Art Director

The Art Director provides creative guidance, project oversight, and mentoring to creative team members while supporting the Creative Director in workload planning, resource allocation, and management of freelance resources. This role partners in the concepting, creation, and delivery of direct response marketing, particularly in direct mail and multi-channel marketing communications. In addition, the Art Director is responsible for both hands-on design execution and day-to-day creative workflow coordination, helping ensure projects are appropriately prioritized, resourced, and delivered on time.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities:

• Provide day-to-day creative guidance, feedback, and mentoring for other creative team members on their projects to ensure quality and consistency.
• Coordinate creative project workflow, resource allocation, and freelance team members.
• Serve as a primary administrator of Monday.com, managing project workflow, creative team engagement, time cards, and creative team oversight.
• Consult with the Creative Director and Account Director on estimating.
• Participate in the onboarding of new creative employees.
• Become immersed in Marketing & Creative Services (MCS) clients, understanding the industry verticals, client brands, competitors, and historical campaigns.
• Create original layouts and modify existing layouts and copy using Adobe Creative Suite and related tools, based on client and team direction as well as client brand guidelines.
• In partnership with copywriters, production artists, and others, own the files that get made against specific briefs; meet timelines and make appropriate changes until handoff for execution.
• Ensure that ideas and layouts meet color palette, font usage, link usage, file formats, layers, and brand guidelines.
• Oversee creation of both physical and electronic samples to support presentation and client needs.
• Organize files on the server; understand naming conventions and efficiently move files through the process.
• Ensure that deadlines are met; adjust to changing timelines if needed.
• Support the development of estimates for creative deliverables by providing input on scope, effort, timelines, and resource requirements as needed.
• Stay apprised of production equipment and new formats.
• Create new formats in collaboration with cross-functional teams and apply creativity in all aspects.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities/Competencies:

• Ability to develop or rebuild existing illustrations, logos, and similar items in vector- or raster-based programs depending upon the needs of the project.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships and collaborate across roles and departments to deliver results.
• Excellent listening skills; ability to identify the root of the change request or tweak.
• Flexibility to adapt processes and systems to ensure smooth completion of all projects.
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated initiative, conscientiousness, and exceptional follow-through.
• Willingness and ability to learn executional needs for color separations (both spot-color and CMYK printing) and file building requirements for projects with four-color and/or black/spot color plate changes on press.
• Ability to develop creative in a variety of media, including print, direct mail, digital, and video.

Education and Experience:

• Degree in graphic design or art, portfolio school training, or equivalent preferred.
• Familiarity with direct mail and digital printing is a plus.
• 3-5 years of experience in a printing or agency environment.
• 7-10 years’ experience in the layout and design of impactful advertising and direct response communications.
• Previous experience managing a team and project workflow through a project management tool.
• Proven experience presenting creative concepts, campaigns, and design solutions to clients in partnership with internal stakeholders.
• Proficient in macOS, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, FTP, and project management platforms (Monday.com).

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to work 8 hours consecutively.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Available to work occasionally after hours to meet deadlines.

Salary:

The starting salary range for this position is $105k-$120k.

At IWCO, base pay is determined by job-related knowledge, skills, credentials, and experience, along with factors such as role scope and location. Candidates seeking compensation outside of the posted range are encouraged to apply and will be considered based on their individual qualifications and/or may be considered for other positions.

Pay is influenced by a variety of factors specific to the position, including market conditions and, in some cases, education, work experience, and certifications. Beyond competitive pay, IWCO is committed to supporting our team members and their families with comprehensive benefits. These may include health, dental, and vision insurance, life insurance, and other wellness programs. Eligible employees also enjoy 401(k) plans, paid holidays, vacation time, sick leave, and more. At IWCO, we invest in you so you can take care of what matters most.

IWCO is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome diversity and provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, veteran status, or any protected status as defined by law. Accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities upon request. Contact our HR Department for more information.

Eligibility: Authorization to work for any employer in the United States is required. IWCO will not sponsor a work visa for this role.