Freelance Associate Director - Creative

DEPT®; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-friendly

Job summary

DEPT® is seeking an Associate Director, Creative to define the aesthetic direction for our key accounts and ensure every touchpoint is visually stunning and strategically sound.

You will bridge big ideas and execution, design or art direct high-stakes work, and mentor a team of designers and art directors to elevate their craft. You’ll lead multi-channel campaigns, oversee production, and present to clients to explain the strategic

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in art direction or design within a creative agency or high-growth brand environment or related field.
• Mastery of art direction, layout, typography, and integrated visual storytelling across platforms.
• Experience leading small teams or overseeing freelancers and junior creatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the visual evolution of brands and oversee art direction for pitches and flagship projects.
• Guide a team of junior to mid-level Art Directors and Designers with craft-based feedback.
• Lead visual narrative across multi-channel campaigns for cohesive look and feel.
• Oversee production: photographers, directors, color, retouching, motion design to match the creative vision.
• Present design systems and art direction in client meetings with clear rationale.
• Evolve design workflows with leadership and adopt new tools or AI-driven tech.
• Foster an inclusive, design-forward culture encouraging experimentation.

Skills

Art direction

Team leadership

Visual storytelling

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Motion design

AI image generation

Typography

Tools

N/A

Job description

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

THE ROLE:

The Associate Director, Creative is a visual visionary and a tactical leader. You are responsible for defining the aesthetic direction of our key accounts and ensuring that every touchpoint, from social content to large-scale integrated campaigns, is visually stunning and strategically sound.

In this role, you bridge the gap between "the big idea" and "the beautiful execution." You are a master of craft who can still design or art direct high-stakes work, but you are equally focused on mentoring a team of designers and art directors to elevate their visual output.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Lead the visual evolution of brands. You’ll oversee the art direction for pitches and flagship projects, ensuring all work meets a world-class standard of design, typography, and composition.
• Guide a team of junior to mid-level Art Directors and Designers. You’ll provide specific, craft-based feedback that pushes their work further while helping them develop their own visual voices.
• Take ownership of the visual narrative across multi-channel campaigns. You’ll lead the aesthetic side of "the big idea," ensuring a cohesive look and feel across film, digital, social, and physical experiences.
• Lead the visual side of production, from selecting photographers and directors to overseeing color grading, retouching, and motion design, ensuring the final product matches the original creative vision.
• Act as the visual authority in client meetings. You’ll present design systems and art direction with passion and clarity, helping clients understand the strategic "why" behind visual choices.
• Partner with Creative leadership to evolve design workflows, establish quality standards, and identify new tools or AI-driven technologies to keep the team’s craft future-ready.
• Foster an inclusive, design-forward culture that encourages experimentation, shared learning, and a relentless pursuit of visual excellence.

WHAT YOU BRING:

• 5+ years of experience in art direction or design within a creative agency or high-growth brand environment or related field.
• Showcasing a mastery of art direction, layout, typography, and integrated visual storytelling across various platforms.
• Experience leading small teams or overseeing the work of freelancers and junior creatives.
• Expert-level knowledge of Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc.), motion design, or AI image generation.
• The ability to ensure that every visual choice, from color palette to casting, serves the client’s business goals and brand identity.
• The ability to articulate complex visual concepts to non-visual stakeholders and clients.

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU:

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step.

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S.

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work . Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place.

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

#LI-remote

The anticipated salary range for this position is listed below. Salary is based on a range of factors that include relevant experience, expertise, physical location, and organizational impact. This is based on a 40-hour workweek and leveling. Keep in mind, we’re flexible.

US Remote Range

$90 - $110 USD