Art Director Full Time

Main Purpose and Major Challenges of the Role

The role of Art Director is responsible for consistent creative execution across all brands, all consumer touchpoints, and all mediums aligned with GTM calendar. The Art Director is responsible to translate the overall vision and concept for each season into clear and inspiring creative briefs that elevate our brand’s (OK/FW/SD) storytelling focusing on the digital, print, retail, wholesale and products assets and communications directly managing and delegating workflow across all graphic designers for all brand channels. Must be a respected creative professional with a proven track record for planning, overseeing, and managing the execution of visual communications across the premium brand landscape and experience.

This role requires a deep-rooted understanding of the Outerknown, Firewire, and Slater Designs brands, culture, and lifestyle to create the most authentic communications and brand experiences across all brand channels to inspire our passionate community to engage with the brands daily to achieve our business objectives. This position reports into the Creative Director, translates the seasonal conceptual vision into actionable plans and art direction, and manages the Creative Services team in the delivery of all brand assets according to the GTM calendar, with omnichannel integrated alignment (cohesion and unity across Digital, Print, Vertical Retail, & Wholesale channels). A critical part of this role is translating the vision into clear presentations (video storyboards, marketing campaign briefs, and photoshoot briefs) that drive and deliver the assets across all brand channels from concept through design and activation.

This role will work cross-functionally, in close partnership with all creative, product, and marketing stakeholders to ensure briefs optimize the potential of all stories in line with the company GTM Calendar. They must be a great individual contributor capable of creating from a blank canvas, who is also an excellent and organized manager, capable of unlocking the potential of the Creative Services team. They must be extremely well-versed in all aspects of graphic design (Digital and Print), understand all aspects of the photography and video (process, production and editing), and be prepared to roll up their sleeves and be a critical player in contributing to a finely coordinated omni-channel launch culture that drives the OK/FW/SD business.

This individual must understand the coastal surf culture and community at the centre of our brands, while at the same time be well-versed in global popular culture trends in art, fashion and music, to ensure that OK/FW/SD is relevant in the broader cultural conversation across all brand communications and experiences. Must be passionate about creating world-class all-senses brand experiences that elevates the OK/FW/SD brands everywhere we show up.

KEY COLLABORATORS:

• Creative Director: Translate and execute the “Find Your Outerknown” brand vision and feeling across all brand communications and experiences. Be deliberate with decision – the smallest details matter across OK/FW/SD.
• Sr. Director of Merch & Design: To communicate the product design intent, innovation, and purpose in the most inspiring and meaningful ways for men and women.  Evoke Feelings, not just transactions.
• Director of Content & Community: Bring our True Stories to life for OK/FW/SD, featuring inspiring people leading extraordinary lives in the most real and honest way across all imagery and video.
• Director of Digital Brand Marketing & GTM: Design and Deliver compelling and clear communications that deliver on the GTM calendar across OK/FW/SD, and drive results across all business objectives.

CROSS-CHANNEL COLLABORATION: 

• Develop premium brand communications for OK/FW/SD elevating our storytelling across all mediums and environments in collaboration with graphic designers, product designers, merchants, photographers, videographers, copywriters, and other creative professionals to bring brand concepts to life.
• Build inspiring visual briefs that capture the full potential of design intent, innovation and vision for all of our products in order to deliver the most authentic, inspirational, & aspirational comms and experiences across all brand channels.
• Elevate our brand experience by working closely with our Director of Content and Community to ensure all brand ambassadors/surf team members are utilized in the most timely and true ways.
• Collaborate closely with our Director of Digital & GTM and with cross-functional partners to ensure all content is aligned with the product flow strategy as outlines in the GTM calendar.
• Partner with the social team, ambassadors, and staff to deliver inspiring content in line with strategic needs.
• Oversee outside contractors hired for specific brand executions. These must be approved ahead of time in keeping with budgets and business objectives.
• Pivotal collaborations include all members of the Creative Services/Marketing to deliver inspiring assets in line with the briefs. Examples of assets include daily emails, paid digital, monthly catalogues, retail POP, product packaging, and all other elements of the modern day omni-channel experience.

CONCEPTUALIZATION:

IDEATION & DESIGN

• Brainstorm & research references and themes in partnership with Creative Director while collaborating with fellow Directors that become the foundation for seasonal collections, collaborations, content, and experiences. This includes all brand communications, and retail/event experiences.
• These concepts must be presented in clear, organized and inspirational ways and translated into briefs for campaigns, product launches, and brand initiatives based on the GTM calendar.
• Strong ability to cite clear cultural references (people, eras, products, influences) past, present, and future with a deep understanding of surf culture is critical to the success of this role.

VISUAL COMMUNICATION:

INCORPORATING PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO

• Work in close collaboration with Director of Content and Community on conceptualization of visual assets across photography (seasonal lifestyle, PDP, product), as well as collaborating on the right narratives and approach for video, including all elements of graphic design, title cards, and branding elements ensure quality and consistency across all brand channels.
• Conceptual Support includes mood boards for the feel and vibe of a shoot, location ideation, brainstorming the right people to shoot, and styling references to curate the best looks with the right humans in the most natural environments for the most authentic outcome.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of Content and Community to closely integrate and align all ambassadors / team-riders into our photography and video assets.
• Must be a strong photo-editor selecting the best imagery to deliver on the objective of the brief. This includes the ability to incorporate the best crops and adjust images as they are being incorporated into designs. Adjustments could include retouching additional elements that the photo-team missed, or utilizing specific photo-treatments that work with the design elements of the asset.

DESIGN & PRODUCTION OVERSIGHT:

DIGITAL & PRINT

• Oversee the design and production of all digital assets including, but not limited to, daily emails, paid digital, online experiences, journey stories, etc. incorporating all elements of graphic design and copywriting to ensure quality and consistency.
• Today we do most of our business on Outerknown.com (our International Flagship) and you will work closely with the Director of Digital Brand Marketing and Ecomm teams to ensure that our web experiences inspire and drive conversion.
• Oversee the design and production of all printed materials such as catalogs and marketplace assets (look books, selling tools, retail POP), incorporating all elements of graphic design and copywriting to ensure quality and consistency.
• The Art Director must have all skills necessary to design and deliver all assets 100% on their own. Beyond overseeing and directing the process, there will be many times when due to calendar overlap or staff being out, that the Art Director will be solely responsible for designing and delivering the assets.
• Graphics & Art: Work with CD on concepts. Responsible to design, and oversee all wearable print and graphics for apparel, accessories, collaborations, etc.
• Trims & Details: Support the product design and development teams on all design needs for product labels, trims and details.

STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLS & PROCESS:

• Must be competent in Asana and/or similar technology as we use it to project manage all briefs to activation for all communications.
• You will design, develop, and execute visual strategies specific to the GTM calendar that align with all brand marketing goals and business objective.
• In partnership with Director of Digital Brand Marketing & GTM, you will run point in coordinating all creative efforts and resources to deliver on GTM objectives.
• Must be ready to take historical selling information and rigorous data analysis to inform future creative decisions.

TEAM MANAGEMENT:

• Must be experienced in leading creative teams, with a strong ability to navigate artistic temperaments while being able to balance the art and science of delivering creative that drives results.
• You will lead by example, overseeing a team of designers, providing clear guidance and intelligent direction on all projects.

TREND ANALYSIS:

• Working closely with Creative Director and peers, must be well-versed and up to date on current fashion and product trends, market trends, and cultural shifts, to ensure the brand’s visual identity remains relevant and innovative.
• A deep understanding of surf culture (past, present and future) including the people, places, legend and lore is critical to the success of this role.

BUDGET MANAGEMENT:

• Responsible for tracking all projects through the creative services budget to ensure that we are working within the budgets allowed.
• Close collaboration with the Director of Digital Brand Marketing and Director of Content and Community will ensure we stay within the budgets allocated.
• We are nimble and scrappy. Must have a solutions-first mentality and be willing to get creative to come up with ideas to make magic happen even when budget, time and resources are limited.

QUALITY CONTROL:

• The Art Director is a critical component of how our brand experience shows up in every brand channel, and how our design intent is communicated to our community every day. EVERYTHING COUNTS; DETAILS MATTER. 
• Ensure that all brand visuals & comms meet quality standards and brand guidelines consistently across all channels.
• We are selling a feeling. Every picture, word, and design decision down to the smallest detail matters. Our goal is to capture the soul of this feeling across all channels, as we roll out the future of the OK/FW/SD experience.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Proven Art Direction experience across creative and marketing for premium lifestyle brands, with a strong track record of successful campaigns and projects.
• Must be an experienced Graphic Designer with a deep understanding of all digital design platforms, tools, technologies, and apps.
• Strong leadership and managerial skills, with the ability to build and motivate high-performing teams – both directly and cross-functionally.
• Excellent project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Ability to craft, refine and forecast budgets and associated financial reconciliation.
• Ability to direct traffic via Assana (or similar tracking app) and schedule talent and workloads in keeping with evolving needs of the business.
• Expert skill in the Adobe Creative Suite Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency in marketing analytics and data-driven decision-making as it relates to delivering creative.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong tendency towards communication and collaboration, particularly while working under strict deadlines.
• Understanding of conceptual creative and brand work within apparel or hardgoods.
• Ability to remain flexible during changing priorities and business needs while adapting to changing market trends and industry dynamics.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Design, Graphic Design, Marketing, Art, or a related field or equivalent experience.
• A genuine enthusiasm for Outerknown, Firewire and Slater Design’s collective mission to be the most responsible ocean-inspired lifestyle brand, and create the highest quality products

Tagged as: art, art director, carlsbad, design, kelly slater bro, outerknown