Art Director

Job Description

At AKQA, we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and experiences that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

Creatives at AKQA San Francisco apply artistry and craftsmanship to strategic insight, to create and bring to life beautiful ideas that move the world. As skilled storytellers and conceptors, they work in a multidisciplinary environment to develop labors of love that delight customers and deliver results for clients. Multidisciplinary Art Directors play essential roles in the strategy, conception and design of beautiful ideas, products and services. They bring exceptional creative thought and they craft output, developing and delivering projects from the brief to end user.

From our location in San Francisco's SOMA district—AKQA offers our staff the opportunity to produce meaningful work for world-class companies in one of the world's most vibrant and beautiful cities.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Multidisciplinary. Responsible for shaping primary design direction and industry-leading design and technology practices to provide cohesive support of overall creative strategies. Is able to work across multiple Collaborates with various teams within AKQA to support client relationships and contribute ideas and creative work for pitches as needed. Works with junior Designers to ensure pixel-perfect executions.
• Develop. Proactively researches and pursues opportunities for professional development. Becomes an expert in new tools as they become available and adopted by the agency. Actively seeks creative opportunities and projects beyond his/her expected duties, including the mentoring of junior Creatives.
• Creative craft skills. Possesses an exceptional design aesthetic, and the ability to implement strategic and conceptual thinking to projects with little oversight. Demonstrates world-class execution of innovative and effective digital communications and interface design experiences across all digital platforms; proficient in the most up-to-date design programs. Able to analyze problems, anticipate consequences, and eliminate obstacles to successfully complete projects.
• Idea generation. Contributes multiple conceptual ideas to briefs with a holistic view of the brand and its touchpoints, and a deep understanding of the target’s needs or mindset. Collaborates on campaign ideas with a creative team and capable of measuring ideas against the industry’s highest creative standards and the client’s business objectives.
• Leadership & Mentoring. Takes personal accountability for on-time deliverables and expertly designs in accordance with client style guides, standards, audience and media. Is a leader within the agency, contributing towards the development of client relationships. Assists junior Designers in their professional development.
• New business development. Contributes to the ideas and creative work for pitches and helps design final presentations.

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

• A portfolio of exceptional and multidisciplinary work
• A minimum of eight years’ experience in the creative industry, with experience across art direction, design, branding, and UX
• Exceptional design aesthetic, variations on styles, and awareness of design trends and
• Advanced presentation skills: designing presentations as well as presenting internally and to clients
• Solid typography skills
• Proficiency with relevant Creative Cloud programs, Sketch, Figma and other design programs
• Ability to use animation or prototyping programs (After Effects, InVision, etc.) is a plus, but not required
• Strong professionalism and mature presence in aspects of team and client relationship building
• Deep knowledge and genuine interest in the work being done in the fields of technology, advertising, communications, and marketing
• Strong organizational skills and extreme attention to detail

AKQA is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.