Associate Creative Director (Art)

Golin; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Golin is seeking a hybrid Associate Creative Director (Art) in Chicago, IL. This role involves creating stunning visuals that push boundaries and leading a team of designers, while collaborating closely with various internal teams to elevate brand narratives. Ideal candidates have significant experience in art direction and a strong portfolio showcasing trend-driven design.

Qualifications

• 6-7 years of experience in art direction or design roles.
• A portfolio showcasing bold, culturally relevant visuals.
• Proven leadership experience mentoring creative teams.

Responsibilities

• Create visually compelling social-first creative solutions.
• Generate trend-driven ideas to create cultural impact.
• Present creative concepts with clarity and passion.

Skills

Art Direction

Design

Visual Communication

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

AI-driven Design Tools

Job description

Please note: This a hybrid role located in Chicago, IL.You will have an opportunity to collaborate in-person two to three days a week at our Chicago office while maintaining flexibility for remote work.

Golin is seeking a social-first Associate Creative Director (Art) with a flair for visually stunning, earned-first ideas that push boundaries and inspire action. You’re a creator who lives at the intersection of culture and design, constantly drawing inspiration from the latest social trends and cultural movements.

Golin has been on a winning streak of recognition: PRWeek’s Best Place to Work, Provoke Media’s Global Agency of the Year, PRWeek’s Large Agency of the year and winning two Grand Prix at Cannes.

Riding the wave of recognition and award-winning work, the Associate Creative Director (Art) has an incredible opportunity to collaborate and translate bold concepts into visuals that captivate, engage, and help promote and protect the brand in Chicago and keep Golin on top.

It’s an exciting time for the agency to continue to deliver impactful earned work that builds brands and reputations, and we know other brands can benefit from the award-winning work we create.

Responsibilities:

• Fresh Visuals : Job #1 is to bring the freshest, most unexpected, and visually compelling social-first creative solutions to the table

• Proactive Creativity: Generate earned-first, trend-driven ideas that go beyond the brief and create cultural impact

• Idea Communication: Present creative concepts and visuals with clarity, passion, and confidence to internal teams and clients

• Collaboration: Partner with copywriters, strategists, media, and digital teams to bring ideas to life and solve client challenges

• Mentorship: Guide and mentor junior designers and art directors, encouraging their growth and ensuring the highest creative standards

• Cultural Awareness: Stay immersed in the latest social and AI trends, using them as a springboard for innovative visuals and ideas

• Hybrid Role: Collaborate in-person three days a week at our Chicago office while maintaining flexibility for remote work

Qualifications:

• 6-7 years of experience in art direction or design roles, with a strong focus on earned-first and social-first campaigns

• A portfolio showcasing bold, culturally relevant visuals and campaigns that sparked conversation

• Expertise in design software (Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, etc.) and familiarity with AI-driven design tools

• Strong conceptual thinking and ability to transform cultural insights into engaging visuals

• Proven leadership experience, with a track record of mentoring and inspiring creative teams

Please note: This a hybrid role located in Chicago, IL . You will have an opportunity to collaborate in-person two to three days a week at our Chicago office while maintaining flexibility for remote work.

About Us:

Golin is a global public relations agency that helps companies create change that matters. Together, we discover powerful human truths that bind us, create with bravery and collaborate inclusively and obsessively. Golin’s 1700+ global employees operate across 50+ offices worldwide, allowing us to provide our clients with comprehensive solutions for multi-market, regional and global communications programs.

Golin is a progressive public relations agency designed to reach a profoundly diverse market. Inclusion is a core value for Golin, and we are focused on establishing a culture that is intentionally inclusive, potently diverse, and uncompromisingly equitable.

Our expertise ranges from brand-building and cutting-edge digital content to corporate reputation, healthcare advocacy and measurement. Golin aligns earned-first, data-driven creative with the customer journey through our collaborative integrated team model.

We tend to Go All In, in everything we do. We’re especially committed to going all in for our people, with a comprehensive benefits and time off program. Our culture is built around happy people who are the best at what we do!

Golin has included the base salary range or hourly rate for this role. Actual compensation offered within the range will depend upon, among other factors: a candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience; actual ranges for current or former employees in the role; and market considerations.

Salary range: $70,000 – $130,000

Any request to schedule an interview and any legitimate offer of employment will only come from an authorized representative of Golin. We will never require an applicant to provide sensitive personally identifiable information in order to conduct an interview.

Golin is an Equal Opportunity Employer – M/F/Veteran/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

We make our careers website accessible to any and all users. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application process, please contact us at [e-mail]. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or vendors; rather it is strictly for applicants who require special assistance accessing our employment website. Due to volume, messages sent to this email address that are not related to an accommodation cannot be answered.