform preferred
- Strong understanding of post-production printing processes, and press checks
- Strong understanding of large format printing for retail and tradeshow environments
