Associate Creative Director/Design Lead, Direct Mail (contract)

UNAVAILABLE; Birmingham (MI); Hybrid; USD 138,000 - 172,000; Full time

Job summary

Digitas is seeking a freelance Associate Creative Director/Design Lead with extensive direct mail experience to join our team. You will serve as a strategic partner and executional design lead on high-profile campaigns, translating briefs into compelling concepts and producing the designs to execute them.

Youll collaborate with senior creatives, guide campaigns through development, and stay on-brand and on-time while pushing creative boundaries in a hybrid Detroit-based role.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional visual design experience with direct mail campaigns.
• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, graphic design, or related field.
• Experience in automotive industry preferred.
• Experience guiding creative projects from concept to production.
• Strong understanding of brand strategy and audience engagement.

Responsibilities

• Brainstorm and lead direct mail concepts with senior creatives.
• Translate briefs into actionable design concepts for campaigns.
• Deliver client-facing presentations and support new business pitches.
• Own projects and drive them to successful outcomes on time.
• Design on-brand mail pieces including layout, logos, and graphics.

Skills

Direct mail design

Adobe Creative Suite

Branding

Presentation skills

Concept development

Collaboration

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, graphic design

Equivalent experience

Tools

Photoshop

Illustrator

InDesign

Job description

Company Description

Digitas is the Networked Experience Agency, built on the vision that we create magnetic experiences that earn the right for brands to exist in human networks. Today, and tomorrow. We deliver Networked Experiences by leveraging comprehensive data, technology, creative, media and strategy capabilities. Digitas delivers ambitious outcomes via unique solutions that include Creative Experiences, Integrated Media, Addressable Relationships, Social Marketing and Total Commerce. Celebrated by AdAge as Data and Insights Agency of the Year, U.S Campaign’s Brand Experience Agency of the Year, Media Network of the Year and celebrated by Forrester and Gartner, Digitas serves the world’s leading brands through a global network comprised of more than 5,500 employees across over 65 offices in 43 countries.

The Digitas culture is made up of fearless, inventive and generous Unicorns of all kinds.

Job Description

Digitas is looking for a freelance Associate Creative Director/Design Lead with extensive direct mail experience to join our team!

In this role, you will serve as a strategic partner and the executional design lead on high-profile direct mail projects for both existing clients and new business pitches. You will collaborate with an ACD/Copy Lead to translate creative briefs into actionable concepts and then drop down in the weeds to actually build the designs that go along with those concepts. You’ll create fresh, innovative campaigns that are strategically sound and creatively compelling and then help to guide those campaigns through all phases of creative development, execution, and activation.

PLEASE NOTE:

• This role is based out of our Detroit office and the ability to collaborate onsite 3-4 days/week is preferred. Candidates local to the Detroit market who are willing to work in a hybrid capacity will be prioritized but highly qualified candidates in other markets may also be considered.
• This is a 40hr/week freelance role expected to start in late August and run for a period of 3-4 months. Conversion into a full-time role following the completion of the freelance period is possible but not guaranteed.
• Anticipated pay range is $100-$125/hr on a W2; no C2C or 1099 options are available.

Responsibilities

• In partnership with an ACD/Copy Lead, brainstorm sessions to generate innovative, compelling, and fresh direct mail campaign concepts and content.
• Understand client business needs, receive and translate creative briefs, and oversee the development and execution of brand and retailer-specific direct mail concepts, ensuring adherence to brand guidelines.
• Deliver compelling internal and client-facing presentations in support of existing work as well as new business pitches.
• Take ownership of projects, proactively driving them toward successful outcomes.
• Design on-brand direct mail pieces including formatting and layout, overall look and feel, and logos, graphics, and other design elements that stops people in their tracks.
• Keep projects and teams on-brand, on-brief, and on-time.
• Stay on top of cultural trends, consumer behaviors, and what competitors are up to.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional visual design experience with a specific focus on direct mail campaigns preferably in an advertising agency or in-house marketing team.
• Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, graphic design, or a related field; equivalent experience may be substituted.
• Prior experience working in or alongside the automotive industry preferred.
• Experience guiding creative projects and team members from concept to production.
• An understanding of how brands tick and how to make people care about them.
• Excellent conceptual creative and visual storytelling skills.
• Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite (specifically Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign) as well as other relevant specialized design tools.
• Ability to translate an existing design language into something fresh and unique.
• Versatile design chops with extensive experience supporting direct mail campaigns for large, national brands.
• An ability to understand, internalize, and develop persuasive, compelling, and on‑brand design concepts using existing design language based on client brand guidelines and the audience being targeted.
• An understanding of how direct mail and tier 1 CRM campaigns integrate into a larger business/marketing strategy.
• Prior experience supporting the development and presentation of new business pitches.
• Prior experience performing CRM and direct mail audits for existing clients.
• Ability to translate client business challenges into creative concepts.
• Comfort operating with a high degree of ownership, autonomy, and accountability.
• A natural sense of urgency with an ability to work quickly, efficiently, and accurately within tight deadlines and constantly‑evolving project parameters, scope, and goals.
• Highly collaborative but independently capable with an ability to work collaboratively with cross‑functional, geographically‑distributed teams.
• Flexible and adaptable with an ability to work successfully across multiple concurrent projects and competing priorities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to lead brainstorms, mentor creatives, and articulate creative rationale effectively.
• Outstanding listener with an ability to take direction and guidance, receive constructive criticism, and continuously improve personal process.
• A passion for pushing creative boundaries while seeking original and unexpected ideas.
• Exceptionally organized with a fanatical attention to detail.
• Professionalism, maturity, and a distinct lack of ego.
• Curiosity, hustle, and a sense of humor. Always.
• A portfolio showcasing creative and conceptual design with a specific focus on direct mail campaign work is REQUIRED and should be submitted at time of application. Please include any passwords required to access.

Additional Information

Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.

We offer medical and voluntary benefits to our freelancers and temporary employees. Voluntary benefit options include supplemental medical insurance, transportation, and parking benefits, legal benefits, pet insurance, and auto and home insurance. You must be actively employed for 90 consecutive calendar days in order to be eligible for Publicis medical and voluntary benefits.

If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact [e-mail].

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Compensation Range: USD $100.00 - USD $125.00/Hourly. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and the Company reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. Temporary roles may be eligible to participate in our freelancer/temporary employee medical plan through a third‑party benefits administration system once certain criteria have been met. Temporary roles may also qualify for participation in our 401(k) plan after eligibility criteria have been met. For regular roles, the Company will offer medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401k, and paid time off. The Company anticipates the application deadline for this job posting will be 8/17/2026.