Photo Art Director

Russell Tobin; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 103,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Life & disability insurance

Employee assistance program

Legal support

Auto insurance

Home insurance

Pet insurance

Employee discounts

Job summary

Russell Tobin is seeking a Photo Art Director to lead the overarching creative vision for a retail client in Columbus, OH. You will collaborate with creative leads, copywriters, and strategists to craft campaigns and produce visually compelling assets that meet brand standards.

The role requires extensive on-set art directing experience in retail or cosmetics, with proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of design experience with increasing levels of responsibility; experience in retail, fashion, or cosmetics is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to provide creative leadership and maintain high creative standards.
• Strong typography, layout, color palettes, image curation and mood board skills.
• Proficient in print and color, presentation deck design and organization.
• Hands-on comping and design using Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign; AI tools knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualize, develop, and execute campaigns that align with brand guidelines.
• Translate brand strategy into cohesive artistic concepts and presentations.
• Meet marketing budget targets for branded assets and collateral.
• Ensure creative alignment across design, copy, and visual merchandising.
• Provide hands-on art direction, create comps, mood boards, and design assets.
• Stay current on trends and mentor team members.

Skills

On-set art direction

Creative leadership

Typography

Layout

Mood boards

Image curation

AI tools

Tools

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Job description

CONTRACT: 12 months – possible conversion to full-time role

LOCATION: Columbus, OH

SCHEDULE: Onsite

PAY RANGE: $75 – $81 per hour on W2

Portfolio/Book work MUST be included. Has the candidate worked extensively with PDP photography

POSITION OVERVIEW

Russell Tobin is seeking a Photo Art Director to work for our retail client. This person will develop and implement the overarching creative vision and strategy forour client's brand. They create visually compelling materials that support brand campaigns and projects. This role works closely with creative leads, copywriters, and strategists to bring campaigns to life.

TOP SKILLS NEEDED:

• Need someone with several years of on-set photo art directing experience, ideally in the personal care or home spaces and/or in companies with high SKU counts. Will consider people who primarily have on-figure/portrait experience, but understanding how to capture still products like bottles is important.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• 7–10 years of design experience with increasing levels of responsibility; experience in retail, fashion, or cosmetics is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to provide creative leadership, establish and maintain high creative standards, and bring innovation to the business.
• Strong skills in typography, layout, color palettes, image curation, and mood board development, with the ability to work within brand guidelines while pushing creative boundaries.
• Strong understanding of print and color, presentation deck design, organization, and presentation flow.
• Ability to create comps and mood boards and gather visual references that communicate ideas clearly and compellingly.
• Excellent hands-on comping and design skills using programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Strong understanding of AI tools and experience with prompt development to generate image and content results that align with brand standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conceptualize, develop, and execute campaigns that align with brand guidelines and maintain a consistent overall brand aesthetic.
• Translate brand strategy into cohesive, detailed artistic concepts and presentations.
• Meet marketing budget targets related to branded assets and collateral.
• Ensure creative alignment across graphic design, copy, and visual merchandising.
• Provide hands-on art direction and concept development, including generating and pitching ideas, creating comps and mood boards, researching visual references, and designing assets that communicate concepts.
• Stay current on trends in social media, fashion, and culture, testing new ideas to advance the business’s creative direction.
• Manage and develop talent by inspiring, coaching, and mentoring team members, while continuously evaluating talent and performance.

Must be authorized to work in the United States

Why Join?

This role offers the chance to impact financial performance, gain exposure to strong leadership principles, and grow professionally—all with competitive pay and potential for long-term engagement.

Russell Tobin and it's affiliates offers eligible employee’s comprehensive healthcare coverage (medical, dental, and vision plans), supplemental coverage (accident insurance, critical illness insurance and hospital indemnity), 401(k)-retirement savings, life & disability insurance, an employee assistance program, legal support, auto, home insurance, pet insurance and employee discounts with preferred vendors.

Russell Tobin and it's affiliates are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of the race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, reproductive health decision making, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Russell Tobin and it's affiliates are a Fair Chance employer. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable state and local Fair Chance laws and ordinances, including, the California Fair Chance Act and all applicable local Fair Chance ordinances.

Accommodations

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of this role, please contact us.

Only applicable for San Francisco Candidates:

Under the San Francisco Lactation in the Workplace Ordinance, we will provide written notice of lactation accommodation rights, and this notice will automatically be given upon hiring, any inquiry of parental leave or lactation accommodation.