Art Director

Reports to: Executive Creative Director (ECD)

Type: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Toronto, ON

Department: Design / Development

About SDI

SDI is an experiential and sports marketing agency that helps brands connect with people through live events, sponsorships, retail experiences and integrated campaigns. We plan and deliver programs across Canada and the United States, from national tours and in-stadium activations to retail demos and community events. Our teams bring together strategy, creative, production and operations to build work that is practical, human and memorable.

SDI is looking for an Art Director to help lead our design practice and bring bold creative ideas to life across experiential, brand and integrated campaigns.

In this role, you will act as the bridge between Creative Directors and the design team. You will shape the visual direction of projects, mentor designers and still roll up your sleeves on hands‑on design when the work demands it.

What you will do

1. Concept development and art direction (approx. 60 percent)

• Translate creative and strategic direction from the ECD and Creative Directors into clear visual concepts and design systems.
• Act as the brand keeper for assigned projects, establishing the look, feel and visual language for campaigns and experiences.
• Guide designers on layouts, typography, imagery, motion and other design elements so work is cohesive, polished and on brief.
• Review and refine creative work, ensuring quality, consistency and alignment with client expectations and brand standards.

2. Design team leadership (approx. 25 percent)

• Provide day to day leadership for the art and design team, including assigning work, setting priorities and helping balance workloads.
• Mentor, coach and support designers in their craft and career development.
• Help identify resourcing needs, including freelancers and specialist collaborators, and contribute to hiring decisions when needed.
• Set and uphold standards for production quality, productivity and client service.
• Contribute to improving processes and workflows that support efficient, high quality creative output.

3. Hands on design and production (approx. 15 percent)

• Work as an individual contributor on key projects when needed, from concept through to final production.
• Develop design assets for presentations, pitches and live client work, including decks, mock ups, environmental graphics, event branding and digital elements.
• Support preparation of materials for client presentations, reviews and approvals.

Key decisions you influence

• Visual and conceptual direction on projects and campaigns.
• Resourcing recommendations for the design team, including when and how to involve freelancers and specialists.
• The quality and format of creative materials that go in front of clients.
• Recommendations on process improvements and workflows that support better creative outcomes and efficiencies.

What you bring

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Fine Arts or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Approximately 5 or more years of experience working within a design team in a marketing, advertising, sports or experiential agency environment.
• Previous experience in marketing, advertising or a related field is an asset, especially in roles that combine creative and client‑facing work.
• Approximately 3 or more years of experience leading or mentoring designers, owning art direction on campaigns or managing creative projects.

Core creative strengths

• Proficiency in Creative Direction and Art Direction, from concept through to execution.
• Strong background in Branding and crafting cohesive visual identities across channels and touchpoints.
• Expertise in Graphics and Graphic Design, with a strong eye for layout, typography, color and composition.
• Sports and entertainment experience valued - you understand how creative shows up in stadiums, venues, fan spaces and live environments.
• Understanding of the experiential marketing (XM) space and how design needs to function in real‑world, live and interactive experiences.

Leadership and collaboration

• Ability to manage projects end to end, work collaboratively and lead creative teams in a fast moving environment.
• Proven ability to motivate, mentor and develop designers and cross functional partners.
• Excellent communication, leadership and organizational skills, with the confidence to present work and explain design decisions clearly.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively with strategy, production and account teams to solve problems together.

Tools and working style

• Experience with industry standard design tools and software (Adobe Creative Cloud is essential. Experience with tools like Figma, Sketch or similar is an asset).
• Comfortable working within PowerPoint and other presentation tools to help build client ready decks.
• Detail oriented, organized and driven to deliver high quality work on time, even when timelines are tight.

Other requirements

• Valid passport for occasional business travel.
• A valid driver’s licence and access to a vehicle is an asset.

Working conditions

• Hybrid work environment, with a mix of in office collaboration and remote work.
• Flexible schedule as required, including availability for some evenings and weekends during key activations, events or program peaks.
• Ability to travel as needed to support client meetings, site visits and programs.

How to apply

Please send your resume and a link to your portfolio (required) to cruitment@sdimktg.com

with the subject line: “Art Director - [Your Name]”

In your email, you can briefly highlight one or two projects that best represent your art direction and team leadership.

Accessibility and inclusion

SDI is committed to an inclusive, barrier free recruitment and selection process and a workplace that reflects the diversity of the communities we work in.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities and from candidates of all backgrounds and identities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates at all stages of the recruitment and selection process and throughout employment, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

If you require an accommodation, please contact recruitment@sdimktg.com

and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Use of digital tools in hiring

For this role, SDI may use digital tools, including AI enabled tools, to help review and organize applications. All hiring decisions are made by people. If you have questions about this or need an alternative way to participate in the process, please contact recruitment@sdimktg.com