ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR (ACD)

Beyond Studios; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Beyond Studios in New York is seeking an Associate Creative Director to lead the development and execution of broad creative campaigns. You will guide projects from initial concepts through to final delivery, ensuring the creative vision remains strong across brand identities, campaigns, merchandise, and experiential environments.

The role requires 6+ years in a creative environment, with a portfolio that demonstrates high-level design thinking, typography mastery, and effective client

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional creative experience in agencies, branding studios, fashion or production.
• Strong portfolio showing concept development, direction, and high-level design thinking.
• Excellent visual taste with typography, color, imagery and art direction.
• Experience directing or mentoring other creatives.
• Ability to balance big-picture thinking with detailed execution.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to explain why ideas work beyond appearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative development from concept through final execution.
• Develop concepts, visual directions, campaigns, and brand experiences.
• Maintain the creative vision across multiple projects and clients.
• Provide creative direction and feedback to designers and artists.
• Review work and push concepts beyond the obvious.
• Create presentations, moodboards, decks, and visual systems.
• Collaborate with design and production to ensure feasible ideas.
• Direct merchandise design, packaging, and experiential projects.
• Participate in client presentations and articulate thinking clearly.
• Translate client goals into strong creative solutions.
• Balance ambition with timelines, budgets, and production realities.
• Maintain high attention to detail on all deliverables.
• Identify opportunities to expand projects creatively with new ideas.
• Help evolve Beyond Studios' creative point of view and standards.

Skills

Concept development

Creative direction

Branding

Typography

Presentations

Mentoring

Client communication

Visual storytelling

Job description

About the Role:

The Associate Creative Director will work closely with the creative and production teams to develop and execute creative across a wide range of projects.

This person should be equally comfortable concepting at the beginning of a project and getting into the details at the end. They will help establish the creative vision, push the work further, maintain a high creative standard, and make sure the final product lives up to the original idea.

The role will touch everything from brand identity and campaign concepts to merchandise, packaging, experiential environments, events, photography, video, and physical products.

Responsibilities

• Lead creative development from initial concept through final execution.
• Develop creative concepts, visual directions, campaigns, and brand experiences.
• Help establish and maintain the creative vision across multiple projects and clients.
• Provide creative direction and constructive feedback to designers, artists, and other creative team members.
• Review design work and push concepts beyond the expected or obvious solution.
• Develop presentations, moodboards, creative decks, visual systems, and concept narratives.
• Work closely with the design and production teams to ensure creative ideas can be successfully executed.
• Help direct merchandise design, packaging, product development, environmental graphics, and experiential projects.
• Participate in client presentations and communicate creative thinking clearly and confidently.
• Translate client objectives into strong creative solutions without losing the point of view of the studio.
• Partner with producers and project managers to balance creative ambition with timelines, budgets, materials, manufacturing, and other production realities.
• Maintain a high level of attention to detail across all creative deliverables.
• Identify opportunities to expand projects creatively and introduce new ideas, formats, and visual approaches.
• Help develop and evolve Beyond Studios' own creative point of view and quality standard.
• Stay current with design, fashion, music, sports, entertainment, culture, technology, and emerging creative trends.
• Contribute to new business pitches and help develop creative concepts for prospective clients.

What We're Looking For

• 6+ years of professional creative experience, preferably within an agency, branding studio, design studio, fashion, entertainment, or production environment.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating concept development, creative direction, and high-level design thinking.
• Excellent visual taste and a strong understanding of typography, composition, color, imagery, branding, and art direction.
• Experience directing or mentoring other creatives.
• Ability to move between big-picture thinking and highly detailed execution.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to explain why a creative idea works, not simply what it looks like.
• Understanding of physical production, merchandise, materials, printing, packaging, fabrication, or experiential design is a major plus.
• Comfortable working across multiple disciplines rather than being limited to a single creative medium.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to give clear, actionable creative feedback.
• Comfortable working directly with clients and internal teams.
• A genuine interest in culture and an instinct for what feels current, relevant, and original.