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 applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

The Senior Art Director works in collaboration with Copywriters, Creative Directors, Designers, Account and Strategy teams to develop the strategic concept, design direction, and visual realization of digital products, design systems, brand campaigns, and multi-platform experiences. From concept through creation, the AD ensures we are making a difference to consumers’ behavior, with a focus on unexpected creativity, visual distinction, and the innovative use of technology and media.

Candidates for this position must be based in Los Angeles and on-site collaboration will be expected at least part-time. Our Los Angeles studio offers team members the opportunity to produce meaningful work for world-class companies and institutions in one of the world’s most vibrant cities. 

 

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Create and manage original, persuasive concepts for campaigns, physical and digital platforms, and non-traditional outputs with some supervision.
• Lead projects from briefing through concept ideation, design development, and production, often in collaboration with a Sr. Copywriter, and with support from a Creative Director/Design Director and Strategist. 
• Synthesize briefs, understand where there may be gaps, and offer constructive questions during strategic sessions in order to guide the process toward singular creative proposals with consideration for brand, budget, and timeline.
• Develop layouts and storyboards to convey visual tone and style for still images and motion pieces.
• Possess a strong knowledge of contemporary photographers, DPs, stylists, artists, and illustrators, and the ability to provide an informed point of view on creative collaborators for a given project.
• Develop concepts for logotypes, brand identity systems, and multi-platform experiences (digital, physical, extended reality).
• Communicate ideas and proposals with exceptional clarity—both verbally and through visual presentations for internal meetings with senior leaders, as well as for client-facing interaction. Comfortable explaining creative concepts to an audience, as required.
• Attend campaign shoots and provide in-person direction as needed.
• Contribute to thought-leadership activities and stimulate professional development and inspiration within the team.
• Deep cultural curiosity, engagement, and base of reference points. 

 

QUALIFICATIONS 

• A compelling portfolio of distinctive work that demonstrates conceptual thinking, a highly developed editorial eye, and the ability to craft visual projects with care, brand-appropriate perspective, and aesthetic refinement.
• A desire to break boundaries, continually improve, and craft memorable, world-class projects.
• Fluency with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), presentation tools (Keynote, Google Slides), and collaboration tools (Figma, Miro, G-suite, Zoom, Teams, etc.). 
• Candidates with the ability to extend their skill set through 3D modeling, editing, motion graphics, illustration, or programming tools will be strongly considered.    
• 8+ years of professional design experience, with significant experience in Art Direction.
• BFA/MFA in Graphic Design or a related field is preferred.

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, color, 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.

 

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The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. Explore our extensive range of benefits here.—$75,000—$180,000 USD