Art Director, Visual Design

2 Hours ago • 5 Years +

Job Summary

Job Description

The Art Director at Critical Mass is responsible for developing concepts and executing creative deliverables, including implementing marketing strategies and developing interactive design solutions. They will lead a team of designers, copywriters, and production specialists, balancing creative thinking with interpersonal skills to justify concepts to clients and the project team. This role involves strategic development, directing creative services, contributing to project design, providing quality assurance, mentoring team members, building client relationships, and contributing to the creative department's development. This role requires being in the office 5 days a week.
Must have:
  • 5+ years of design and interactive work experience
  • Experience leading a design team to creative excellence
  • Strong communication skills
  • Ability to think creatively and justify concepts
  • Experience with strategic brainstorming and creative execution
  • Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
Good to have:
  • Solid working knowledge of the latest design tools
  • Passion for interactive storytelling and design systems
  • Experience using video and/or prototyping
  • Comprehensive understanding of interaction and UI design
Perks:
  • Global maternity and parental leave
  • Competitive benefits packages
  • Vacation, compassionate leave, wellness days, and flex days
  • Access to online services for families and new parents
  • Early Dismissal Friday’s (off at 3:00 PM local time every Friday)
  • Diversity and Inclusion Board with 13 affinity groups
  • Internal learning and development programs
  • Enterprise-wide employee discounts

Job Details

The Critical Mass team creates applications which drive one of the world’s most trafficked websites. We play an active role helping our client connect their consumers globally through mobile, digital, and in-store experiences.

Think of all the ways that we explore and purchase products - direct from the source, other retail stores both on and offline. This team focuses on maintaining the branding and human-centered design thinking and experiences throughout indirect channel partners digital ecosystem and drives strategies that provide customers with a thoughtful and engaging experience that stays on-brand.

The Art Director is responsible for conceptual development and the execution of creative deliverables. These responsibilities include creating and communicating concepts, implementing marketing strategies and developing interactive design solutions. Reporting to the Creative Director, the Art Director will work with and lead a collaborative team of designers, copywriters and production specialists. Balancing creative thinking with interpersonal skills, this person will demonstrate an ability to justify concepts to both the client and the project team. 

This role is required to be in office 5 days per week.


You Will:  

  • Develop concepts, communicate ideas, and design solutions that meet or exceed strategic objectives in a highly collaborative and iterative studio environment 
  • Balance strategic development with client business objectives
  • Direct & delegate to core creative services disciplines (design, information architecture, audio design, production and copywriting)
  • Directly contribute to project design and development:
    - create storyboards / initial graphic concepts 
    - conceive functional design solutions 
    - create site grids and interface demos 
  • Provide quality assurance of all creative deliverables
  • Mentor and coach team members through project development and performance management
  • Build and maintain a rapport with clients, partner agencies and vendors
  • Contribute to the innovative development of the creative department

You Have:  

  • Strong design portfolio with 5+ years design and interactive work experience 
  • Experience leading a team of designers, production specialists and writers to creative excellence
  • Well-developed communication skills
  • Ability to think creatively and justify concepts to clients and team members
  • Experience with strategic brainstorming, campaign development, creative brief development and creative execution
  • Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
  • Proven aptitude for quick creative thinking with acute attention to detail within demanding deadlines
  • Solid working knowledge of the latest design tools including Adobe CS, Sketch, Principle
  • Passion for interactive storytelling, ecommerce, product design, or design systems
  • Experience using video, motion samples and/or prototyping to sell your creative ideas to team members and stakeholders
  • Comprehensive understanding of interaction and UI design
  • Committed to the profession of visual communication

What we offer:

  • Global maternity and parental leave 
  • Competitive benefits packages 
  • Vacation, compassionate leave, wellness days, and flex days 
  • Access to online services for families and new parents
  • Early Dismissal Friday’s (off at 3:00 PM local time every Friday) 
  • Diversity and Inclusion Board with 13 affinity groups 
  • Internal learning and development programs 
  • Enterprise-wide employee discounts 

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer. 

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.com and us.greenhouse-mail.io. We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly.

If U.S. based: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams#avoid
If Canada based: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html
If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx 

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About The Company

Critical Mass is a team of 1,800 inspired folks based in 12 offices around the world, providing full-service digital capabilities for the greatest brands on Earth. Our secret sauce is our uncompromising design standards, our relentless focus on customers, and an ability to put powerful new technologies to work for our clients.


We work with the best—Apple, Nike, Mars Wrigley, Nissan, Diageo, Airbnb, BMW, BNY Mellon, Johnson & Johnson, and many more—brands who strive for connected digital ecosystems and unparalleled experiences. We help them get there by gaining deep insight into their consumers and orchestrating data, AI, design, media, and tech stacks around human stories.


We’re a global agency founded in Canada, but digital is our home. If you know us, then you know we’re a special, quirky place that attracts big talent and tiny egos. (We actually give out a “so f-n nice” award—lots of them). But just because we’re friendly doesn’t mean we’re not a force to be reckoned with. We’re driven. Relentless. And we live our values. We’re Critical Mass, but our friends call us CM. Please call us CM!

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