Art Director

Creative Theory Agency; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health coverage (medical

dental, and vision)

401(k) match

Hybrid/remote flexibility

Agency retreat

Job summary

Creative Theory Agency in Washington, DC is seeking an experienced Art Director to lead creative work across social, digital, and print. This hands-on leadership role requires delivering high-craft work on real timelines and taking ownership from concept to final execution.

You'll mentor a small design team, direct client meetings, and collaborate with accounts and copywriters to shape brand strategy while maintaining your own design contributions.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years in a fast-paced agency or creative environment.
• Expert proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign; After Effects a plus).
• Your authenticity and eye for true design (NO Photoshop Designers).
• A strong portfolio showcasing branding, logo design, and finished work across social, digital, and print.
• A sharp eye for aesthetics, typography, and where design is headed.
• Proven experience leading projects, leading client conversations, and mentoring designers.
• The range to both direct and execute. You can set the vision and produce the work yourself.
• Strong presentation skills and real comfort leading a room, including clients and stakeholders.
• A proactive, accountable mindset and a drive to push the work further.

Responsibilities

• Set the visual direction and own the quality of what ships, from concept through final execution.
• Actively designing, refining, and delivering high-level creative work.
• Build logos, typography, color systems, and full brand identities.
• Lead projects end to end with timelines and priorities.
• Lead client meetings and presentations; defend the creative with confidence.
• Develop creative concepts and visual storytelling aligned to goals.
• Direct, mentor, and elevate a small design team.
• Collaborate with account leads, project managers, and copywriters to bring ambitious ideas to life.

Skills

Adobe Creative Suite

Leadership

Design execution

Branding identities

Typography aesthetics

Presentation skills

Tools

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

After Effects

Job description

We're looking for an Art Director who leads the work and elevates it. Someone who can take a creative direction and run with it, lead the room, and still sit down and design something exceptional. This role reports to and is the right hand to our Head of Creative: you'll help bring a shared vision to life, guide projects and teams through execution, and put your name on work you're proud of. If that sounds like you, we want to see your portfolio.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll help direct and personally design across social, digital, and print for clients who expect original, high-craft work on real timelines. This role is contract-to-full-time with a hybrid work schedule, structured as a short contract period (90 days) leading to full-time.

[Must be local to the Washington, DC area (DMV) and able to be in office 2-3 days/week.]

What You’ll Own

• Creative Direction: Set the visual direction for your projects and hold the bar. You own the quality of what ships, from concept through final execution.
• Design and Execution: This is a hands-on role. You'll be actively designing, refining, and delivering high-level creative work, not just reviewing it.
• Branding and Identity: Build logos, typography, color systems, and full brand identities for a diverse range of clients.
• Project Leadership: Lead projects end to end. Own timelines, set priorities, make the calls, and keep the work moving without losing the craft.
• Client Leadership: Lead client meetings and presentations. Frame the thinking behind the work, defend the creative with confidence, and turn feedback into stronger solutions.
• Concept and Strategy: Develop creative concepts and visual storytelling that ladder up to brand goals and campaign objectives.
• Team Leadership: Direct, mentor, and elevate a small team of designers. Run productive creative reviews and raise the standard of everyone around you.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Work shoulder to shoulder with account leads, project managers, and copywriters to bring ambitious ideas to life.

What You Bring

• 5-7 years in a fast-paced agency or creative environment, with a track record of owning projects, not just contributing to them.
• Expert proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign; After Effects a plus).
• Your authenticity and eye for true design (NO Photoshop Designers)
• A strong portfolio showcasing branding, logo design, and finished work across social, digital, and print.
• A sharp eye for aesthetics, typography, and where design is headed.
• Proven experience leading projects, leading client conversations, and mentoring designers.
• The range to both direct and execute. You can set the vision and produce the work yourself.
• Strong presentation skills and real comfort leading a room, including clients and stakeholders.
• A proactive, accountable mindset and a drive to push the work further.

Why You'll Love It Here

• Own high-profile branding and campaigns for top-tier clients, like Nike, Google, and more.
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, and vision) so you're covered where it counts, plus a 401(k) match to help you invest in your future.
• An annual agency retreat — part celebration, part reset, all worth looking forward to
• A creative team that values originality and gives its leaders real autonomy.
• Hybrid/remote flexibility built around doing your best work.