Creative Director, Global Brand [AQ-25683]

Aquent; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent Studios seeks a visionary Creative Director, Global Brand, to define the visual narrative across a multi-brand technology portfolio. You will lead a talented design team, evolve robust design systems, and guard brand integrity on a global scale.

Based onsite in San Diego, you will partner with marketing and product teams, drive photography direction, and present strategic design rationale to senior leadership. The role requires 8+ years in brand leadership and a strong portfolio.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in brand and creative leadership.
• Experience designing, building, and scaling robust design systems across brand touchpoints.
• Mastery of typography, grids, color theory, and visual development.
• Directing photography and collaborating with internal teams and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a design team, upholding high creative standards.
• Own evolution and scalability of design systems across a multi-brand architecture.
• Oversee typography, color palettes, iconography, grid systems, and core visual language.
• Direct photography and key visual development from concept to asset selection.
• Collaborate with marketing, product marketing, and brand stakeholders to align with business objectives.
• Present creative direction and design rationales to senior leadership.
• Champion consistent brand application across a portfolio of brands.

Skills

Brand leadership

Design systems

Typography & grids

Photography direction

Design systems thinking

Mentoring & growth

Brand portfolio management

Tools

Design libraries

Brand portals

Job description

Imagine shaping the visual narrative of a global technology leader whose innovations touch billions of lives daily. In this pivotal creative leadership role, you will have the unique opportunity to define the aesthetic future of a foundational corporate brand and orchestrate the visual identity of a dynamic, world-changing product portfolio. Partnering with Aquent, you will inspire a talented design team, drive the evolution of sophisticated design systems, and directly influence how cutting-edge technology is perceived on a global scale.

About The Partner Company

Aquent is proud to partner with a global pioneer recognized for spearheading technological innovation. This industry leader shapes the future of connectivity and intelligent systems, developing groundbreaking technologies that power countless devices and experiences worldwide. They are relentlessly committed to pushing boundaries, driving advancements that transform industries and enrich lives globally.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a visionary creative leader ready to command the visual narrative of world-changing brands. As the ultimate steward of visual identity and brand consistency across a complex, multi-brand architecture, you won’t just maintain a brand—you will evolve it. This is your moment to leave an indelible mark on global tech perception, guiding a dedicated team to achieve new creative heights and supporting groundbreaking initiatives that drive the future of connectivity.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and inspire a dedicated team of brand and visual designers, setting exceptionally high creative standards.
• Drive the continuous evolution and ownership of comprehensive design systems, ensuring scalability across diverse sub-brands.
• Act as the ultimate guardian of the visual identity, meticulously overseeing typography, color palettes, iconography, layout systems, and core visual language to uphold unwavering brand integrity.
• Orchestrate photography and key visual development, guiding the entire process from initial creative concepts to final asset selection.
• Forge strong collaborations with marketing, product marketing, and key brand stakeholders, ensuring creative output strategically aligns with business objectives.
• Articulate and present compelling creative direction, comprehensive design systems, and strategic rationales to senior leadership, confidently defending design decisions.
• Champion consistent brand application while expertly navigating the nuances of differentiation across a complex, interconnected portfolio of brands.

What You’ll Bring

• A minimum of 8 years of extensive experience in brand and creative leadership, with a proven track record of managing or leading creative teams.
• Demonstrable deep expertise in designing, building, documenting, and scaling robust design systems across diverse brand touchpoints.
• Mastery of visual identity fundamentals, including advanced typography, intricate grid systems, nuanced color theory, and compelling key visual development.
• Significant experience in directing photography, collaborating effectively with both in-house teams and external agency/vendor partners.
• A powerful portfolio that brilliantly showcases strategic brand systems thinking, extending beyond individual campaign executions.
• A proven ability to effectively manage, mentor, and cultivate the professional growth of a high-performing design team.
• Comfort and proficiency in navigating and shaping distinct yet interconnected identities within a complex portfolio of related brands.

Ways You Can Stand Out

• Prior experience within the technology, semiconductor, or consumer electronics sectors.
• A background in enterprise or B2B brand architecture development and management.
• Hands‑on experience in building or maintaining sophisticated brand guideline systems, utilizing design software libraries or brand portals.

Client Description

Aquent Studios is a global creative studio that delivers scale, speed and efficiency to the world’s most recognized brands. We create the work that matters the most to them—work that has a real impact on their business. As an Aquent Studios team member, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with the largest and most influential companies in the world, solving design challenges and extending their brands across tactic types and platforms, including digital design, UI/UX, video, motion, content, print design, web development, and more. If you want to do work that matters in a collaborative setting that values ingenuity and personal growth, you have found the right place!

Other Requirements

Creative Director, Global Brand

Location: San Diego (Position requires being onsite in San Diego, 5 days a week)

No relocation offered.

Department: Aquent Studios

Compensation Range: $155,000-$160,000 DOE

The range provided is our reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The actual amount may be higher or lower, based on factors such as experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and location.