ART DIRECTOR - toronto

POSITION OVERVIEW

As an Art Director at Grey, you are a creative leader and a strategic visual thinker. With 5+ years of agency experience, you will drive the visual direction for impactful campaigns, partnering closely with a Copywriter to conceive and execute bold, multi-channel ideas. Reporting to the Creative Director, you'll be instrumental in translating strategic insights into compelling visuals, consistently delivering high-craft work that captivates audiences, drives engagement, and elevates brands. You excel at pushing creative boundaries, especially in the dynamic realms of social media and unforgettable brand stunts.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive Creative Vision: Lead the visual concepting and execution of highly innovative and strategically sound campaigns across all channels (digital, social, OOH, broadcast, experiential, print).
• Strategic Concept Development: Partner with a Copywriter to develop compelling, original ideas, ensuring they are rooted in strategic insights and capable of translating into impactful social media campaigns and memorable brand stunts.
• Visual Storytelling Expertise: Translate marketing objectives into compelling visual narratives, creating stunning art direction and design that resonates with target audiences and achieves client goals.
• Project Leadership & Collaboration: Guide visual development on projects, collaborating effectively with junior designers and cross-functional teams to ensure creative excellence and consistency.
• Client & Internal Presentation: Confidently present and persuasively defend creative concepts and campaigns to clients and internal stakeholders, articulating rationale and vision.
• New Business & Pitches (Occasional): Contribute impactful creative concepts and presentations to new business pitches as needed.
• Brand Guardian: Ensure all visual output maintains brand integrity and consistency, demonstrating a 360-degree vision for creative excellence across all touchpoints.
• Quality Assurance: Oversee the visual development of campaigns from initial concept through final production, ensuring the highest level of craft and minimal revisions.
• Industry & Trend Expertise: Stay at the forefront of design trends, visual technologies, pop culture, and social media innovations to continuously elevate our creative output and identify new opportunities for clients.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Experience: 5+ years of progressive experience as an Art Director within a fast-paced advertising agency setting.
• Portfolio: A strong, conceptual portfolio demonstrating outstanding visual thinking, multi-channel craft, and a proven track record of successful social media campaigns and impactful brand stunts.
• Education: Degree or diploma in Graphic Design, Fine Arts, or a related creative field.
• Strategic & Creative Acumen: A powerful blend of strategic thinking and imaginative creative instincts, with the ability to solve complex marketing challenges through innovative visual solutions.
• Influence & Collaboration: Proven ability to inspire, influence, and collaborate effectively with creative teams and stakeholders.
• Communication & Presentation: Excellent presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively, both visually and verbally.
• Digital Fluency: Strong understanding of current digital platforms, social media ecosystems, and emerging technologies relevant to advertising and brand engagement.
• Technical Proficiency: Expert-level proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign). Experience with prototyping tools like Adobe XD, Figma, or Sketch is a strong asset.
• Project Management: Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects, tight deadlines, and evolving priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Bonus Points: Experience in diverse industry verticals, or specific experience relevant to our key clients.

*The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications.