Art Director/Senior Graphic Designer

Remuneration:	R38000 - R45000 per month negotiable cost-to-company
Location:	Johannesburg, Orchards
Remote work:	Some remote work allowed
Education level:	Degree
Job level:	Senior
Own transport required:	Yes
Type:	Permanent
Reference:	##AD/SGDSep2024
Company:	Penquin

Overview of the role:

We are looking for art director/senior designer who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and loves the challenge of discovering what makes consumers “click”. You will cooperate with a design-savy team to devise an overall concept.

The goal is to translate marketing and branding strategies into innovative and impressive campaigns that stimulate targeted audiences.

Main responsibilities:

• Introducing and applying expert art direction and design to the visual elements of creative projects.
• Ensuring a high standard of visual execution across all media and client campaigns.
• Inspiring and motivating the agency’s clients to be creatively progressive, through the application of fresh and inventive visual work.
• Reviewing the work of junior designers and providing direction and feedback.
• Taking ownership of the visual elements of creative work for new business pitches.
• Uncovering new ways to incorporate emerging and new media formats into campaigns.
• Generate clear ideas and concepts in tandem with the Creative copywriter, and compile presentations to present to client service and relevant clients.
• Produce sketches, storyboards, and roughs to visualise ideas.
• Understand marketing initiatives, strategic positioning and target audience.
• Take work from concept to final execution within set deadlines.
• Manage and delegate responsibilities to other designers and provide direction.
• Present completed ideas to clients/team members.
• Stay on top of all trends and maintain best practices.
• Assist with creative concepts across all advertising and marketing platforms within the teams for our current clients/campaigns and new potential clients/pitch work.
• Confer with the client service team and clients to determine objectives, budget, background information, and presentation approaches, styles, and techniques.
• Assist in training and directing junior staff members who develop design concepts into art layouts or who prepare layouts for all advertising and marketing platforms in the agency.
• Assist the head of design in reviewing illustrative material to determine if it conforms to standards and specifications.

Project management

• Liaising with client services teams regarding the progress of work.
• Receiving briefs from the client services teams through the traffic manager submitted through CHASE.
• Creative input for new concepts and proposals.
• Meeting client services teams to discuss their needs.
• Be able to work to strict deadlines and under time pressure.  You will need to be able to manage stress and follow instructions given at times.
• You will need to be able to work to tight deadlines and work on more than one brief/project at a time. 

Qualifications, skills, experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in graphics design, visual arts or relevant field.
• 3-5 years of mid- to senior-level design experience in an advertising agency environment.
• A complete design portfolio will be mandatory.
• Strong creative, organisational, problem solving and time management skills.
• Expert knowledge in the graphic production process.
• Work well with tight deadlines in a team environment
• Able to take projects from start to finish with minimal supervision.
• An adaptable and quick learner. Must be able to apply style guides creatively while upholding brand identity for a portfolio of clients.
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite. Experience with HTML, WordPress, and motion graphics is a plus.
• Possess strong conceptual skills, a high-level sense of design, layout and typography, and a broad
• thinker who is able to offer a variety of design solutions.
• The confidence to explain and support your thinking, both internally and externally.
• A flexible approach and willingness to adapt your ideas to the needs of clients.
• Need to be comfortable presenting your concepts and work in an inspiring way. This is particularly important when a project is a new business pitch or campaign launch

Personal skills and attributes:

• Excellent teamwork, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Logic, creativity and imagination.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Strong organisational skills.
• Self-motivation, flexibility, stamina and the ability to adapt.
• Confidence, enthusiasm and determination.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• The resilience to accept criticism of your work.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to understand the target audience.
• An interest in popular culture, new trends and styles.
• Good research skills.

Posted on 23 Sep 14:40, Closing date 30 Oct