Associate Creative Director

Make it Good; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Medical aid

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Make it Good in Cape Town is seeking an Associate Creative Director to own and evolve an established brand direction, working hands-on across design, art direction and motion. You’ll partner with UK leads and drive quality across touchpoints.

Developed senior role with 75% hands-on work, 25% strategy, sharing creative leadership and mentoring a motion and artwork squad, while presenting to senior stakeholders. Hybrid studio/home balance offered.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in creative with ACD or senior art director level.
• Strong brand thinking across identity and visual communication.
• Excellent design and art direction; enjoys hands-on work.
• Motion skills to create/direct motion as part of the work.
• Track record taking strategy to concept and execution.
• Experience evolving an existing brand direction.
• Portfolio link included in CV; ready to discuss briefs and outcomes.
• No portfolio, no response.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the existing creative direction.
• Hands-on design, art direction and motion from concept to finish.
• Ensure high-quality, consistent creative output.
• Expand direction with fresh thinking for new products or services.
• Unpack briefs to find real problems and craft strategic answers.
• Lead and grow a motion and artwork squad.
• Set creative standards and own output quality.
• Present work confidently to senior stakeholders.
• Work independently and make decisions.

Skills

ACD experience

Senior art director

Brand thinking

Design leadership

Motion direction

Portfolio presentation

Self-starter

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