Art Director

Watson Design Group, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Watson Design Group, Inc. is seeking an experienced Art Director to own campaign craft and concepts. You’ll define why and how direction comes together, guiding visual storytelling across digital, social, print, and OOH.

Reporting to a Creative Director, you’ll lead production, exploration, and new business visuals while maintaining cohesive aesthetic standards. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in design leadership, strong Adobe CS skills, and a portfolio demonstrating impact across channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design.
• 5+ years of professional experience in a related role with a strong portfolio.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite—Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator and InDesign.
• Excellent static and motion design sense with attention to detail.
• Proven experience delivering high-impact visual designs across digital, social, print and OOH.
• Strong typography, color theory and composition.
• Ability to translate complex ideas into visually striking designs.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Excellent time management and organized workflow.
• Based in Los Angeles or willing to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Create and develop campaigns for films, TV series, and brands based on defined art direction.
• Inspire creatives through moodboards that capture tone and style across genres.
• Develop assets for social media, digital platforms, print and experiential media.
• Collaborate with the creative team to brainstorm concepts and executions with craft in mind.
• Support development of presentation decks for holistic campaigns and visual direction.
• Lead illustrators, animators and designers to ensure cohesive visuals.
• Ensure imagery, typography, hierarchy, and layout align with campaign vision.
• Ensure assets work across all digital platforms for optimal experience.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to a collaborative environment.

Skills

Graphic Design

Art Direction

Creative Concepts

Adobe Creative Suite

Motion Design

Presenting to clients

Team leadership

Time management

Visual storytelling

Brand guidelines

Education

Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design

Tools

Photoshop

After Effects

Illustrator

InDesign

Job description

Watson is looking for a skilled and innovative Art Director with hands‑on capabilities and an eye for design.

In this role, your focus is all around the craft and concepts of a campaign. Beyond the artistic look and feel of a visual direction, you define the why, how, and possibilities of that direction—going beyond single assets to further defining how a campaign comes together collectively. Additionally, you'll be looked to for creative concepts that build off of the campaign strategy and creative direction.

Reporting to a Creative Director, you’ll both support and lead on a mix of visual exploration, production, and new business development—ensuring consistency, cohesiveness, and an elevated and rationalized aesthetic across all output.

Technical Details

Department: Creative

Job Type: Full-Time

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design
• 5+ years of professional experience in a corresponding role with a portfolio showcasing impactful design expertise and visual strategy.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite—specifically Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator and Indesign.
• Excellent static and motion design sense with a keen attention to detail in the work and presentation of it.
• Proven experience in developing and executing high-impact visual designs across various touch points including digital, social, print, and OOH.
• Robust understanding of design principles including typography, color theory, and composition.
• Ability to translate complex ideas into visually striking designs that captivate and engage.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present and justify creative ideas to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Strong time management and organized workflow for both yourself and those around you.
• Natural listener with a desire to grow, learn, and positively impact the work and team around you.
• A proactive and creative mindset, with a strong understanding of visual storytelling and audience engagement.
• Experience in supporting new business initiatives across deck design and comping.
• Confidence and professional expertise regarding best practices across all social platforms.
• Experience with Motion Design is preferred.
• Experience mentoring junior team members is a plus.

Due to the collaborative nature of this role, the right candidate will need to be based in Los Angeles or open to relocating.

Responsibilities

• Create and develop campaigns for films, TV series, and brands based on a defined art direction or supporting brand guidelines.
• Inspire the creatives through a vast understanding of tone, genres, and styles—showcased through aesthetically and thematically rich moodboards.
• Develop visually compelling assets for social media, digital platforms, print, and experiential media—ensuring high standards of quality and creativity.
• Work in tandem with the creative team to confidently brainstorm and define concepts and executions with an emphasis on craft and conversation.
• Support in the development and creation of presentation decks for holistic campaigns, visual direction, and concept deliveries.
• Create or guide the creation of visuals that communicate the message, tone, and idea while ensuring the defined art direction is always adhered to.
• Lead other members of the creative team, such as illustrators, animators, and designers to bring cohesive visual elements to the project.
• Ensure details such as imagery, font selection, hierarchy, and layout are not only legible, but thematically aligned with the campaign vision.
• Confirm assets suit all digital platforms for optimal experience.
• Expertly master Adobe Creative Suite while ensuring you efficiently and effectively influence the development of others who use it.
• Ensure project assets are organized and managed for easy access and efficient workflows for yourself and the creative team around you.
• Manage workloads and project deadlines for yourself while ensuring the creatives supporting you are moving forward efficiently.
• Conduct thorough reviews of all work to ensure accuracy, consistency, and high-quality creative outputs — all adhering to the production timeline.
• Present visual direction and concepts to internal stakeholders and external clients with the ability to adapt and amplify off provided feedback and direction.
• Foster a collaborative and innovative environment within the design team, encouraging creative exploration and professional growth.

About Watson

Watson is a team of multidisciplinary makers, thinkers, and doers collaborating with some of the top entertainment studios and brands in the world. We create immersive stories, campaigns, and content with a focus on craft and conversation.

For over 15 years, we've been dedicated to the details, thoughtful design and copy, and an ongoing search for ideas that spark discussion. We strive to break the conventions of our industry, our tools, and our platforms in order for our work to be more noticed, valued, and discussed.

Our work spans across AV, digital, social, print, experiential, and OOH for brands like A24, Amazon, Disney, FX, Mattel, WB, and more.

Watson is independently-driven, creatively-led, and minority-owned.