Art Director

Electric Theatre Collective; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Electric Theatre Collective’s Creative Studio is seeking an Art Director to guide concept through visual development and execution across multiple media with a sharp, design-led focus. A strong personal body of work and the ability to think holistically are essential.

The role emphasizes leadership, collaboration with the team, and a willingness to push innovative storytelling for high-end campaigns, VFX, and experiential projects, with a focus on tastemaking and editorial direction.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years’ experience shaping editorial and artistic direction.
• Polished, energetic portfolio with strong craft and versatility.
• Formal training in design, ideally a graphic design degree.
• Ability to respond to complex briefs with original design across multiple mediums.
• Experience shaping brand identities and visual narratives.

Responsibilities

• Lead visual and strategic development of high-end design, animation and static projects across multiple mediums.
• Generate original concepts for commercial and internal studio projects.
• Demonstrate a world-class eye for composition, colour theory, perspective, and lighting.
• Push innovation across tone of voice and with a passion for culturally relevant projects.
• Use design systems and principles across type and image to push creative boundaries.
• Collaborate with Creative Directors and the team on editorial direction and treatment decks.
• Partner with the wider ETC creative team on ideation across outputs.
• Lead branding projects to grow the Creative Studio and ETC identity.
• Explore new workflows, technologies, and techniques for projects.
• Conduct wide-ranging research for treatments and pitches to define editorial direction.
• Act as a mentor and foster an environment of continuous learning.

Skills

Creative Leadership

Concept Development

Aesthetic Insight

Brand Development

Design Systems

Editorial Direction

Creative Mentorship

Personal Upskilling

Brand & Visual Direction

Education

Design education degree

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

3D software

Illustration tools

Generative AI tools

Data visualization tools

Job description

SUMMARY

An Art Director at Electric Theatre Collective’s Creative Studio is a key component of our creative practice. As an ideas-first studio, our ADs are the framework for concept through to visual development and execution; multi-disciplinary visionaries who are able to think holistically yet with laser sharp design-led focus. We are looking for art direction brains that have a vision and drive already being applied to their own body of work, people for whom the work itself is just part of the(ir) bigger picture as an artist. This role is pivotal and will be a cornerstone of how we continue to grow as a creative voice in the industry.

There is no typical project here: our gamut spanning long-form broadcast storytelling to high-end VFX commercials, from out of home experiences and full campaign packages to bespoke video games. The one thing that connects all our dots is the passionate innovation, precision and tastemaking that we pride ourselves with at ETC. As a moving image and design business, some experience in motion would be ideal, but we’re open to practitioners from any medium as we believe true creative excellence transcends the platform.

This is an exciting opportunity that is coming at an important time in the ETC journey.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Creative Leadership: Lead visual and strategic development of high-end design, animation and static projects across multiple mediums
• Concept Development: Generate original concepts for commercial and internal studio projects spanning design, animation and experimental art.
• Aesthetic Insight: Demonstrate a world-class eye for the principles of design including composition, colour theory, perspective, and lighting.
• Tastemaking: Have a finger firmly on the pulse of current and new trends, pushing innovation across our tone of voice, and with a passion for working on culturally relevant projects.
• Design Systems & Principles: Using extensive understanding of pure design principles and systems - across type and image - to push what we are doing in the creative space.
• Treatment Design: Work with Creative Directors and the wider team on both editorial direction and the design language / motion aesthetics for external and internal treatment decks.
• Creative Collaboration: Partner with the wider ETC creative team on ideation and concepts across the broad spectrum of output.
• Brand Development: Leading voice on campaign and multi-platform branding projects to grow the Creative Studio and wider ETC identity.
• Technical Innovation: Explore new workflows, technologies, and techniques, looking for opportunities to apply them to projects.
• Editorial Lead: Support wide-ranging research for treatments and pitches, sourcing imagery, themes and ideation to define the editorial direction of our work.
• Creative Mentorship: Act as a "creative sponge" and mentor, fostering an environment of continuous learning and artistic growth.
• Personal Upskilling: Continuously expand practical skills across diverse software and hands‑on techniques

REQUIREMENTS

• Concept Versatility: Ability to respond to complex briefs with original, thoughtful design across a range of mediums.
• Brand & Visual Direction: Experience shaping brand identities and visual narratives, using research, references and imagery to build a clear creative point of view.
• Past Experience: 2–3 years’ experience in a relevant role, with proven ability to shape editorial and artistic direction.
• Portfolio: A polished, energetic and exciting body of work that demonstrates strong craft, versatility and a clear point of view.
• Design Education: Formal training or education in design, ideally a degree in Graphic Design or an equivalent qualification.

TECHNICAL SKILLs

• Expertise in writing and designing high-end creative treatments and pitch decks.
• Advanced knowledge of design concepts across various digital, animation, and experimental art platforms.
• Expert level user of Adobe Creative Suite applications, and we’d like to see additional skill(s) in some aspect of the following: 3D, illustration, generative AI, data visualisation.
• A thorough understanding of design grid principles and the methodology of design.
• Experience in end-to-end print and digital platform production.