Design Director/Art Director

August Jackson

ABOUT AUGUST JACKSON:

August Jackson is a leading brand engagement agency with 100 staff members and offices in New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The agency’s work for corporate brands, nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions includes branding, campaign development and multichannel activation, with an emphasis on live events and technology-enabled engagement.

https://www.augustjackson.com


Position Details

Design Director/Art Director
Job
Full-time
10/31/2018
Chicago Illinois
Chicago, IL

The Design Director is an active ambassador in supporting Design’s mission to “elevate design and be known for it”. This individual seeks every opportunity to contribute and execute against the agency’s design-forward point-of-view as part of cross-functional teams comprised of agency partners in Market Development, Creative, Production, and Strategy – and is a true champion of collaboration.

The Design Director is versed in, articulates and demonstrates the process/tenants of the discipline – applying narrative design, storytelling, audience experience/journey, and sound visual/aesthetic principles in their work. They are accountable for the design output and execution of powerful, innovative, compelling, relevant and expressive creative solutions that are exemplary of August Jackson’s high standards.

In addition to being a “strong voice in the room” – this individual has a passion for their craft, a desire to grow and learn, and can take direction as well as they can give it.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Design Leadership

  • Elevates design by being a steward of quality control, ensuring design output meets August Jackson’s high standards, and presents vetted work for review by leadership 
  • Works collaboratively with cross-functional teams of internal and external partners – as well as independently – to craft powerful experiences on behalf of clients and the agency. 
  • Fosters a “start with yes” mentality/approach to creative problem solving and is a model of the “AJ5 Values” through exemplary professional conduct and demeanor. 
  • Is a source of inspiration for the team. Constantly seeks and builds awareness around new and innovative techniques and technologies to employ in the design of experiences and is the resident expert in modern design aesthetics and trends

Design Development & Execution

  • Captures relevant insights, creative direction, audience profiles, objectives and project imperatives in the creation of discrete design briefs for distribution to design teammates 
  • Communicates/articulates design concepts, presentations and rationale to leadership, clients and internal audiences/colleagues 
  • Demonstrates the ability to apply principles of narrative design, visual storytelling, audience journey and messaging hierarchy to design work and articulate it to others 
  • Expertly demonstrates a mastery of typography, color, composition, layout and visual storytelling in 2D/3D applications, environments, graphics and video/motion 
  • Creates original design concepts and shepherds them to final execution – working with print, fabrication and digital collaborators to ensure quality 
  • Demonstrates the ability to execute against concept from start to finish 
  • Art directs photo shoots, video shoots/editing, motion graphics, illustration and other content creation exercises both internally and with outside partners and collaborators as necessary 
  • Interprets and implements design direction/feedback from leadership 
  • Continuously seeks professional development and the advancement of design skills 
  • Maintains a target utilization rate of 75% billable hours

REQUIREMENTS:

  • BA degree in Design or related field 
  • Minimum of five years of experience in design or related field 
  • Extensive proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), 
  • Extensive proficiency in PowerPoint and Apple Keynote 
  • Proficiency in 3D software is a big plus (3ds Max, SketchUp, etc.) 
  • Strong traditional and environmental design skills to be used in a variety of applications (i.e. motion, visual campaigns, branding, presentation, scenic, environmental) 
  • Highly organized, flexible, and possess the ability to re-prioritize and multi-task in a fast-paced, deadline-driven, ever-changing creative environment 
  • Great with people at all levels 
  • Unfazed by tight deadlines and conflicting priorities and remain calm under pressure 
  • Willingness to go beyond a job description and jump in wherever needed 
  • Confident and engaging communicator and presenter 
  • Flawless attention to detail 
  • Ability to offer creative problem-solving solutions 
  • Ability to speak to design’s supporting rationale and purpose

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Travel as assigned or required by program and proposal engagements 
  • Occasional on-site site visits and/or quality control support required for events 
  • Approximately 5-10% across the year or as needed


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