Art Director, Key Art

WE HAVE CREATED A WORLD WHERE ART AND SCIENCE ARE BEST FRIENDS

Known is a modern marketing company engineered for the unprecedented opportunities and challenges facing marketers today. We are about 500 people strong, pairing award-winning creatives with PhD data scientists, strategists, engineers and expert research teams to produce some of the most innovative and cutting-edge creative work in culture. We believe that when creative truly collaborates with science, strategy, and technology, incredible things can happen. 

Our clients span the leading brands in finance, technology, media, CPG, real estate, and many other categories. These partnerships have earned us multiple awards and recognition: Emmys, Clios, Effies, Cannes Lions Awards, ProMax Agency of the Year, and most recently, Digiday’s Most Innovative Media Agency.

We couldn’t create this award-winning work without seeking out and hiring the best talent. What does it mean to be a Knowner? We are inquisitive innovators, knowledge-hunters who are constantly challenging ourselves to do better and be better for our clients, for our team and for our world at large. Our offices around the U.S. are open and while most of our people work in a hybrid setting, we are a distributed workforce with a number of Knowners working remotely.

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT US, LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU

We are seeking an Art Director who will create award-winning, innovative, and compelling campaigns that drive our client’s business and brand forward. You have an insatiable drive to find new ways to reach audiences harnessing the power of modern production approaches, platforms, and methodologies. As an Art Director, you thrive on collaboration and understand how to partner with account teams, strategists, media planners, data scientists, production, and your copy counterparts to blaze new trails and define the new era of modern marketing.

As an Art Director at Known, you have a passion for design and keen understanding of the specific demands of digital media. You will also work across a variety of platforms including developing TVCs, paid and organic social, print, OOH and more. In addition to leading design for the brand, Art Directors are responsible for brainstorming creative concepts with the team, developing original campaigns, and representing the design perspective in client presentations. We’re looking for an Art Director with strong design sensibilities skills as a conceptor and builder/compositor 

You’re the kind of person who gets excited and inspired by making things. You roll up your sleeves and can deliver quality work in a time-crunch. You have a knack for storytelling and presenting ideas in a way that makes people fall in love. Additionally, you’re collaborative, organized, and accountable, giving proper attention to the detail of your craft as well as bringing your teammates along in the process.

We’re looking for someone with a strong drive to collaborate, and someone who thrives on insights, data and possesses fearless creativity. But most of all, we’re looking for a genuinely good human being who we love working with.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

The Art Director will be responsible for establishing concept art with the leadership and vision of a Creative Director & ACD to be adapted and thoughtfully carried across OOH, Social & Digital in a 360 approach. 

The role of the Art Director is to be a visual storyteller and creative problem solver who finds new and surprising ways to drive results for our clients. We will encourage you to use every tool in your creative arsenal, not just your computer, to create impactful work that you can be proud of. We build, we draw, we take pictures, we geek out on tech, and we get our hands dirty to bring our ideas to life.     

• Play a hands-on role in the delivery of outstanding creative and results, working collaboratively within a cross-disciplinary team and environment (Creative teammates, strategists, media planners and account team) to ensure creative work is on-brand, works hard and stands out amongst the rest
• Ensure consistency and efficacy of design throughout all creative
• Design creative from concept to end product with the ability to self-manage multiple projects and tight timelines.
• Work within the client’s established brand guidelines, and help set the pace on newer initiatives.
• Successfully communicate (present and sell-in) creative ideas, and their rationale by confidently presenting creative to teams, stakeholders, and clients by articulating and rationalizing design decisions with strategic insights and business goals.
• Work closely with our internal media planning team, strategists, and Creative Director to test a multitude of design iterations including alt headlines, body copy and CTAs, imagery etc. and be able to apply learnings to refine and deliver new creative and evolving best practices
• Stay consistently relevant and up-to-date on all design and marketing trends, and cultural events in effort to bring fresh ideas, sharing with peers and the broader team.
• Participate in creative brainstorms
• Develop exceptional design for a wide range of advertising including branding, TV, social, digital, print, OOH and more. 
• Appraise and edit your own work, and bring a sharp eye for detail to every round of a project
• Be able to design and develop creative across multiple media formats
• Own the brand’s visual expression for our clients across all channels maintaining consistency
• Be fearless and not afraid to fail. 
• Work closely with project managers and account teams across the life span of a project

WHAT YOU HAVE DONE/WHO YOU ARE

• A curiosity about the work that’s pushing the industry forward, and an excitement to create, build, and craft things that never been done before
• A natural flare for the unique, the buzz-worthy and the culturally relevant with a willingness to push forward brave ideas
• The optimism to think bigger, the curiosity to dig deeper, and the passion to do better
• A professional attitude and an openness to feedback that commands the respect of supervisors, clients, and colleagues
• Eagle eye attention to detail
• Team player with the ability to work with strategist, data scientists and account team in a fast-paced environment
• Strong work ethic
• A solid agency (or in-house agency) background and a proven ability to design and concept for a variety of audiences, brands, and industries.
• Digital Art Direction portfolio required
• Ability to meet tight deadlines and multiple projects simultaneously and a great sense of personal time management and organizational skills. 
• Killer design chops and an understanding of how composition, information hierarchy, color theory and typography work together to drive home a message
• Ability to think strategically, conceptualize and see ideas through to polished design 

Education/Experience: 

• A degree in Fine Arts, Advertising or Graphic Design
• 3-5 years design and/or art direction experience at an agency or in-house agency

Computer Skills:

• High level of knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite software  (Illustrator and Photoshop specifically)

SOME OF OUR PERKS

Unlimited paid time off

401k with company matching and no vesting period

Annual bonuses

Vacation bonus

Generous medical plan

Paid parental leave

Charity perk

Company-wide events and retreats

ONE LAST THING TO ASK YOURSELF

All this might sound great, but you’re probably still wondering, “Would I be a good fit for Known?” or “Would Known be a good fit for me?” Our culture is propped up by four values that we aspire to every day: We are one team. We see the good. We never stop learning. There’s always a better way. At Known we are setting out to build something more than just a company. We are building a legacy filled with exceptionally talented people with a kaleidoscope of backgrounds, experiences, and origin stories who feel encouraged and empowered to bring their whole selves to work, and to partner with us in molding and shaping our culture through our values.

Known is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees or qualified job applicants on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or locally protected class.