Art Director

Digital Waffle; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Digital Waffle in London is seeking a Lead Creative / Art Director to act as the studio's number two, owning briefs from strategy through pitch, design and final execution, and confidently fronting conversations with senior brand leaders.

This hands-on, senior role blends big conceptual thinking with craft; you'll stay on the tools, mentor the Junior Designer, and help shape the agency's creative identity across experiential, influencer and integrated campaigns.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years' experience in a creative agency or fast-paced environment.
• Strong design and/or art direction background with world-class output.
• Exceptional visual communication and craft, including pitch decks.
• Strategic thinking translating audience and cultural insight into platforms.
• Confidence leading pitches and presenting to senior clients.
• Advanced Adobe Creative Suite skills and comfortable using AI in ideation and rendering.
• Ability to manage multiple clients and live projects while maintaining quality.
• Understanding of photography, film, experiential production, and fabrication.
• Mentoring skills to develop junior talent.

Responsibilities

• Develop original, culturally relevant ideas across experiential, events, influencer, social, and OOH campaigns.
• Take ownership of creative pitches end to end, from brief through core idea, narrative and visually exceptional decks to presentation.
• Personally bring ideas to life through strong design, art direction, visualisation, layouts and storytelling, working directly in creative tools rather than briefing others.
• Bring your own strategic thinking to briefs alongside the strategy team, translating audience, brand and cultural insight into compelling platforms.
• Protect the original idea and quality of execution from pitch through production and launch.
• Concept and art direct experiences, events, influencer trips, pop-ups and IRL activations, working closely with producers, 3D designers and fabricators.
• Establish and protect the visual world of campaigns across design, photography, film, social, environments and physical production.
• Confidently present and sell creative thinking to senior clients, protecting the strength of the idea through feedback.
• Act as day-to-day creative lead in the studio, working closely with the Creative Director to hold a consistently high standard across output.
• Line manage and mentor the Junior Designer, giving clear creative direction and space to develop.
• Help oversee the agency's own creative identity, credentials, pitch templates, case studies, website and awards materials.

Skills

5+ years experience

Design and/or art direction

Visual communication and craft

Conceptual thinking

Pitching to senior clients

Adobe Creative Suite + AI

Multi-client / pitches management

Photography/film/production awareness

Mentoring junior talent

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

AI-assisted design tools

Storyboarding / pitch decks

Job description

A global integrated marketing agency with heritage in influencer marketing is hiring a Lead Creative / Art Director to act as number two in the studio and take real ownership of day-to-day creative output.

This is a hands-on, senior role for someone who combines big conceptual thinking with exceptional visual craft. You'll work directly alongside the Senior Creative Director, leading the day-to-day of the studio, owning briefs from strategy through pitch, design and final execution, and confidently fronting pitches and conversations with senior brand leaders. It's not a traditional Art Director role: you'll be as at home opening a blank deck and crafting a pitch from scratch as you are art directing a shoot, presenting to a client or working with fabricators to turn a 3D concept into a physical space.

Location: London (Liverpool Street), hybrid, 3 days per week on site

What you'll be doing:

• Develop original, culturally relevant creative ideas across experiential, events, influencer, social, content, PR, OOH and wider integrated campaigns
• Take ownership of creative pitches end to end, from brief through core idea, narrative and visually exceptional decks to presentation
• Personally bring ideas to life through strong design, art direction, visualisation, layouts and storytelling, working directly in creative tools rather than briefing others
• Bring your own strategic thinking to briefs alongside the strategy team, translating audience, brand and cultural insight into compelling platforms
• Protect the original idea and quality of execution from pitch through production and launch
• Concept and art direct experiences, events, influencer trips, pop-ups and IRL activations, working closely with producers, 3D designers and fabricators
• Establish and protect the visual world of campaigns across design, photography, film, social, environments and physical production
• Confidently present and sell creative thinking to senior clients, protecting the strength of the idea through feedback
• Act as day-to-day creative lead in the studio, working closely with the Creative Director to hold a consistently high standard across output
• Line manage and mentor the Junior Designer, giving clear creative direction and space to develop
• Help oversee the agency's own creative identity, credentials, pitch templates, case studies, website and awards materials

What you'll need:

• At least 5 years' experience within a creative agency or similarly fast-paced creative environment
• Strong background in design and/or art direction, with a portfolio of work that has actually made it out into the world
• Exceptional visual communication, art direction and design craft, including personally crafting beautifully designed pitch decks
• Genuine conceptual thinking, able to translate strategy and cultural insight into simple, compelling creative platforms
• Confidence leading pitches and presenting to senior clients and brand leaders
• Advanced Adobe Creative Suite skills and comfort using AI creatively across ideation, visualisation, art direction, rendering and moving image
• Comfortable moving between multiple clients, pitches and live projects while maintaining creative quality
• Understanding of photography, film, experiential production, materials, fabrication and the realities of turning ambitious ideas into physical experiences
• Solid grasp of working budgets, costs and production realities when developing ideas
• Strong feedback and mentoring skills, with the maturity to develop junior talent

Nice to have:

• Experience art directing or directing stills and moving-image shoots
• Background in beauty, fashion, lifestyle, entertainment or culturally driven consumer brands
• International campaign delivery across UK, Europe and US
• Strong understanding of influencer and creator culture

This role would suit a senior creative who wants ownership of the day-to-day of an ambitious studio, still wants to be on the tools, and cares deeply about ideas and craft in equal measure.