Art Director, Design

Critical Mass; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks an Art Director to spearhead digital design initiatives. This role emphasizes design leadership, guiding junior designers, and maintaining strong collaboration across teams. The ideal candidate will have strong digital portfolios and extensive experience in branding and design systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in design and interactive.
• Strong digital/web design portfolio emphasizing design systems.
• Experience leading design projects independently.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design vision and execution for web presence.
• Guide and mentor junior designers.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with UX and strategy teams.

Skills

Digital Design

Branding

Design systems

Mentoring

Collaboration

Tools

Figma

After Effects

Job description

We’re looking for an Art Director to join our team. This is not a traditional campaign-focused role and is focused on design leadership. This role will be responsible for driving smart, cohesive digital design work that aligns tightly with brand goals and elevates the user experience across touchpoints. You will translate strategic and brand inputs into exceptional web design concepts and design systems.

You Will:

• Lead the design vision and execution for our client’s web presence
• Concept and deliver digital experiences grounded in branding and system thinking
• Guide and mentor junior designers, helping elevate overall design output
• Collaborate cross-functionally with UX, strategy, development, and client stakeholders
• Own the design process from concept to delivery while maintaining alignment with brand and business objectives
• Act as a trusted design partner to both internal and client-side creative leadership
• Manage projects with limited input
• Guide and direct up to four designers with thorough delegation, follow-up, and mentorship.
• Rationalize solutions to project teams and clients.
• Balance creative with client business requirements.
• Build and maintain a rapport with creative team, account managers, and project managers.

You Have:

• 5+ years of experience in design and interactive.
• Strong digital/web design portfolio with an emphasis on design systems and branding
• Expert in Figma; familiarity with motion design and After Effects is a plus
• Deep design craft and attention to visual detail
• Understanding of UX principles (though this is not a UX/Product Design role)
• Experience leading design projects independently
• Collaborative mindset
• Comfortable working with fast-moving clients
• Experience mentoring junior talent and elevating creative work as a team lead

Our new hires & employees are the future of our organization, and we want to set you up for long-term success. In an effort to do so, we expect our team to work from an office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer.

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.comand us.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.

If U.S. based: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams#avoid
If Canada based: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html
If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx