Lead Designer

About the Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Lead Designer to take full ownership of the creative output across our digital agency's diverse client portfolio. This senior position demands setting and maintaining high design standards for all projects, transforming concepts, initial visual guidelines, and strategic aims into multiple innovative creative proposals. This approach helps clients engage with strong, varied ideas rather than a single predictable solution.

You will report directly to the agency owner, collaborate closely with the technical lead, and actively participate in creative critiques alongside senior marketing leaders on some of the agency's most challenging accounts.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead the entire design process across clients, from early concept to final production.
• Convert broad or vague directions into several distinct and compelling design options swiftly, empowering clients to review, mix, and select ideas.
• Develop top-tier brand-level creative work for national clients, matching the quality from major agencies.
• Oversee quality control for all outgoing design projects, including assessing and enhancing work produced by junior team members.
• Ensure accuracy and consistency in copy, specifications, calls to action, and adherence to brand guidelines.
• Collaborate closely with the technical lead on projects transitioning from design to development or production phases.

Qualifications and Skills

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing conceptual versatility, polished final designs, and experience with projects bearing significant brand impact.
• Senior-level conceptual skills with confidence in initiating work from a blank slate and generating diverse creative options from broad directions or ideas.
• Proven ability to work efficiently and consistently, producing robust first drafts that mainly need refinement rather than complete overhauls.
• Authentic expertise with AI creative tools, including a clear methodology for generating, assessing, and refining designs using these technologies.
• Strong client communication skills, including the capacity to present, justify, and adapt design work when collaborating with senior marketing stakeholders.
• Flexibility to work aligned with US Central Time business hours.

Technical Proficiencies

• Essential: Expert-level Adobe Creative Suite skills, particularly in Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.
• Required: Practical, hands-on experience with current AI creative tools and a demonstrated workflow utilizing them.
• Highly desirable: Familiarity with Figma for UI/UX design and development collaboration.
• Additional assets: Experience in motion graphics, animation, video editing, as well as competence in email design and production.