Freelance Associate Creative Director, Art

Critical Mass; Toronto; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in advertising is seeking a Freelance Associate Creative Director (Art) to bring ideas to life across multiple media. Responsibilities include leading art direction, collaborating with creative teams, and ensuring the highest visual quality across integrated campaigns. This role demands strong conceptual thinking and a portfolio showcasing impactful visual storytelling.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in art direction or design.
• Confidence in working across video, digital, print, and OOH.
• Strong portfolio showing sharp visual ideas.

Responsibilities

• Concept and execute creative ideas across various campaigns.
• Lead art direction, focusing on video and storytelling.
• Collaborate closely with production partners.

Skills

Visual storytelling

Art direction

Creative collaboration

Presentation skills

Job description

Freelance Associate Creative Director, Art

Toronto

As an Associate Creative Director (Art), you bring strong conceptual thinking and confident visual direction to campaign work. You know how to take an insight and build an idea that holds across formats—especially video. While you understand layout and design fundamentals, your focus is on art direction: shaping how a campaign looks, feels, and moves. Automotive experience is a plus.

You work fluidly with a copy partner, production teams, and account discipline leads. You're able to communicate your vision clearly and guide others to bring it to life—whether that’s through casting, locations, lighting references, or edit flow and timing, music & voiceover direction. You move fast, stay collaborative, and keep the creative sharp.

You Will:

• Concept and execute creative ideas across video, digital, and print campaigns
• Partner with your copy counterpart to bring insight-led, channel-smart thinking to life
• Lead the art direction on integrated campaigns, with a focus on video and storytelling
• Present work internally and to clients in a clear, visually driven way
• Collaborate with production partners—ECDs, CDs, directors, editors, animators—to bring work to a high level of polish
• Move between brand-led and retail-driven projects with confidence
• Work closely with strategy and account leads to ensure the creative stays on track and on brief
• Adjust quickly to feedback and shifting priorities
• Foster a culture of visual excellence, craft, and accountability

You Have:

• 6+ years of experience in art direction or design
• A portfolio that shows sharp visual ideas across video and integrated work
• Confidence in working across a range of mediums—video, digital, print, and OOH
• A working knowledge of production—from pre-pro to color grade
• Solid instincts around visual storytelling, branding, and how to direct execution
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to sell in visual thinking
• Experience in automotive or other category where brand and retail messaging coexist is a bonus

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer.

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.comandus.greenhouse-mail.io . We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly.

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At Critical Mass, we are dedicated and determined to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live and work. It is crucial that every team member can thrive and reach their full potential.

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