Associate Creative Director

The Make It Good Company; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension and medical aid

Hybrid working: 3 days in studio, 2 at

Job summary

The Make It Good Company in Cape Town is seeking an Associate Creative Director to own and evolve an established creative direction. You’ll work closely with UK leaders, lead a Motion and Artwork squad, and drive hands-on design from concept to finished output.

With 7+ years in creative leadership, you’ll shape brand identity and visual direction, present ideas to senior stakeholders, and mentor designers. This hybrid role offers autonomy and international collaboration.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in creative leadership roles (ACD, senior art director or design lead).
• Strong brand thinking with experience in brand identity and visual communication.
• Excellent design and art direction skills; able to do the work hands-on.

Responsibilities

• Get to know the existing creative direction inside out and take full ownership.
• Hands-on design, art direction and motion from concept to final output.
• Ensure creative direction is applied consistently at a high standard.
• Expand the direction with fresh thinking for new products or needs.
• Unpack briefs to identify real problems and shape strategic creative answers.
• Lead, guide and grow the Motion and Artwork squad.
• Set creative standards and own output quality.
• Present and defend work to senior stakeholders.
• Work independently and make decisions without supervision.

Skills

Creative leadership

Brand thinking

Design direction

Mentoring

Presenting to stakeholders

Independent work

Job description

Location: Cape Town

Work model: Hybrid

Salary: Competitive

Why you’d want to work here..

Produce international work from Cape Town A hands-on senior role where you get to make the work A strong creative direction to build on and grow No creative test: your portfolio and the way you talk about it do the work Pension and medical aid Hybrid working: 3 days in the studio, 2 at home

About our client..

Our client is a global agency with a growing creative studio in Cape Town. They’re looking for an Associate Creative Director who thinks like a CD and loves getting stuck in. You’ll start by working closely with the creative leaders in the UK, then take over and own an established creative direction, bringing it to life across every touchpoint and growing it as the business evolves. Most of your time (about 75%) goes into making things, and the rest goes into the thinking behind them.

What the job involves..

• Getting to know the existing creative direction inside out, then taking full ownership of it
• Hands-on design, art direction and motion, from first idea to finished output
• Making sure the creative direction is applied consistently and to a high standard
• Expanding on the direction with fresh creative thinking when new products, services or needs come up
• Unpacking briefs, especially unclear ones, to find the real problem and shape a strategic creative answer
• Leading, guiding and growing a Motion and Artwork squad
• Setting creative standards and owning the quality of everything that goes out
• Presenting and explaining your work confidently to senior stakeholders
• Working independently and making decisions without needing someone looking over your shoulder

What you need to be considered..

• 7+ years in creative, with experience at ACD, senior art director or design lead level
• Strong brand thinking, with experience in brand identity, brand development and visual communication
• Excellent design and art direction skills: you still love doing the work yourself
• Motion skills: you’re comfortable creating and directing motion as part of the creative
• A track record of taking strategic thinking through to concept and finished execution
• Experience building on and evolving an existing brand direction
• Confidence in your creative decisions and the ability to present them well
• Experience leading or mentoring designers or creatives
• A self-starter who can hit the ground running
• A portfolio link must be included in your CV. Show us brand identity and visual direction work, motion, and projects you’ve taken from brief to final output. For each project, be ready to talk us through the brief, your thinking, what you personally did, who else was involved, and the scope. No portfolio, no response

Bonus points if you..

• Have taken a brand through a full identity project, from strategy to roll-out
• Have worked with international teams or clients
• Have experience setting up or growing a creative team