Art Director

The Art Director at George P. Johnson Experience Marketing leads strategically grounded creative ideation and shapes it into experience design approaches that are clear to both internal teams and clients. This hybrid role is based in Los Angeles and includes on-site reporting at least two days per week, with occasional domestic and international travel.

Role Overview

In this position, you will distill ideas into an innovative experience design approach and communicate it effectively to internal and external stakeholders. You will contribute to the attendee experience through storytelling using both words and visuals, shaping multiple touch points from concept through presentation. The role also includes coaching and mentoring creatives, alongside collaboration with Creative Directors and production partners to deliver work that remains on-brand and strategically aligned.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as an agency leader by translating client brands into thoughtful, compelling, and interactive experience work.
• Lead the creative team with new thinking and techniques, setting the highest standards for designers to follow.
• Collaborate with creative leadership to develop high-quality, strategic presentations using copywriting, sketches, renders, mock-ups, and decks.
• Produce print-ready graphic files and inspire inventive, thoughtful, on-brand work.
• Manage workload effectively and meet tight deadlines across project stages.
• Participate in planning and strategy sessions and provide clear art direction at project initiation.
• Oversee designers on assigned projects, coaching creative team members (and account teams) to ensure consistent, high-quality execution.
• Partner with Creative Directors to execute strategic design solutions and deliver ideas supported by sound brand understanding.
• Present creative concepts to clients while developing and maintaining client relationships.
• Coordinate with graphics production and creative tech to resolve design and budgetary challenges without compromising brand integrity.
• Communicate all changes to team members in a timely and articulate manner.
• Lead the development of new creative design solutions across multiple brands and initiatives.
• Mentor creative account team members by identifying growth areas and supporting clear career paths.
• Oversee account-based creative teams in collaboration with creative leadership, fostering strong relationships with account and production teams.
• Assist CPM with overall project management, supervise design teams on projects, and ensure deadlines are met for each project stage.
• Evaluate the creative team’s bandwidth and recommend when additional resources are needed.
• Create sketches, mood boards, layouts, 2D and 3D renders, deck design and templates, presentation structure and POS materials.
• Develop thoughtful, engaging guest journey work and adjust deliverables as needed to preserve strategic integrity within client restrictions.
• Contribute to and oversee concept, design, and development of pitch presentations for new business and existing clients.
• Advocate for brand and identity standards, advising when to adhere closely and when to propose more creative approaches.
• Convey strategy mechanics and accountability by example, and stay hands-on to support delivery.
• Present work clearly to internal and external partners and collaborate directly with production teams to assess feasibility within budgets.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of design experience in an agency setting.
• 1–2 years of supervisory experience.
• Associate’s degree in Advertising, Communication Design, or Visual Arts.
• Bachelor’s degree highly preferred or 6–8+ years of related experience in an agency setting.
• Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite and Google Suite.
• Thorough understanding of color theory and color relationships, typographic terms and specifications, print production processes and techniques, and photographic processes.
• Expert comprehension of graphic production, including practical knowledge of print production and photographic processes.
• Comprehensive understanding of budgets and budgetary limitations.
• Experience working on Macintosh operating platform; PC knowledge is a plus.
• Thorough knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.
• Ability to work irregular hours in addition to normal business hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.

Tools & Technologies

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Google Suite
• Firefly
• Gemini
• Microsoft Office
• Macintosh operating platform
• PC (knowledge is a plus)

Hybrid Location

Los Angeles, CA. Hybrid role with on-site reporting to the George P. Johnson Experience Marketing office location at least 2 days per week.

Benefits

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) providing an ownership interest.
• FTO policy (no more accruing time off).
• Employer matching 401(k) plan with no vesting period.
• Low employee contribution healthcare option.
• Equal Opportunity Employer.

Opportunity Summary

George P. Johnson Experience Marketing is hiring an Art Director to join a growing team. This role supports strategically founded creative ideation, story-telling through words and visuals, and leadership across design delivery, resource planning, and client-facing presentations.