Art Director

Focus :

This role creates and manages the creative output within the agency. It is responsible for ensuring the highest level of creative output for the brands by establishing brilliant creative excellence through the development of high-level concepts and sound creative judgment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the overall look and feel of the creative work.
• Gains an understanding of the target audience and brand that the advert is targeted at.
• Develops and builds the concept of the work with the creative team.
• Works closely with the Copywriter to generate creative ideas and concepts to fulfil the client's brief.
• Pitches and presents ideas to colleagues and clients.
• Liaises with clients and interprets their briefs.
• Produces sketches or TV storyboards or 'roughs' or 'scamps' (print) to communicate ideas to the client.
• Monitors the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
• Liaises with production companies, photographers, typographers, designers and printers.

Competencies:

Creativity:

• Generates great creative advertising ideas that are clear, persuasive, original, relevant and brand aware.
• Works to raise the bar on the quality of creative output for brands; delivers high quality creative work.
• Produces award-winning and well-recognised creative work which fits the model of Populist Creativity.
• Brainstorms ideas and concepts with other agency teams.

Strategic Thinking:

• Shows an interest/keeps close to wider brand and agency projects.
• A visualiser and communicator of creative excellence.
• Is a positive representative of the agency and is an advocate of the agency internally and externally in attitude and behaviour by demonstrating enthusiasm, energy, can-do attitude and contribution to agency life.

Project Management:

• Submits ideas and discusses progress with the creative director before presenting to clients.
• Oversees campaigns through the production stage to completion.
• Amends, revises and redevelops campaigns in response to feedback from the creative director or clients.
• Works on several campaigns at once, under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Helps set clear expectations to the agency on delivery timings and supports delivery to/beyond expectation.

Business/Financial Acumen:

• Ensures creative is on brief and brand-aligned.
• Makes balanced decisions based on value and costs and resource levels.
• Proactive with creative work and looks for opportunities where briefs may not exist.

Client Relationships:

• Delights clients via a steady stream of great work and ideas.
• Contributes to the development of the agency’s relationship with the client.
• Can sell a creative idea and is able to plan a professional and persuasive presentation using simple, logical arguments; is comfortable presenting creative ideas to clients.
• Earns the respect and confidence of the client and the team for their contribution to the business.

Innovation:

• Able to demonstrate how creative ideas work in a multi-channel environment; actively pursues new media and digital solutions.
• Drives to approach situations in novel, innovative ways; brings ideas to life and adds value to the agency.
• Has a good grasp of current cutting-edge creative work from around the world; up to date with popular culture and trends.

Collaboration:

• Works in a close-knit creative partnership with the art director to generate workable concepts and ideas.
• Builds and maintains good relationships with the account and planning teams; involves teams to discuss client requirements and product background; works sensitively with others, makes an effort to listen and understand views.
• Gains the absolute trust of the creative team leads
• Provides effective, regular communication to keep others informed; recognizes when to escalate upwards; involves creative leads in work updates.