Senior Art Director - Sandton at Dentsu

Key responsibilities:

Creative Conceptualization

• Develop innovative and engaging concepts for social media and digital campaigns that align with the brand’s voice, objectives, and audience.
• Collaborate with copywriters, strategists, and other creative team members to create cohesive campaign ideas.
• Stay updated on current trends in social media, digital design, and pop culture to keep ideas fresh and relevant.

Design & Execution

• Oversee the design and production of social media assets, including static posts, animated graphics, videos, and interactive content.
• Ensure all designs maintain consistency with brand guidelines while pushing creative boundaries.
• Create storyboards, wireframes, and prototypes for new social content formats.
• Create digital interfaces and design elements (responsive websites, mobile, email campaigns and social media).
• Research and prepare material in support of new design concepts and create working

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor junior designers, providing constructive feedback and fostering their professional growth.
• Collaborate with other art directors and cross-functional teams, including copywriters, developers, and marketers to create cohesive campaign ideas

Strategic Planning

• Partner with social media strategists to develop campaigns that meet KPIs and client objectives.
• Analyze engagement metrics and user feedback to refine creative approaches and improve performance.

Client Interaction

• Present concepts, designs, and campaign ideas to clients, articulating the creative vision and strategic thinking behind them.
• Build strong relationships with clients by understanding their goals and delivering exceptional creative solutions.

Trend Analysis & Innovation

• Keep abreast of emerging technologies and platforms in the social media space.
• Experiment with new formats, styles, and tools to ensure content remains cutting-edge and competitive.

Project Management

• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring deadlines and quality standards are consistently met.
• Work closely with project managers to allocate resources and streamline workflows.

Required skills:

• University-level education in Graphic design or equivalent work experience.
• At least 5 years’ experience working in a design studio or creative agency.
• Previous involvement in the creation of desktop & mobile experiences.
• Excellent Adobe Creative Suite Photoshop and Illustrator skills.
• Ability to interpret and develop brand guidelines & design principles for online media.

Advantageous:

• Experience with Figma, Sketch and Invision applications
• Video editing and motion graphics knowledge with Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro
• Presentation design within Keynote and Powerpoint
• Understanding of UI & UX best practices, taking a mobile-first approach.
• Front-end web experience and strong understanding of HTML5, CSS3 and Wordpress
• Good understanding of Responsive web design, Bootstrap and grid systems