Art Director (Creative Studio)

ngs; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

National Geographic Society is seeking an Art Director to lead the in-house Creative Studio, translating business goals into engaging campaigns. You will mentor a small design team, establish visual standards, and guide projects from concept through production across digital, print, and OOH channels.

The role emphasizes collaboration with Senior Director, Creative Studio and Marketing teams, maintaining brand-aligned output and innovative storytelling.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Communications, or related field.
• 10+ years of multi-platform marketing campaigns in-house/agency/design firm with 3+ years leading teams.
• Portfolio demonstrating high-level design acumen, color theory and typography.
• Understanding of campaign development and cross-platform deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Art Direction: develop themes and design directions resonating with audiences; lead brand assets across platforms.
• Project & Team Management: supervise designers, provide feedback, ensure brand standards and timely delivery.
• Strategy & Operations: define workflows, stay current on trends, build organized archive for future use.

Skills

Art direction

Design leadership

Campaign design

Typography

Brand storytelling

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design or related field

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Monday.com

Job description

How You\'ll Contribute

The Communication, Marketing and Brand team uses creative and strategic tools to further the mission of the National Geographic Society (NGS), while maintaining our place as one of the world\'s most trusted non-profit organizations and global brands. The Division\'s creative minds develop and execute mission-driven, on-brand strategies and integrated strategic communications, marketing, creative and audience growth for the National Geographic Society and unifying our efforts across our owned channels, outside partners and earned media. The team is composed of six integrated departments: Creative Studio, Integrated Brand Marketing, Partnership Marketing, MarCom Operations & Internal Communications, Strategic Communications and Executive Communications & Public Relations.

The Art Director is a key creative leader within our in-house Creative Studio team, working closely with the Senior Director, Creative Studio to conceptualize, develop and execute integrated creative campaigns and marketing collateral that communicate our mission, build enthusiasm for the brand and move our audiences to action. The Art Director is responsible for translating business goals and strategies into engaging creative work across platforms, leading creative projects from concept through production. This role also provides mentorship and direction to a small team of designers, ensuring that creative output is best-in-class, brand-aligned and on-brief.

Responsibilities Include:

Art Direction, Concept Development and Execution (50%)

• Collaborate with Senior Director, Creative Studio and divisional marketing teams to develop top-level themes, campaign concepts and design directions that resonate with target audiences


• Provide art direction and establish design standards for fundraising campaigns, visual identities, donor stewardship materials and more


• Develop and maintain visual style guides


• Work with divisional marketing teams to assess needs and develop template solutions for production-oriented work


• Participate in brainstorming sessions to develop creative themes for programmatic initiatives and signature events


• Guide and execute visual assets for digital, print and OOH ads, emails, web, social media content, and event materials

Project and Team Management (35%)

• Manage a small team of designers, fostering a collaborative and results-oriented environment


• Provide constructive feedback during group creative critique sessions and on creative deliverables from the design team to ensure high-quality output that aligns with project brief and goals


• Ensure the consistent use of style guides and brand standards across all deliverables


• Work with the Studio Manager to establish timelines, assess new projects and determine day-to-day work assignments for the design team in our project management system

Strategy and Operations (15%)

• Work with the Senior Director, Creative Studio and Studio Manager to define, implement and maintain creative workflows and processes, ensuring efficient production and identifying opportunities for templatization


• Stay current on industry trends, new technologies, and data-driven insights to continually evolve and optimize creative output


• Create an organized, well-documented archive of work to be accessible to future users

What You\'ll Bring

Educational Background

Bachelor\'s degree in a related field (Graphic Design, Fine Arts, Communications, etc.).

Minimum Years and Type of Experience

10+ years of working on multi-platform marketing campaigns at an in-house agency, ad agency, or design firm with a minimum 3 years experience managing teams. A portfolio of prior work which demonstrates a history of high-level design acumen, color theory and typography. Ability to show an understanding of campaign development and how integrated deliverables work across platforms.

Necessary Knowledge and Skills

• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Figma


• Strong portfolio showcasing expertise in art direction, marketing campaigns, design and storytelling


• Well-versed in both the print and digital design, including production processes


• Creative and innovative thinker, expert collaborator and communicator


• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet tight deadlines, and be highly detail-oriented


• Experience with project management software, such as Monday.com.


• Ability to work collaboratively across many teams and functions

Desired Qualifications

Video and motion experience are a plus.

Supervision

2+ direct reports

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the Nation