Art Director, Brand and Print Design (Magazine Publishing / Food & Lifestyle)

Birmingham, AL (Hybrid) | Full-Time

About the Role

A Birmingham-based publisher of premium lifestyle content is hiring an Art Director to own the visual voice of its celebrated baking magazine brand across print, digital, social, books, and events. The brand reaches a passionate audience of bakers and food lovers with beautifully designed content, recipes, and storytelling.

This role owns the look and feel of the magazine from cover to cover, designing and overseeing every layout, directing photography for covers and features, and managing print production from concept through press. The Art Director also guides social and digital design output to keep the brand's aesthetic consistent at every touchpoint. A love of baking or food knowledge is a plus but not required. What matters most is a sharp eye for editorial design, lifestyle photography, and building a brand at scale.

Responsibilities

• Own the overall visual identity and aesthetic of the brand across print, digital, social, books, and events
• Set, document, and maintain brand and style guidelines as the gatekeeper for visual consistency
• Design and oversee all magazine layouts from concept to press, including feature spreads, recipes, tutorials, covers, and special issues
• Manage the full print production process, including typography, copy flow, prepress, and 4-color magazine production under tight deadlines
• Provide on-set art direction for brand photography, leading shoot planning with mood boards, prop styling direction, and set logistics
• Review, select, and approve final images for print and digital use
• Source and manage relationships with photographers, stylists, and creative vendors
• Guide and approve social and digital design direction (templates, graphics, video assets) across web, email, and social channels
• Support creative for baking classes, retreats, and online course content
• Collaborate with editorial, test kitchen, advertising, and marketing teams on production flow, custom content, and branded partnerships

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in a senior design or art direction role at a national magazine, publishing house, or lifestyle brand
• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or a related field
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) and Mac OS
• Proven experience directing photography, including on-set direction
• Strong understanding of prepress workflows and 4-color magazine production
• Exceptional typography, layout, and composition skills with meticulous attention to detail
• Experience building or maintaining brand guidelines across print and digital platforms
• Portfolio demonstrating editorial layout design, brand identity work, and photography direction
• A love of baking or food knowledge is a plus but not required