Art Director

Hello, we’re The Sasha Group! We serve a wide range of businesses from helping young startups develop their core to helping established brands think differently and flex with the times. From building brand foundations to building momentum, we combine creativity with thoughtfulness and speed to solve business challenges. We like to describe ourselves as “consultancy at the front and an agency ’round the back.”

At The Sasha Group, we believe that smart, creative thinking is the ultimate variable that makes brands come to life, whether it’s the startup looking to break into a space or the big, well-known brand looking to break the mold. And while we believe good ideas can come from anywhere, not everyone has the talent, skills, and craft to bring those ideas to life through design, photography, video, and animation.

That’s where you come in.

We are looking for Art Directors who have the know-how and skills to work hands-on who can own and guide the creative process from ideation to execution. Sometimes you’ll be leading a team of designers to make a volume of memes and GIFs that’ll make people laugh and cry. Sometimes you’ll be collaborating in a brainstorm for a big campaign. Sometimes you’ll be on set—using your eye to make sure everything in frame looks “just so.” Every task is challenging, but highly rewarding.

Who’s on the team?

You’ll be joining a tightly-knit creative team working with emerging and established brands across CPG, fashion, food & beverage, financial services, entertainment, and more. The team is a diverse mix of makers, creators, and ideators from published authors to viral TikTokers. But we’re all passionate about our mission: How do we level-up our clients to be the next big thing?

And who are you?

• You are a creator and an ideator who can execute at both a high speed and volume.
• You believe that great ideas can come from anywhere.
• You enjoy collaborating with other marketing nerds.
• You are a digital native and understand the internet of things.
• You are hungry for great work.
• You are comfortable flying solo and running with a pack.
• You are an expert visual thinker and can tell a good story that’ll make people stop, listen, and then probably go buy something.
• You consume content and know the ingredients to relevant, thumb-stopping work.
• You’d describe yourself as “very online” (creator or lurker) and are an expert on several digital and social platforms.
• You have a talent to make anything look good.

The task at hand:

• Thinking visually and then communicating those visual ideas.
• Transforming thoughts and half-ideas into fun, innovative, and clever executions with your creative team.
• Connecting the dots between culture and content to make concise and relevant creative recommendations.
• Creating mood-boards that distill or expand on the visual tone of a brand.
• Understanding, articulating, and strategically applying the latest social best-practices to every creative opportunity.
• Championing the look and feel of your brands. (Style guides are your bible.)
• Following direction and giving/taking actionable creative feedback from internal teams and clients.
• Managing and mentoring a team of designers, video editors, and creators to produce excellent visual work.
• Working across multiple brands and workstreams—big and small.

Sounds fun, but how about some specifics?

• Designing and animating social ads and organic content for various social and digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.
• Cutting-up long-form video into bite-sized clips.
• Creating brand guidelines and playbooks for newly emerging brands.
• Working across all technical aspects of content production and delivery.
• Building out visual ideas via storyboards, mocks, sketches, etc.
• Cleaning up projects and file management.
• Approving work and giving feedback to your team of designers.
• Noodling big, omni-channel campaign concepts for brands looking to make some noise.
• Concepting art direction (set, casting, props, wardrobe, etc.) for video executions.
• Then: working with studio partners on the pre-production, production, and post-production of those executions.
• Designing thoughtful presentations that help sell work and big ideas.
• Mentoring and training staff/direct reports (designers, creators, and video editors) with regular feedback and team-building exercises.
• Resourcing, finding, and developing a network of project-based employees (PBEs)

Qualifications:

• 2-4 years of experience in a similar role with proven leadership in visual thinking, art direction, and design skills.
• A portfolio reflecting strong visual concepting and direction/execution of design and animation.
• Highly proficient in the full Adobe Creative Suite (expert in Photoshop, Illustrator and familiarity with After Effects and Premiere.)
• Organizational skills are a must.
• So is a forensic attention to detail.
• A strong understanding in digital media from Instagram Reels to OTT Video placements.
• Deep familiarity with social platforms (e.g., export settings, file formats, social safe zones, etc.)
• Has a strong art history background and keeps up to date with design trends.
• On-set (photography/video) experience and other visual crafts are a big plus: illustration, sketching, motion graphics, hand-lettering, etc.
• Thrives in a company of collaborative people, but can clearly demonstrate an ability to get things done without direct supervision.
• A collaborator who’s not afraid to leave ego at the door.
• Highly adaptable and willing to try and learn through trial and error.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced environment, working across multiple projects.
• Isn’t afraid to bring their passions, background, and personal experience to their work.

Unsure if you meet the qualifications? We are always looking for talent which will continue to cultivate an inclusive and representative team that will enhance our perspectives, skill sets, background, and behaviors. We encourage those who are passionate about what we do to apply!

• Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.
• Base Salary $50k-$70k
• Employer-sponsored 401k with match
• Medical, Dental, and vision coverage
• Caregiver (Parental) Leave
• Unlimited PTO
• Health and Wellness benefits

Location – remote based in any of the following states: NY, NJ, CT, TN, MD, NC, CO, CA, GA, TX, FL
VaynerMedia