Digital Art Director

This role creates and manages creative output within the agency, ensuring the highest level of creative excellence for the brands. As part of our evolving creative processes, we're looking for an Art Director who is not only aware of Generative AI but actively explores its creative potential to enhance and innovate design. The Art Director will be responsible for developing high-level concepts, exercising sound creative judgment and pushing the boundaries to create exceptional, forward-thinking brand experiences.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the overall look and feel of the creative work.
• Gains an understanding of the target audience and brand that the advert is targeted at.
• Develops and builds the concept of the work with the creative team.
• Works closely with the Copywriter to generate creative ideas and concepts to fulfil the client's brief.
• Pitches and presents ideas to colleagues and clients.
• Liaises with clients and interprets their briefs.
• Produces sketches or TV storyboards or 'roughs' or 'scamps' (print) to communicate ideas to the client.
• Monitors the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
• Liaises with production companies, photographers, typographers, designers and printers.

Competencies:

Generative AI Proficiency:

• Familiarity with AI tools such as Midjourney, DALL·E, Runway, or Adobe Firefly for visual ideation and prototyping
• Understanding of prompt engineering to direct visual output effectively
• Ability to art direct AI-generated assets to align with brand and campaign aesthetics
• Experience integrating AI into workflows for concept mockups, storyboarding, and iterative design
• Awareness of ethical and copyright considerations in AI-generated content

Creativity:

• Generates great creative advertising ideas that are clear, persuasive, original, relevant and brand aware.
• Works to raise the bar on the quality of creative output for brands; delivers high quality creative work.
• Produces award-winning and well-recognised creative work which fits the model of Populist Creativity.
• Brainstorms ideas and concepts with other agency teams.

Strategic Thinking:

• Shows an interest/keeps close to wider brand and agency projects.
• A visualiser and communicator of creative excellence.
• Is a positive representative of the agency and is an advocate of the agency internally and externally in attitude and behaviour by demonstrating enthusiasm, energy, can-do attitude and contribution to agency life.

Project Management:

• Submits ideas and discusses progress with the creative director before presenting to clients.
• Oversees campaigns through the production stage to completion.
• Amends, revises and redevelops campaigns in response to feedback from the creative director or clients.
• Works on several campaigns at once, under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Helps set clear expectations to the agency on delivery timings and supports delivery to/beyond expectation.

Business/Financial Acumen:

• Ensures creative is on brief and brand-aligned.
• Makes balanced decisions based on value and costs and resource levels.
• Proactive with creative work and looks for opportunities where briefs may not exist.

Client Relationships:

• Delights clients via a steady stream of great work and ideas.
• Contributes to the development of the agency's relationship with the client.
• Can sell a creative idea and is able to plan a professional and persuasive presentation using simple, logical arguments; is comfortable presenting creative ideas to clients.
• Earns the respect and confidence of the client and the team for their contribution to the business.

Innovation:

• Able to demonstrate how creative ideas work in a multi-channel environment; actively pursues new media and digital solutions.
• Drives to approach situations in novel, innovative ways; brings ideas to life and adds value to the agency.
• Has a good grasp of current cutting-edge creative work from around the world; up to date with popular culture and trends.

Collaboration:

• Works in a close-knit creative partnership with the art director to generate workable concepts and ideas.
• Builds and maintains good relationships with the account and planning teams; involves teams to discuss client requirements and product background; works sensitively with others, makes an effort to listen and understand views.
• Gains the absolute trust of the creative team leads
• Provides effective, regular communication to keep others informed; recognizes when to escalate upwards; involves creative leads in work updates.

Requirements:

• 3 years experience in art direction or senior design role, preferably within a creative agency
• Strong portfolio showcasing campaign ideation, layout design, typography, and cross-platform thinking
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects a plus)
• Experience working on social, digital, film, and print campaigns
• Ability to balance creative vision with practical execution and timelines