Art Director

The Art Director role at George P. Johnson Experience Marketing supports strategically grounded creative ideation, transforming concepts into innovative experience design that works for both internal teams and external audiences. This hybrid position is based in Boston, with travel expected throughout the year.

Role Focus

• Lead in strategically founded creative ideation and translate it into a clearly communicated, unique experience design approach for internal and external teams.
• Shape the attendee experience across every touch point, contributing to overall execution and outcomes.
• Serve as an agency leader by bringing clients brand strategy into thoughtful, compelling, and interactive experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Creative Director and team members to generate distinctive ideas and experiences aligned to client objectives and challenge resolution.
• Lead the creative team in new thinking and techniques, setting the highest standards for designers.
• Develop high-quality, strategic client presentations with copywriting, sketches, renders, mock-ups, and presentation materials.
• Produce and inspire inventive, thoughtful, on-brand creative work.
• Create print-ready graphic files.
• Manage workload effectively and meet tight deadlines, including participation in planning and strategy sessions.
• Lead graphic design execution on assigned projects by overseeing designers, ensuring consistency, and maintaining top-tier quality.
• Partner with creative leadership to deliver strategic design solutions.
• Present creative ideas to clients and develop client relationships.
• Collaborate with graphics production and creative tech to address design and budgetary challenges while protecting design and brand integrity.
• Lead development of new ideas and creative design solutions across multiple brands and initiatives.
• Mentor creative account team members by identifying areas of growth and supporting career path development.
• Oversee account-based creative teams while partnering closely with creative leadership and maintaining positive relationships with account and production teams.
• Provide clear art direction at project initiation and continue coaching through delivery, including monitoring, guiding efforts, and investing in successful results.
• Adjust direction and feedback based on project needs and designer requirements.
• Create sketches, mood boards, layouts, 2D and 3D renders, deck design and templates, presentation and content structure, and POS materials.
• Build thoughtful, engaging guest journeys, adjusting work when necessary to maintain strategic integrity within client restrictions.
• Deliver ideas and themes grounded in strategic rationale and a deep understanding of branding.
• Contribute to and oversee concept, design, and development of pitch presentations and concepts for new business and existing clients.
• Advocate for brand and identity standards, knowing when to adhere closely and when to recommend more creative approaches.
• Demonstrate mechanics and attributes of team strategy and accountability through example, and be hands-on when needed.
• Present work clearly and effectively to both internal and external partners.
• Work directly with production teams to vet ideas and assess feasibility within budgets.
• Collaborate with the graphics production department to ensure graphics quality and correct file setup for successful production.
• Maintain comprehensive understanding of budgets and budget constraints, ensure deadlines are met at each stage, and communicate changes clearly and on time.

Experience & Education Requirements

• Associates degree in Advertising, Communication Design, or Visual Arts.
• Bachelor's degree highly preferred or 6–8(+) years of related experience in an agency setting.
• 3(+) years of design experience in an agency setting.
• 1-2 years of supervisory experience.
• Experience working on Macintosh operating platform; PC knowledge is a plus.
• Thorough knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.
• Demonstrated complete understanding of color theory and color relationships, typographic terms and specifications, print production processes and techniques, and photographic processes.

Tools & Technologies

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Google Suite
• Microsoft Office
• Macintosh operating platform

Travel, Hours, and Mobility

• Travel is required, estimated at 3–5 trips per year, both domestically and internationally, often to attend shows and events.
• Ability to travel 25%.
• Ability to work irregular hours in addition to normal business hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.

Work Impact Areas

• Project Launch & Resource Management
• Strategy & Creative
• Management, Delivery & Deployment

Location and Work Model

Hybrid position based in Boston, MA. Requires reporting on-site at the Boston office a minimum of 2 days per week.

Salary Range

Salary is dependent on a variety of factors including (but not limited to) experience, skills, and location.

Competencies

• Urgency: Decisive, responsive, and fast acting; adaptable and able to maintain quality and strong work interactions under pressure.
• Communication: Conveys and sells ideas clearly, articulates concepts with brevity during brainstorms or client presentations, and collaborates and presents with a positive image for GPJ.
• Creative Innovation: Idea-driven, big-picture thinking; drives and supports improved creative methods and implements the latest interactive technology in storytelling.
• Flexible: Moves to new tasks with little notice, keeps composure when priorities shift, and maintains an open mind.
• Prioritization/Organization: Allocates time and resources to complete work within defined timelines and budget, and builds reasonable completion timelines when dates are not provided.