Art Director - Beauty, Retail

We're seeking an Art Director to lead and evolve a growing brand's visual identity across all consumer touchpoints. This role is responsible for translating brand strategy and product storytelling into compelling visual narratives that drive engagement, consistency, and brand recognition.

Location: Hybrid - NYC
Full-time (40 hours per week)

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience as an Art Director or Senior Designer creating integrated, omnichannel campaigns across digital, social, e-commerce, retail, and print environments.
• Proven experience leading photo and video shoots, including creative direction, on-set art direction, and collaboration with production partners.
• Exceptional visual design and storytelling skills, with a strong portfolio demonstrating expertise in branding, typography, layout, composition, and creative execution across multiple channels.
• Strong portfolio showcasing work across social media, e-commerce, merchandising, retail, print, and campaign marketing.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and contemporary creative workflows.
• Experience using AI-powered creative tools to support ideation, concept development, visualization, and creative production.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining high-quality standards and meeting deadlines.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, including marketing, product, copy, video, and project management partners.
• Experience managing freelancers, photographers, stylists, production vendors, and other external creative partners.
• Strong presentation and communication skills with the ability to confidently articulate creative rationale to stakeholders.
• Beauty, personal care, fashion, lifestyle, or consumer brand experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of current design, content, cultural, and consumer trends.

Responsibilities

• Creative Direction & Brand Stewardship
  • Lead and evolve the brand's visual identity across campaigns, product launches, content initiatives, and evergreen marketing channels.
  • Translate brand strategy and product messaging into clear, compelling visual narratives.
  • Maintain and reinforce brand standards, ensuring consistency across all touchpoints and platforms.
  • Uphold a high standard of visual craftsmanship across typography, imagery, color, composition, and design execution.
• Creative Development & Execution
  • Concept, design, and execute creative assets across digital, social, paid media, e-commerce, retail, merchandising, and print channels.
  • Develop launch campaigns, educational content, storyboards, creative frameworks, and retail collateral.
  • Optimize creative for specific platforms, audience behaviors, and performance objectives.
  • Ensure creative work remains innovative, brand-aligned, and relevant to channel goals.
• Production & Shoot Direction
  • Develop creative direction for photo and video productions, including casting, styling, set design, shot planning, and visual direction.
  • Lead on-set creative execution and make real-time decisions to maintain quality and creative integrity.
  • Partner with photographers, producers, stylists, editors, retouchers, and production teams to deliver best-in-class creative assets.
  • Oversee production and post-production workflows through final asset delivery.
• Creative Leadership & Collaboration
  • Bring fresh ideas and strategic visual solutions that elevate work beyond the initial brief.
  • Own projects from concept through final execution while balancing multiple priorities and deadlines.
  • Provide guidance, feedback, and mentorship to junior creatives and collaborators as needed.
  • Partner closely with marketing, product, copy, video, and project management teams on integrated campaigns.
  • Present creative concepts and final work confidently to stakeholders and leadership teams.
• Trend & Consumer Insight
  • Stay informed on emerging trends across design, beauty, fashion, lifestyle, content, and culture.
  • Apply relevant consumer and cultural insights to drive creative innovation and brand relevance.
  • Help ensure the brand remains visually distinctive, competitive, and aligned with evolving audience expectations.

This opportunity is ideal for a highly conceptual and execution-focused Art Director who thrives in a fast-paced brand environment and enjoys shaping impactful visual experiences across the full customer journey.