Senior Art Director

ReelPaws, an award-winning digital agency with pet expertise, commercial photography & video production capabilities, is seeking a Full Time Senior Art Director to join our team. Work to be completed primarily from our Chicago office during the company-wide four-day (32 hour) workweek. Enjoy 3-day weekends, every week!

This role is responsible for the development, presentation, and creation of visual assets that will be used for various client and internal projects. The successful candidate will possess a sharp creative eye, a strong creative thinker, attention to styling, branding, typography, and an eye for achieving marketing/advertising objectives.

Starting salary is based on level of experience, and upon hire will be reevaluated every six months. You will have the opportunity to work directly with leadership, the creative team, and clients, to facilitate the production of a wide array of content. The scale of our portfolio offers challenges and opportunities for individuals who are looking to further their careers with an innovative and growing company.

If you are passionate about creating beautiful and engaging content of the highest quality, we’d like to meet you!

Job Responsibilities and Duties:

• Creative Design Expertise, with a solid understanding of design principles and sales/marketing alignment, maintain current knowledge of new design techniques, trends, and applicable software. Elevates and evolves brand aesthetics while supporting overall brand direction.
• Website and UX Design; lead the creation of websites and landing pages built primarily for Shopify and WordPress, ensuring optimization for user experience, and assessing the execution of design work aligns with overall business and strategic goals.
• Present concepts for clients, attend and/or lead client meetings and pitches, as well as plan, develop, and defend creative recommendations, goals, and timelines.
• Collaborate with the internal team, to execute creative and innovative ideas and ensure they are on strategy and on schedule.
• Strategy and Tactical Planning; Participate in the ideation process and project brainstorming sessions, leveraging research, analytics, and brand insights, to help develop new creative for client work.
• Production. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves to produce work alongside other members of the team. Be extremely comfortable producing content for email, social, marketing, landing pages, site refreshes, and print.

Requirements:

• Minimum of five years of previous experience in art direction or design, in-house or agency.
• BA/BS degree, ideally in design, marketing, and/or related field.
• Minimum of two years of agency experience at a marketing, PR, or advertising agency.
• Experience with art direction on photo/video shoots preferred.
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite.
• Solid work ethic and professionalism in dealing with clients and colleagues.
• Trustworthiness, professional appearance, and poise when working with clients.
• Ability to manage several tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Exceptionally organized and able to work independently.

About ReelPaws:

ReelPaws is an award-winning digital agency that brings together top-notch marketing minds, serious commercial photography and video production capabilities, and pet expertise, all under one roof. Our team creates work for trusted brands around the world. We deliver creative and digital marketing solutions for clients and their trusted partners.

Employees at ReelPaws are a diverse group of creatives, coming from all sorts of backgrounds. Our small (but mighty!) team is composed of less than 12 employees that specialize in producing photography, video, and digital work for brands that utilize animals in marketing and advertising content. Our clients are located across the country and internationally. Some companies are emerging brands, but many household names also seek our work. We also have a significant number of loyal non-pet clients too. The work we create encompasses a diverse range of projects and campaigns, with a continual push for innovative and bold ideas that stand out!

Our office/studio is located in Ravenswood / Lincoln Square area in an old brick factory building that has a modern industrial vibe with polished concrete flooring and high ceilings. We work hard to create great work, but also have a sense of humor and laugh daily!

Ideal Candidate:

• We’re looking for a design leader for our organization who is capable of concepting, developing, editing, and pitching original design work to clients.
• Previous experience with branding, logo design, packaging design, and website design.
• Experience developing design work for a large national brand.
• Impeccable design aesthetic and attention to detail.
• Takes ownership of projects assigned, looks for areas of process improvement, and enacts action to achieve these goals.
• You bring positive energy, a sense of enthusiasm, attention to detail, and a desire to truly create great work and deliver it on time!
• Be analytical and an accomplished problem-solver.
• Previous experience working at a marketing agency, on a wide array of client projects.
• Comfortable working with and around dogs and cats.

To Apply:

• Resume
• Provide a link to a portfolio or samples of impeccable aesthetic sensibility, innovative design, and typography.

Thank you for your interest!

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $65,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• Art Direction or Design: 5 years (Required)
• Adobe Creative Suite: 4 years (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Chicago, IL 60640 (Required)

Work Location: In person