Senior Art Director

About the role

We are looking for a talented Senior Art Director with a strong background in branding, illustration, and design focused on the lifestyle, retail, and/or fashion categories. This is a hands-on, craft-forward role in a fast-paced environment for a creative who thrives on carrying ideas from start to finish across a wide range of media, including environmental design.

The ideal candidate has a genuine passion for retail—trends, shopping behavior, and the physical spaces where people gather—and brings that enthusiasm into every project. This is a unique opportunity to join our internal agency team, whose responsibility is to bring to life innovative and diverse shopping destinations through marketing and activation. Marketing efforts include owned, earned, and paid advertising in support of our centers, event/experiential marketing, placemaking initiatives such as partnering with artists to recast places and spaces, designing window graphics, signage, and much more.

WS is one of the largest privately owned retail developers in the country with more than a hundred properties nationwide. Our mission is to create places where people want to be. These destinations include a curated mix of retail, food, and entertainment, from luxury brands to well-known apparel retailers, to unique, local finds.

Attributes

• Refined, polished eye for design, a conceptual mind, and a drive for excellence in craft.
• Passion for branding, art, and visual culture, with a deep appreciation for design, illustration, and trends.
• Genuine passion for retail—exploring spaces, following trends, and understanding what makes a shopping destination feel exciting and relevant.
• Ability to solve complex communication challenges in a fast-paced environment through strategy, concept, and consumer insights.
• Strong illustration skills with a distinct point of view, particularly in digital illustration using Procreate.
• Curiosity about AI and eagerness to experiment with emerging tools to elevate creative processes.
• Hardworking, proactive, and enthusiastic with a sense of urgency.
• Clear, proactive communicator who articulates the thinking behind their work and keeps collaborators informed.
• Commitment to exceeding expectations for the team, internal clients, and end consumers.
• Embraces change and seeks innovative ways to connect with consumers.
• Stays current with trends in digital design, development, and communication technologies.
• Collaborative team player who thrives in a group environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute creative concepts across branding, illustration, and design for lifestyle, retail, and fashion categories.
• Carry projects from start to finish across a wide range of media, including environmental design.
• Support marketing efforts for shopping destinations, including owned, earned, and paid advertising, event/experiential marketing, and placemaking initiatives.
• Design window graphics, signage, and other visual elements for retail spaces.
• Collaborate with artists and partners to reimagine places and spaces.

Requirements

• Excellent portfolio showcasing strong branding, illustration, and recent, live, retail-based omni-channel work.
• BFA/BA in Advertising, Graphic Design, Digital Media Design, Illustration, or a related field (or significant equivalent experience).
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in brand identity, graphic design, typography, illustration, and art direction.
• Strong illustration skills, including digital illustration in Procreate.
• Hands-on, experimental approach to AI in the creative process, with a habit of staying current on AI research and developments.
• Deep understanding of design and typography principles.
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite.
• Ability to present work clearly and confidently to internal and external audiences.
• Strong task management, organization, and prioritization skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to work with precision under rigorous deadlines in a collaborative environment.
• Experience with project management tools (e.g., Wrike, Asana, Monday) is a plus.
• Knowledge of AI and UX methods for responsive web and mobile app design is a plus.
• Experience with signage and wayfinding is a plus.
• Knowledge of After Effects is a plus.
• Experience with Figma is a plus.
• HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript skills are a plus.
• Photoshoot art direction experience is a plus.