Digital Waffle
Art Director
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Lead Creative / Art Director
A global integrated marketing agency with heritage in influencer marketing is hiring a Lead Creative / Art Director to act as number two in the studio and take real ownership of day-to-day creative output.
This is a hands-on, senior role for someone who combines big conceptual thinking with exceptional visual craft. You'll work directly alongside the Senior Creative Director, leading the day-to-day of the studio, owning briefs from strategy through pitch, design and final execution, and confidently fronting pitches and conversations with senior brand leaders. It's not a traditional Art Director role: you'll be as at home opening a blank deck and crafting a pitch from scratch as you are art directing a shoot, presenting to a client or working with fabricators to turn a 3D concept into a physical space.
Role: Lead Creative / Art Director
Salary: £50,000 - £60,000 (depending on experience)
Location: London (Liverpool Street), hybrid, 3 days per week on site
What you'll be doing:
- Develop original, culturally relevant creative ideas across experiential, events, influencer, social, content, PR, OOH and wider integrated campaigns
- Take ownership of creative pitches end to end, from brief through core idea, narrative and visually exceptional decks to presentation
- Personally bring ideas to life through strong design, art direction, visualisation, layouts and storytelling, working directly in creative tools rather than briefing others
- Bring your own strategic thinking to briefs alongside the strategy team, translating audience, brand and cultural insight into compelling platforms
- Protect the original idea and quality of execution from pitch through production and launch
- Concept and art direct experiences, events, influencer trips, pop-ups and IRL activations, working closely with producers, 3D designers and fabricators
- Establish and protect the visual world of campaigns across design, photography, film, social, environments and physical production
- Confidently present and sell creative thinking to senior clients, protecting the strength of the idea through feedback
- Act as day-to-day creative lead in the studio, working closely with the Creative Director to hold a consistently high standard across output
- Line manage and mentor the Junior Designer, giving clear creative direction and space to develop
- Help oversee the agency's own creative identity, credentials, pitch templates, case studies, website and awards materials
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What you'll need:
- At least 5 years' experience within a creative agency or similarly fast-paced creative environment
- Strong background in design and/or art direction, with a portfolio of work that has actually made it out into the world
- Exceptional visual communication, art direction and design craft, including personally crafting beautifully designed pitch decks
- Genuine conceptual thinking, able to translate strategy and cultural insight into simple, compelling creative platforms
- Confidence leading pitches and presenting to senior clients and brand leaders
- Advanced Adobe Creative Suite skills and comfort using AI creatively across ideation, visualisation, art direction, rendering and moving image
- Comfortable moving between multiple clients, pitches and live projects while maintaining creative quality
- Understanding of photography, film, experiential production, materials, fabrication and the realities of turning ambitious ideas into physical experiences
- Solid grasp of working budgets, costs and production realities when developing ideas
- Strong feedback and mentoring skills, with the maturity to develop junior talent
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Nice to have:
- Experience art directing or directing stills and moving-image shoots
- Background in beauty, fashion, lifestyle, entertainment or culturally driven consumer brands
- International campaign delivery across UK, Europe and US
- 3D visualisation experience or comfort directing 3D designers
- Strong understanding of influencer and creator culture
This role would suit a senior creative who wants ownership of the day-to-day of an ambitious studio, still wants to be on the tools, and cares deeply about ideas and craft in equal measure.
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