Freelance Art Director

We Are Social; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

We Are Social in the United States seeks an experienced Art Director to lead creative concepting, ensure brand-aligned design, and elevate visuals from ideation to final delivery.

You will mentor junior creatives, collaborate with a large team, integrate AI tools ethically, and present ideas to clients, helping win new business while maintaining high standards.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of art direction experience in a fast-paced agency
• Portfolio showing sophisticated creative thinking and typography
• Experience presenting to clients
• Comfortable managing multiple projects in a pressurized environment
• Proficiency with Adobe Design Suite, After Effects and Premiere
• Familiarity with ethical AI frameworks for commercial content

Responsibilities

• Concept and create compelling ideas for target audiences
• Design work for clients and new business within brand guidelines
• Develop concepts aligned with client objectives and high standards
• Present and defend art direction to leadership and clients
• Navigate tight deadlines and evolving budgets with innovative solutions
• Manage multiple projects with precision under pressure
• Mentor junior and mid-level creatives for high performance
• Implement AI tools to accelerate visual identities and video assets
• Incorporate AI into pitches and mockups for winning proposals
• Research emerging AI trends and establish best practices
• Ideate and build stories for social platforms
• Communicate clearly from storyboard to final work
• Create mockups and light retouching to sell ideas
• Collaborate with a large team from ideation to execution

Skills

Art direction

Client presentations

Mentorship

AI tools usage

Creative storytelling

Collaboration

Strong communication

Tools

Adobe Design suite

After Effects

Premiere Pro

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