Freelance Art Director

We Are Social; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

We Are Social is seeking an experienced Art Director to lead creative concepting and visual storytelling for a range of clients in a fast-paced agency setting. You will mentor junior creatives, push design excellence, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver standout campaigns.

Responsibilities include presenting work to clients, aligning with brand guidelines, and integrating ethical AI practices. Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, After Effects, and Premiere is required.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in art direction within a fast-paced agency environment.
• Portfolio demonstrating sophisticated creative thinking, typography, and composition across digital and traditional media.
• Experience presenting and working directly with clients.
• Comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously in a dynamic setting.
• Proficiency across Adobe Design Suite; fluency in After Effects and Premiere.
• Deep familiarity with ethical AI frameworks and the legalities of AI-generated content.

Responsibilities

• Concept and create strong, compelling ideas for target audiences.
• Design for clients and agency new business, adhering to brand guidelines while pursuing excellence.
• Develop concepts aligned with client objectives and ensure high output quality from ideation to delivery.
• Present and defend art direction to leadership and clients, translating feedback into actionable tasks.
• Navigate tight deadlines and evolving budgets with innovative solutions while preserving original vision.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects with precision and adaptability under pressure.
• Mentor junior and mid-level creatives to foster high performance and growth.
• Implement advanced AI tools to accelerate the creative lifecycle and asset production.
• Infuse generative AI into client pitches and prototypes for hyper-realistic mockups.
• Lead discussions on AI usage ethics and establish best practices within the team.
• Ideate and craft stories that fit each social platform and audience.

Skills

Art direction

Client presentations

Mentoring

Storytelling

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

After Effects

Premiere

Job description

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Concept and create strong, compelling ideas that resonate with target audiences
• Design for clients and agency new business efforts, working within brand guidelines while pushing for design excellence
• Develop creative concepts that align with strategic client objectives, ensuring all visual output maintains the highest agency standards from ideation to final delivery
• Present and defend art direction to internal leadership and external clients, effectively decoding feedback into actionable creative tasks for the broader team
• Navigate complex project constraints, including tight deadlines and evolving budgets by finding innovative solutions that preserve the integrity of the original vision
• Manage multiple concurrent projects of varying complexity with precision and adaptability under pressure
• Act as a primary mentor for junior and mid-level creatives, providing constructive feedback and fostering a culture of high-performance and continuous visual improvement
• Implement advanced AI tools to supercharge the creative lifecycle, from generating comprehensive visual identities to rapid video asset creation
• Infuse generative AI into client pitches and prototypes to create hyper-realistic product shots and fully realized campaign mockups that win new business
• Proactively research emerging AI trends and tools, leading the team in ethical discussions and establishing best practices for AI usage within the creative department
• Ideate and build effective stories that match the quality of each social platform
• Excellent communicator who can confidently articulate ideas to others, from storyboard to final work
• Design visually engaging presentations, create mockups & do light retouching as needed that help sell creative ideas to top clients in the industry
• Work collaboratively with a large team of creatives from ideation to execution to help to ensure ideas are created and brought to life

REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS ROLE

• 6+ years of experience in art direction within a fast-paced agency environment
• Portfolio demonstrating sophisticated creative thinking, nuanced typography, and expert-level composition across digital and traditional media
• Experience presenting and working directly with clients
• Comfortable working in a fast paced environment, and managing multiple projects at once
• Proficiency across Adobe Design suite; fluency in both After Effects and Premiere
• Deep familiarity with ethical AI frameworks and the legalities of AI-generated content in a commercial setting
• Excellent attention to detail