Associate Creative Director, Experiences

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic business objectives and client insights into conceptually strong, visually compelling ideas for experiential activations and demos.
• Partner with the Creative Director to shape creative vision and maintain a consistent standard of excellence across all workstreams.
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams—guiding designers, technologists, and strategists through concept development, design execution, and delivery.
• Provide art and design direction: articulate design intent and leadership across experiential touch points, including digital content, environmental graphics, and physical design.
• Oversee and prioritize multiple creative projects, ensuring deadlines are met and the output meets or exceeds quality expectations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal and client teams to build cohesive, insight-driven brand experiences across experiential touch points.
• Present and defend creative work confidently to clients and senior stakeholders, articulating how design decisions ladder up to strategy and measurable outcomes.
• Mentor and develop design talent, providing constructive feedback, fostering curiosity, and nurturing a culture of collaboration and creative growth.
• Stay ahead of emerging design and technology trends, bringing new tools, ideas, and platforms (AI, motion, 3D, interactive) into the creative process.
• Contribute to team culture and leadership, helping define best practices, inspire excellence, and build momentum toward the studio’s shared creative vision.
• Works daily with the Design team and members of the Leadership team (particularly CDs) to ensure all projects meet and/or exceed expectations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, or related field preferred but not required.
• 8–12 years of professional design experience in agency, studio, or in-house environments, including experience leading multi-disciplinary creative teams.
• Portfolio demonstrating strategic creative direction across branding, digital, and integrated brand storytelling.
• Expert-level proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) with fluency in Figma, Adobe XD, and AI-assisted concepting tools (Midjourney,ChatGPT, etc.) to accelerate ideation and refinement.
• Deep understanding of design systems, UX/UI principles, typography, color, composition, and responsive design as tools for building brand equity and engagement.
• Experience with exhibit and experience design for brands and, ideally, for cultural institutions.
• Working knowledge of motion, video, 3D, and emerging digital design considerations.
• Familiarity with accessibility and universal design considerations.
• Proven success in leading creative teams and collaborating cross-functionally with strategy, marketing, and production to deliver insight-driven design solutions.
• Ability to translate business goals and consumer insights into compelling creative strategy.
• Skilled at managing complex timelines, budgets, and resource planning across multiple projects and partners.
• Strong presenter and storyteller—able to articulate vision, rationale, and value of design to executive stakeholders and clients.
• Experienced in mentoring, developing, and inspiring creative teams, fostering a culture of innovation, craft, and accountability.
• Confident giving and receiving feedback, with a focus on growth, clarity, and collaboration.
• Strategic thinker with creative intuition and business acumen.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive in solving problems before they arise.
• Deep curiosity about client industries, audience behaviors, and cultural trends.
• Committed to quality, innovation, and consistency in all aspects of design leadership.
• Comfortable leading teams operating in Eastern time zone hours or distributed environments.