Art Director Poetry at Cape Union Mart

Job Description

• We’re looking for a conceptually strong Art Director with a deep understanding of the Poetry aesthetic and values to join the marketing team. This is a pivotal creative role, perfect for someone who balances big-picture thinking with a hands-on design sensibility and a knack for visual storytelling.
• You’ll work closely with the Creative Lead to ideate, develop, and bring to life seasonal campaigns and brand initiatives—translating Poetry’s unique aesthetic and narrative into compelling visual experiences across all channels. While the Creative Lead sets the overall vision and direction, you’ll play a critical supporting role in shaping, coordinating, and producing the creative output—helping bring campaigns alive from concept through to execution.
• This role is suited to a multi-skilled creative who’s comfortable shifting between concept and craft, and thrives in a collaborative environment that values storytelling, detail, and beauty.

Key Performance / Focus Areas

Creative Concept Development

• Partner with the Creative Lead in developing campaign concepts that align with seasonal themes and overall brand strategy.
• Proactively consult with key internal teams—Digital, Ecommerce, and Visual Merchandising—during the ideation phase to ensure integrated and channel-relevant thinking.
• Contribute meaningfully in brainstorming sessions, offering ideas and creative references that enhance the visual and narrative depth of campaign concepts.
• Collaborate closely with the Copywriter to ensure concepts are brought to life cohesively across words and visuals.

Art Direction & Visual Execution

• Support the Creative Lead in translating campaign concepts into refined visual directions.
• Where required, execute design work—ensuring layouts and creative outputs are brand-aligned, of high visual quality and take current retail & design trends into account.
• Develop comprehensive art direction guidelines—including but not limited to shot lists, styling references, set design notes, lighting preferences, and communicating the overall visual tone—to ensure creative alignment across internal and external collaborators.
• Liaise with external production partners and agencies, playing an active role in briefing, providing reference material, and collaborating throughout the creative production process to ensure brand consistency and vision are upheld.

Production Oversight & Coordination

• Assist in compiling and preparing creative material for production and shoot execution.
• Attend shoots and support the Creative Lead in directing visual storytelling—ensuring alignment to concept and brand aesthetics.
• Work cross-functionally to ensure consistency and quality across final outputs.
• Work together with the Marketing Assistant to coordinate pre-production meetings, briefings, castings etc to ensure a smooth pre and postproduction process.

Cross-Functional Creative Collaboration

• Serve as a key creative contact for internal stakeholders during campaign rollout—helping to align visuals across in-store, digital, and content platforms.
• Work alongside design, social, and content teams to ensure visual storytelling remains consistent, elevated, and aligned to the campaign intent.
• Actively contribute to a culture of collaboration, feedback, and shared creative ownership.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 5 years’ experience in art direction and/or graphic design (retail, fashion, or lifestyle brand experience preferred).
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator essential; After Effects a plus).
• Strong conceptual and visual storytelling ability.
• Experience in photographic and video shoot direction, including storyboarding and production prep.
• A portfolio that demonstrates a balance of idea-led creative work and refined execution.

Behavioural Competencies

• A visual thinker with an editorial eye and instinct for brand.
• Deeply connected to the Poetry brand and customer, with a passion for feminine, refined, and narrative-driven design.
• Highly collaborative and comfortable working in a team where roles are fluid but aligned.
• Skilled at balancing autonomy with alignment—comfortable leading aspects of a project while working within a shared creative vision.
• Calm, focused, and solutions-oriented in fast-paced environments.
• Passionate about bringing ideas to life through partnership—with copy, design, and broader marketing teams.
• Curious and trend-aware—actively stays up to date with design, fashion, and market trends to ensure the brand remains current, distinctive, and creatively led.