Creative Director/ Art Director

SUMMARY:

Primary Base of Operation: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

MKR is searching for a Creative Director with a background in Art Direction to manage the creative department and the production of projects from concept creation to completion. This position will include supervision over a team of creatives in copywriting, art direction, design and digital development. The Creative Director is responsible for collaborating with creative, account, strategy, and media to develop and recommend marketing initiatives to meet the clients business strategies and objectives. With their account team, they share responsibility for brand strategy, team cohesion, client management, and creative quality. The Creative Director knows how to develop great work as well as great people. They are ambassadors of the agency internally and externally, as well as leaders in new business pitches.

To be successful as a Creative Director, you should be able to develop concepts based on strategic insights gleaned from creative briefs. Our expectation is that your ideas will be engaging, relevant, innovative, effective and highly creative. Ultimately, we’re looking for a conceptual powerhouse with the ability to motivate and direct their team in the ideation and production of best-in-class work across different platforms. The ideal candidate will be experienced, proactive, resourceful, confident and collaborative in a group setting that nurtures talent and prioritizes client objectives above all else. In addition to the day-to-day role of managing the team, the candidate will also be required to anticipate future needs and engage in proactive problem-solving and team development.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR:

Big, Strategic Concepts.

We want a campaign generator. Someone who knows how to find the gems in a creative brief. We want someone who enjoys the discovery phase, and excels when given meaningful audience insights. You’ll be tasked with concepting big, bold, strategically-sound creative platforms that will become the foundation for fully-integrated 360-degree campaigns. CollaborationTeamwork and collaboration are foundational to this creative department. You will be partnered with many talented individuals on a daily basis - art directors, copywriters, designers, strategists, project managers and account managers. We need someone who is calm under pressure and understands how to collaborate in the spirit of shared goals and positivity. HungerWe want an CD who is ready for increased responsibility. Someone who is seeking an opportunity to work with amazing people on a focused list of rewarding accounts. This is a chance to demonstrate leadership and excellence in an effort to move to the next phase of your career.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supporting the CCO with the development of concepts, creative strategies, and visual communications for a wide range of clients 
• Demonstrating confidence, professionalism and persuasiveness in client presentations. 
• Leading and participating in brainstorming sessions. 
• Managing and supervising multiple projects and teams for multiple clients. 
• Working with Traffic Managers to ensure resources are allocated according to project needs and ensuring smooth processes to keep team on deadlines, which can occasionally be aggressive 
• Directing the design and development of all creative materials for assigned accounts. 
• Mentoring the team of young talent to grow in their craft and strive for excellence. Do so with patience, compassion and professionalism. 
• Directing the team to be efficient, error-free and highly systematic in their approach to execution of printed and digital materials. 
• Meeting client objectives, values, budgets, and deadlines. 
• Keeping up with the latest trends, strategies, and technologies in marketing. 
• Evaluating creative team performance and guiding improvements. Training the team to maintain tight adherence to consistency standards for all clients – including typography, photo style, colors, etc. to ensure brand identity and message consistency across channels. 
• Elevating the visual aesthetic for all assigned accounts, based on strategic and audience-based insights.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A strong portfolio that includes work executed for a wide range of channels, both traditional and digital, produced on behalf of a diverse range of clients. 
• Degree in marketing, graphic design or related field. 
• 10+ years of advertising, marketing or digital agency experience strongly preferred. 
• Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator 
• Solid knowledge of marketing, brand, and design principles and development. 
• Must possess a very keen understanding of new and continually developing social channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube 
• Must have a foundational appreciation and understanding of all steps in the customer purchase funnel, and be able to develop creative that aligns with where the customer is in their journey 
• Ability to be the visual gatekeeper of creative on assigned accounts, held accountable for approving work prior to client presentation or final trafficking 
• Experience leading and managing creative teams. 
• Proven concept and strategy development skills. 
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills 
• Persuasive and engaging presentation skills are a must.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

The agency offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, 401k, flexible work schedules, unlimited vacation days and more. Salary will be commensurate with experience.